Kerry make three changes to team to play Louth to decide Group 4 winner in All-Ireland Football Championship

Paul Murphy, Tadhg Morley and Dara Moynihan are recalled to the starting team in place of Dylan Casey, Mike Breen and Cillian Burke respectively.

With a draw enough for Kerry to top the group and qualify straight through to the All-Ireland quarter-finals a fortnight later, manager Jack O’Connor appears to be taking no chances by naming what would appear to be the strongest 15 available to him for this rematch against Louth.

The counties face each other a year on from their meeting at the very same stage of the 2023 championship – the third game of the All-Ireland Group Phase – and despite Kerry beating the Wee county by 28 points on that occasion, also in Portlaoise, the Kerry management don’t appear to be taking any chances against an improved Louth team.

On this occasion Louth – now managed by former Dublin All-Ireland winner Ger Brennan – are already assured qualification out of the group, and while a win over Kerry would secure them top spot in Group 4, they will be surely quite pleased to be involved in a preliminary quarter-final the weekend after this should they not pull off what would be a huge shock against Kerry.

Murphy and Morley come into the Kerry defence on Sunday in place of Casey and Breen, who got their opportunity against Meath in Kerry’s round two win in Navan.

Moynihan is also recalled to the attack, with Cillian Burke dropping to the bench.

Of some concern for Kerry is the notable absence of Graham O’Sullivan who still has not fully recovered from the ankle injury that has kept him out of action in this Group Phase.

Kerry’s team for Sunday shows four changes from the team that started against Louth 12 months ago, when Graham O’Sullivan, Breen, Jack Barry and Adrian Spillane were in the first 15.

The five Kerry subs used last year were Brian Ó Beaglaíoch, Barry Dan O’Sullivan, Stephen O’Brien, Ruairí Murphy and Micheál Burns, and while Ó Beaglaíoch is in the team from that start next Sunday, and Breen and Barry Dan O’Sullivan are among the subs, Murphy has been unavailable all season through injury and Burns left the panel earlier in the year and after playing a few county league games with Dr Crokes is now in America for the summer.

Kerry team to play Louth: Shane Ryan; Paul Murphy, Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan; Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Tadhg Morley Gavin White; Diarmuid O’Connor, Joe O’Connor; Tony Brosnan, Paudie Clifford, Dara Moynihan; David Clifford, Sean O’Shea, Paul Geaney.

Substitutes

Shane Murphy, Dylan Casey, Cillian Burke, Mike Breen, Seán O’Brien, Adrian Spillane, Barry Dan O’Sullivan, Killian Spillane, Darragh Roche, Stephen O’Brien, Dylan Geaney, Armin Heinrich