IT’S WITH an uncanny sense of timing that Kieran Donaghy returns to the Kerry team for Saturday’s All-Ireland football round two qualifier against Longford in Pearse Park. It was in the similar fixture three years ago that Donaghy first made a name for himself when manager Jack O’Connor famously converted him from part-time midfielder to all-conquering full forward.

There obviously won’t be the same element of surprise this time, but Donaghy’s selection is no less significant in that it marks his first championship start of the season.

Donaghy had been sidelined with a broken bone in his foot sustained in Kerry’s National Football League final win over Derry at the end of April, but he has made a slightly quicker recovery than was initially anticipated.

It was the fourth-round qualifier against Longford in 2006 in Killarney where Donaghy first emerged as the forward he is known as today, helping to set up Kerry’s four goals in the eventual 4-11 to 1-11 win. Kerry went on to win the All-Ireland.

His reintroduction for Saturday is just one of several interesting changes from the team that lost to Cork in the Munster semi-final replay on June 13th. Tommy Griffin is named at full back for the first time in his championship career with Kerry.

Killian Young moves to right corner back, as Marc Ó Sé moves up to centre back. With that the much anticipated return of Mike McCarthy, who retired after that 2006 All-Ireland victory, is put on hold, as instead he is named among the substitutes.

But gone from the half-back line is Aidan O’Mahony, as Aidan O’Shea, son of multiple All-Ireland winner Jack, is handed the number seven shirt alongside the Ó Sé brothers Tomás and Marc.

Darragh Ó Sé and Seamus Scanlon resume forces at midfield, while up front both Donnacha Walsh and Sean O’Sullivan are also reintroduced as replacements for Tadhg Kennelly, who was ruled out with a broken bone in his finger, and Paul Galvin, who is suspended after receiving a straight red card in the replay against Cork. Bryan Sheehan also drops down to the bench to make way for Donaghy.

Assuming Kerry win on Saturday, they will go into the hat on Sunday evening for the draw for round three of the qualifiers. That sees the eight second-round winners play off against each other, in an open draw, in four games – all of which are down to be played on Saturday week, July 18th.

Sunday will also see the draw for phase three of the All-Ireland hurling qualifiers. The winners of this Saturday’s phase two games – Wexford against Limerick and Clare against Galway – will effectively go into an open draw for the final play-off with the phase one winners (Cork and Laois) the following Saturday, July 18th, though if Galway beat Clare, they will automatically play Cork as Galway have already played Laois, the other phase one winners, in the Leinster championship.

KERRY (SF v Longford): D Murphy; K Young, T Griffin, T O’Sullivan; T Ó Sé, M Ó Sé, A O’Shea; D Ó Sé, S Scanlon; D Walsh (capt), Declan O’Sullivan, S O’Sullivan; C Cooper, K Donaghy, T Walsh.

LAOIS (SF v Down): M Nolan; C Ryan, M Timmons, R Stapleton; A Fennelly, J O’Loughlin, N Donoher; P Clancy, K Meaney; B Quigley, C Rogers, R Munnelly; MJ Tierney, C Coss, P O’Leary.