JACK O’CONNOR HAS upped the ante by fielding a full-strength Kerry side for Sunday’s National Football League Division 1 semi-final against Mayo in Croke Park.
O’Connor has recalled seven familiar faces from the bench after the two counties played out a 1-12 to 1-12 draw when they met in the final round of regular fixtures last weekend.
Marc Ó Sé, Paul Galvin, Declan O’Sullivan and Darran O’Sullivan all returning to the starting line-up after making substitute appearances in the drawn game in Tralee.
Brendan Kealy returns in goal, Aidan O’Mahony gets the nod at centre-back, and Anthony Maher comes in to partner Bryan Sheehan in midfield.
There is good news on the injury front with Daniel Bohan included in the matchday squad after recovering from an ankle injury picked up against Donegal last month, though Seamus Scanlon remains unavailable with ankle trouble of his own.
Mayo show just two changes from that draw which guaranteed their place in the semi-final. Westport’s Kevin Keane comes in to replace Eoin O’Reilly at corner-back while up top, Conor Mortimer is preferred to Cillian O’Connor who drops to the bench.
Kerry: Brendan Kealy; Shane Enright, Marc Ó Sé, Killian Young; Peter Crowley, Aidan O’Mahony, Brian Maguire; Anthony Maher, Bryan Sheehan; Paul Galvin, Darran O’Sullivan, Kieran Donaghy; Colm Cooper, Declan O’Sullivan, Patrick Curtin.
Mayo: David Clarke; Kevin Keane, Ger Cafferkey, Keith Higgins; Lee Keegan, Donal Vaughan, Colm Boyle; Aidan O’Shea, Jason Gibbons; Kevin McLoughlin, Andy Moran, Alan Dillon; Conor Mortimer, Jason Doherty, Michael Conroy.
