Team news: Mathews in for Louth, White retains Kerry place 

Kerry's Gavin White and Seanie O'Donnell of Tyrone Pic: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane

Conor Loftus and Paul Mathews have been named to start for Mayo and Louth in Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final.

They are the only changes to the teams that won their respective quarter-finals against Cork and Monaghan. Loftus comes in for Paul Towey and Paddy Durcan and Diarmuid O’Connor are among the substitutes.

Mathews is set to replace the suspended Seán Callaghan. The midfielder was sent off seven minutes into the game when he connected high and late to Oisín McGorman, who was later found to have fractured his jaw.

Ten of the team that started last year’s Leinster final are announced in the 15 – Niall McDonnell, Donal McKenny, Daire Nally, Conal McKeever, Craig Lennon, Sam Mulroy, Conor Grimes, Kieran McArdle, Ciarán Downey and Ryan Burns. Another three – Emmet Carolan, Mathews and Dara McDonnell – came on as substitutes in that historic win over Meath.

Gavin White retains his place in the Kerry team to face Dublin in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final as Tom O’Sullivan has been included in the matchday panel.

Jack O’Connor makes no changes to the side that began the quarter-final win over Tyrone as White, a late replacement for Brian Ó Beaglaoich, is set to begin this weekend having impressed last Saturday week.

Ó Beaglaoich, who suffered a back spasm, is among the substitutes as is goalkeeper Shane Broderick, who was an 11th hour change in place of Shane Ryan.

O’Sullivan has shaken off his calf problems to be involved a championship panel for the first time since the Munster semi-final win over Clare in April.

Tomás Kennedy also comes back into the squad as Cillian Trant and Killian Spillane miss out.

Eight of the team that started the 2023 All-Ireland SFC final defeat to Dublin are included in the announced starting team – Paul Murphy, Jason Foley, Graham O’Sullivan, White, Diarmuid O’Connor, Paudie Clifford, David Clifford and Paul Geaney.

Ger Brennan has also made no alterations to his Dublin team that began their quarter-final victory over Galway last Saturday week. Defender Seán MacMahon is included although there are concerns his hamstring strain could yet rule him out.

Eoin Murchan is on the four-man standby list along with Luke Breathnach, Jack Lundy and Greg McEneaney. Eoghan O’Callaghan is among the substitutes.

From the All-Ireland winning team of three years ago, Dublin also have eight survivors who start – Davy Byrne, Lee Gannon, Brian Howard and the entire forward sextet aside from Niall Scully who came off the bench in the win over the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, former Dublin star Kevin McManamon believes Ger Brennan was right to say all the pressure is on Kerry this week.

“Look, I'm really hoping Dublin go and get the job done but there was just something about the way the resilience of Kerry in that Tyrone game that just impressed me,” McManamon, a thorn in Kerry’s side in three SFC clashes during the 2010s, told the official GAA website. “Tyrone threw everything at them and Kerry looked them in the eye and beat them.

“I'm hoping they'll be shaken at some stage and I'm vouching for Dublin and I hope they get the job done but I just think it's big, big test for them playing this Kerry team. But Ger Brennan was right this week when he said all the pressure is on Kerry so we'll have to see how they get on. It's going to be a great game.”

DUBLIN (SFC v Kerry): E. Comerford; S. MacMahon, E. Kennedy, D. Byrne; L. Gannon, T. Clancy, C. McMorrow; P. Ó Cofaigh-Byrne, B. Howard; C. Basquel, C. O’Callaghan (c), N. Scully; P. Small, C. Kilkenny, C. Costello. 

Subs: H. O’Sullivan, T. Lahiff, L. Smith, E. O’Callaghan, C. Murphy, S. Guiden, J. Bannon, R. McGarry, A. Gavin, S. Bugler, T. Deering.

KERRY (SFC v Dublin): S. Murphy; P. Murphy, J. Foley, D. Casey; G. O’Sullivan, M. Breen, G. White; M. O’Shea, S. O’Brien; J. O’Connor, P. Clifford, D. O’Connor; D. Clifford, P. Geaney (c), D. Geaney. 

Subs: S. Broderick, E. Looney, T. Brosnan, K. Evans, S. O’Shea, A. Heinrich, B. Ó Beaglaoich, T. Morley, M. Burns, T. O’Sullivan, T Kennedy.

LOUTH (SFC v Mayo): N. McDonnell; E. Carolan, D. McKenny, D. Nally; C. McKeever, D. McDonnell, C. Lennon; C. Early, P. Mathews; J. Maguire, S. Mulroy (c), C. Grimes; K. McArdle, C. Downey, R. Burns. Subs: T. Markey, C. Branigan, C. Byrne, T. Durnin, L. Gray, C. Keenan, C. McCaul, T. McDonnell, S. Reynolds, P. Tinnelly, A. Williams.

MAYO (SFC v Louth): J. Livingston; J. Coyne (c), D. McHugh, E. McGreal; S. Callinan, D. McBrien, E. Hession; B. Tuohy, J. Carney; S. Coen, C. Loftus, J. Flynn; D. Beirne, R. O’Donoghue, K. McDonald. Subs: R. Hennelly, F. Kelly, P. Durcan, R. Brickenden, C. Dawson, A. O’Shea, M. Ruane, P. Towey, D. O’Connor, T. Conroy, C. McHale.

WICKLOW (SFC v Down): M. Jackson; T. Moran, M. Nolan, M. Stone; D. Fee, E. Murtagh, G. Fogarty; D. Healy (c), J. Kirwan; J. Carlin, P. O’Toole, C. O’Brien; O. McGraynor, K. Quinn, E. D’Arcy. Subs: C. Fitzgerald, M. Kenny, C. Deering, J. Prendergast, L. O’Neill, J.P. Nolan, C. Ó Gallchobhair, J. McCall, C. Fee, S. Murphy, C. Baker, J. Hardy, C. Maguire, A. O’Brien, B. Bohan.