TADHG KENNELLY has regained his place in the Kerry starting line-up for Sunday’s All-Ireland football semi-final against Meath at Croke Park. In the only change from the ultimately facile win over Dublin the quarter-final, manager Jack O’Connor has named Kennelly at centre forward as an indirect replacement for Tommy Walsh, who drops down to the bench.
Declan O’Sullivan, who started on the 40 against Dublin, moves into full forward, alongside Colm “Gooch” Cooper and Darren O’Sullivan. Walsh will feel a little unlucky to be dropped although he was actually replaced by Kennelly 31 minutes into the Dublin match, and the former Australian Rules star increasingly looked the part, kicking two late points in what was actually his first senior appearance in Croke Park.
It also means Kieran Donaghy has once again been kept in reserve despite being more or less fully recovered from the broken bone in his foot that kept him out of the team against Dublin.
Donaghy, in fact, acted as water boy that day, but this time has been named among the substitutes.
Concerns about the availability of defender Aidan O’Mahony were allayed during the week after the 26-year-old took a full part in training on Monday night.
The two-time All Star was thought to be suffering from appendicitis after complaining of abdominal pains over the weekend, although he hasn’t been able to regain his place in the starting 15, as Mike McCarthy continues at centre back having made such an amazing return from retirement, and Tommy Griffin continues at full back.
Meath manager Eamonn O’Brien was due to select a team last night for release sometime today, but there were some concerns over the fitness of full back Anthony Moyles, who sustained a hamstring injury in training earlier this week.
Moyles is undergoing extensive physiotherapy on the injury, but it may be closer to throw-in time on Sunday before a final decision on his role is made.
However, it would be a major setback for Meath if he fails to make it, particularly as he has been filling in for regular full back Kevin Reilly, who once again misses out on Sunday due to surgery on a back complaint.
Should Moyles fail to make it, the expectation is that Eoghan Harrington will move over from corner back, with Mickey Burke among the candidates to come in for his place.
Earlier this week O’Brien reinforced his panel by recalling former International Rules goalkeeper David Gallagher and Shane O’Rourke, although neither of them are likely to start.
Paddy O’Rourke is expected to be retained in goal, while cousin Shane O’Rourke – son of former Meath player and current television pundit and columnist Colm – has finally returned to some sort of regular playing fitness for the first time in almost two years’ recovering from a long-standing back problem.
KERRY(SF v Meath): D Murphy; M Ó Sé, T Griffin, T O'Sullivan; T Ó Sé, M McCarthy, K Young; D Ó Sé, S Scanlon; P Galvin, T Kennelly, D Walsh; C Cooper, Declan O'Sullivan, Darren O'Sullivan.
