U21s date with destiny
O’Connor makes four changes for the final
KERRY boss Jack O’Connor has made four changes from the side which defeated Waterford for tonight’s Munster Under 21 Football Championship final with Cork in Pairc Uí Rinn (throw-in 7.30pm).
The Dromid man has called Dr Crokes tyro Gavin White straight into the side upon his return from club duty. White’s two club colleagues, Micheál Burns and Jordan Kiely, meanwhile, have greatly added to the strength in depth the Kingdom have on the bench.
Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Brandon Barrett and Matthew O’Sulllivan, who all missed the game with Waterford owing to injury, return to the side in place of Jack Moran, Cormac Coffey, Lee O’Donoghue and, surprisingly, Barry O’Sullivan, who many would have pencilled in as Kerry’s first choice midfielder for this campaign.
The challenge Kerry face is significant. Kerry haven’t beaten Cork in the Under 21 championship since the 2010 Munster semi-final and haven’t won a game in the grade in Pairc Uí Rinn in almost two decades.
“It’s [Pairc Ui Rinn] a bit of an advantage,” O’Connor told The Kerryman this week.
“You would always prefer to be playing at home, even the crowd can sway a few decisions here and there, so, we would just be hoping and I suppose for a share of our fellows it’s like a home game, we have nine, ten fellows in Cork, so, we would hope that it works to our advantage.
“I wouldn’t really see us as favourites. I would see this as very much a fifty / fifty game.”
KERRY v Cork: Shane Ryan (Rathmore), Tom (Leo) O’Sullivan (Dingle), Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue), Brian Sugrue (Renard), Brian Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht), Tom O’Sullivan (Dingle), Gavin White (Dr Crokes), Andrew Barry (Na Gaeil), Brian Ó Seanacháin (Ballydonoghue), Brandon Barrett (Ardfert), Sean O’Shea (Kenmare), Matthew Flaherty (Dingle), Killian Spillane (Templenoe), Matthew O’Sullivan (St Michaels-Foilmore), Cathal Bambury (Dingle) Subs: Eoghan O’Brien (Churchill), Barry O’Sullivan (Dingle), Jack Morgan (Austin Stacks), Conor Geaney (Dingle), Cormac Coffey (Kerins O’Rahillys), Daniel O’Brien (Glenflesk), Jordan Kiely (Dr Crokes), Micheál Burns (Dr Crokes), Roibeard Ó Sé (An Ghaeltacht), Mark Ryan (Rathmore)