Paul Geaney and Shane Ryan start for the footballers while Gavin Dooley and Brandon Barrett have been brought in to starting team for the hurlers
There is little surprise in goalkeeper Ryan being recalled after sitting out the Munster final win over Clare, when Shane Murphy came in for his first game of the year in Ennis last Sunday week.
There is one change in the forward unit where Paul Geaney starts in the full forward line alongside David Clifford and Sean O’Shea. In a small reshuffle, Tony Brosnan – who started in the corner against Clare – moves out to the half forward line, with Cillian Burke being dropped from the starting 15 but is named on the bench.
There are no changes to the match day 26 from the squad that lined out for the Munster final, and that means no place for Graham O’Sullivan. The Dromid Pearses club man was a notable absentee for the Munster final, with a groin injury understood to be the issue.
However, there are unconfirmed reports that O’Sullivan’s injury might be more serious than initially thought, and the defender could be out of action for another couple of weeks at least. With Kerry due to play Meath in a fortnight and Louth a fortnight after that, there is some speculation that O’Sullivan could be in danger of missing much if not all of the Group Stage games.
In his fellow Dromid man’s absence, Jack O’Connor has named the same match day squad for Saturday’s game in Killarney (3pm) while Damien Bourke, Conor and Dylan Geaney and Joey Nagle are named on the standby list.
Meanwhile, hurling manager Stephen Molumphy has made two changes to the team that takes on Offaly in Tullamore on Sunday in a must win game for the Kingdom in the Joe McDonagh Cup.
Molumphy is without the services of Luke Crowley who will be playing with the under-20 footballers in the All-Ireland final against Tyrone in Portloaise. Gavin Dooley comes in to replace the dual player Crowley, while a second change in the forward unit has Brandon Barrett starting at full forward, with Maurice O’Connor moving out to centre forward and Niall Mulcahy dropping to the bench.
There are also a number of positional changes in the defence and midfield, although Molumphy is keeping faith with the same players that lost to Laois the weekend before last in Tralee, other than Dooley and Barrett coming in.
Felim O’Sullivan (Ballyheigue) and Rory Mahony (Crotta O’Neills) are new additions to the match day 26 with Crowley and Morgan Madden the two omission from the squad.
Kerry football team to play Monaghan:
1. Shane Ryan (Rathmore)
2. Paul Murphy (Rathmore)
3. Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue)
4. Tom O’Sullivan (Dingle)
5. Brian Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht)
6. Tadhg Morley (Templenoe)
7. Gavin White (Dr Crokes)
8. Diarmuid O’Connor (Na Gaeil)
9. Joe O’Connor (Austin Stacks)
10. Tony Brosnan (Dr Crokes)
11. Paudie Clifford (Fossa)
12. Dara Moynihan (Spa)
13. David Clifford (Fossa)
14. Seán O’Shea (Kenmare Shamrocks)
15. Paul Geaney (Dingle)
Substitutes
16. Shane Murphy (Dr Crokes)
17. Cillian Burke (Milltown/Castlemaine)
18. Seán O’Brien (Beaufort)
19. Adrian Spillane (Templenoe)
20. Barry Dan O’Sullivan (Dingle)
21. Dylan Casey (Austin Stacks)
22. Stephen O’Brien (Kenmare Shamrocks)
23. Mike Breen (Beaufort)
24. Killian Spillane (Templenoe)
25. Darragh Roche (Glenflesk)
26. Armin Heinrich (Austin Stacks
Kerry hurling team team to play Offaly:
1. Louis Dee (Liam Mellows, Galway)
2. Flor McCarthy (Kilmoyley)
3. Dáithí Griffin (St Brendans)
4. Eric Leen (St Brendans)
5. Fionán Mackessy (St Brendans)
6. Evan Murphy (Causeway)
7. Kyle O’Connor (Ballyduff)
8. Colin Walsh (Ballyheigue)
9. Darragh Shanahan (Lixnaw)
10. Ronan Walsh (Kilmoyley)
11. Maurice O’Connor (Kilmoyley)
12. Killian Hayes (Kilmallock, Limerick)
13. Gavin Dooley (Causeway)
14. Brandon Barrett (Causeway)
15. Michael Leane (Ballyheigue)
Substitutes
16. Diarmuid Quirke (Dr Crokes)
17. Bill Keane (Crotta O’Neills)
18. Dan Goggin (Causeway)
19. Dara Kearney (Ballyheigue)
20. Darragh Reen (Tralee Parnells)
21. David Woulfe (Kilmallock, Limerick)
22. Felim O’Sullivan (Ballyheigue)
23. Niall Mulcahy (Mungret, Limerick)
24. Rory Mahony (Crotta O’Neills)
25. Tomás O’Connor (Crotta O’Neills)
26. Tom Doyle (Dr Crokes)
