Cooper and Galvin return to Kerry panel

Former Footballer of the Year winners are both named on bench for vital Tyrone match

Kery welcome Colm Cooper back this weekend. Photo: Donall Farmer/Inpho
Kery welcome Colm Cooper back this weekend. Photo: Donall Farmer/Inpho

Kerry manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice has announced the long-awaited return from injury of Colm Cooper and Paul Galvin's first involvement in more than a year.

The two former Footballer of the Year winners are named on the team’s bench for Sunday’s trip to Omagh and the critical Division One relegation tussle with Tyrone.

Damaged

Cooper hasn’t featured for Kerry since the All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin in 2013, having damaged his cruciate in his club Dr Crokes’ club semi-final against Castlebar Mitchels in February of last year.

Tyrone make two changes to the team badly beaten by Donegal.

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Captain Seán Cavanagh and Ryan McKenna, late withdrawals the last day, both return in place of Conor Clarke and Ronan O’Neill.

Cork, already in the semi-finals, rotate half of their team for the trip to relegated Derry, who make three changes to the side whose defensive configuration ran Dublin close in the much-denounced encounter in Croke Park a week ago.

Monaghan are unchanged from the victory over All-Ireland champions Kerry, as they prepare to take on league holders Dublin in Clones.

Mayo make an unusually conservative single change for the match against Donegal. Last week’s goalkeeper David Clarke is rotated with Kenneth O’Malley taking over.

Meanwhile, Tipperary have yet to decide whether to appeal the one-match suspension handed down to Séamus Callanan after his red card in last week's hurling league quarter-final against Offaly.

The county had asked for a hearing to dispute the sending-off which arose from a challenge on Offaly defender Dermot Shortt but the Central Hearings Committee concluded that they had failed to demonstrate that the referee had been wrong in dismissing Callanan for striking.

KERRY (AFL v Tyrone): B Kealy; P Murphy, M Griffin, S Enright; J Lyne, P Crowley, K Young; A Maher, D Moran; A Fitzgerald, B Sheehan, J Buckley; S O’Brien, K Donaghy (capt.), BJ Keane. Subs: B Kelly, P Kilkenny, T Walsh, F Fitzgerald, M Ó’Sé, D O’Sullivan, K O’Leary, Padraig O’Connor, Philip O Connor, P Galvin, C Cooper.

TYRONE (AFL): N Morgan; A McCrory, R McNamee, C McCarron; R McNabb, Justin McMahon, P Harte; C Cavanagh, P McNulty; T McCann, M Donnelly, R McKenna; D McCurry, S Cavanagh (capt.), C McAliskey. Subs: S Fox C Clarke P Hughes PJ Lavery D McBride C McCann S McGuigan E McKenna P McNiece R O’Neill P Quinn

CORK (AFL v Derry): K O’Halloran; N Galvin, M Shields, Tom Clancy; Tomás Clancy, S O’Donoghue, C Dorman; F Goold, P Kelly; J O’Rourke, M Collins, Barry O’Driscoll; D Goulding, P Kerrigan, J Hayes. Subs: P O’Shea, J Loughrey, B Hurley, K O’Driscoll, C O’Driscoll, D Hodnett, C O’Neill.

DERRY (AFL): E McNicholl; O Duffy, N Holly, K Johnston; L McGoldrick, C McAtamney, M McIver; M Lynch, F Doherty; SL McGoldrick, D Heavron, E Lynn; B Heron, T O’Brien, J Kielt.

MONAGHAN (AFL v Dublin): R Beggan; K Duffy, D Wylie, R Wylie; F Kelly, V Corey, K O’Connell; N McAdam, D Hughes; D Mone, P Finlay, O Duffy; D Malone, K Hughes, C McManus.

MAYO (AFL v Donegal): K O’Malley; G Cafferkey, K Keane, K Higgins; L Keegan, C Boyle, D Vaughan; B Moran, T Parsons; K McLoughlin, A O’Shea, J Doherty; M Ronaldson, D Kirby, A Dillon.

Seán Moran

Seán Moran

Seán Moran is GAA Correspondent of The Irish Times