Colm Cooper is among the five players left out of All-Ireland champions Kerry’s team by manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice for Sunday’s Munster football final in Killarney. The former Footballer of the Year is making his way back after over a year out with injury but he started the semi-final against Tipperary and played for the full 70 minutes.
Along with Cooper, Michael Geaney and Paul Geaney are replaced in attack with Donncha Walsh, Stephen O’Brien and current Footballer of the Year James O’Donoghue coming in.
Anthony Maher makes way for David Moran at centrefield and in defence last year’s captain Fionn Fitzgerald starts ahead of Mark Griffin. Kieran Donaghy starts at full forward and captains the team.
The upshot is a strong bench with five of last year’s All-Ireland winning team named as substitutes together with Cooper.
Fitzmaurice's Cork counterpart Brian Cuthbert makes two changes to his team. Eoin Cadogan has recovered from injury and is included in a re-shuffled full-back line with Conor Dorman dropping to the bench.
Fintan Goold returns at centrefield at the expense of Colm O'Driscoll, as Kevin O'Driscoll moves to the half forwards.
Meanwhile the county hurlers show two changes to the side beaten by Waterford in the Munster SHC semi-final for Saturday’s trip to Wexford.
Séamus Harnedy, withdrawn before throw-in the last day, has recovered from injury and returns at full forward in place of Luke O'Farrell with Patrick Cronin, who replaced Harnedy the last day and proved one of the team's few successes, retaining his place.
Brian Lawton is also called up at wing forward and in a series of positional switches he takes the place of injured corner back Shane O'Neill, who sustained an ankle injury in training last week. Wing back Lorcán McLoughlin is still injured.
KERRY (SFC v Cork): Brendan Kealy; Fionn Fitzgerald, Marc Ó Sé, Shane Enright; Jonathan Lyne, Peter Crowley, Killian Young; David Moran, Bryan Sheehan; Stephen O'Brien, Johnny Buckley, Donnchadh Walsh; Barry John Keane, Kieran Donaghy (capt), James O'Donoghue.
CORK (SFC v Kerry): Ken O'Halloran; Michael Shields, Eoin Cadogan, James Loughrey; Barry O'Driscoll, Brian O'Driscoll, Stephen Cronin; Alan O'Connor, Fintan Goold; Paul Kerrigan, Donncha O'Connor, Kevin O'Driscoll; Colm O'Neill, Mark Collins, Brian Hurley. Subs: Paddy O'Shea, Jamie O'Sullivan, Noel Galvin, Conor Dorman, Tomás Clancy, Ruairi Deane, Patrick Kelly, John Hayes, Colm O'Driscoll, Daniel Goulding, Donal Óg Hodnett.
OFFALY (SFQ v Kildare): Alan Mulhall; Brian Darby, Paul McConway (capt.), Cian Donohue; Niall Darby, Johnny Moloney, Joseph O'Connor; Conor McNamee, Niall Smith; Peter Cunningham, Graham Guilfoyle, Anton Sullivan; Bernard Allen, Nigel Dunne, William Mulhall.
OFFALY (SHQ v Clare): James Dempsey; Niall Wynne, Dermot Shortt, David King; Eanna Murphy, Colin Egan, Pat Camon; Emmet Nolan, Seán Ryan; James Mulrooney, Dan Currams (capt.), Paddy Murphy; Shane Dooley, Joe Bergin, Brian Carroll.
CORK (SHQ v Wexford): Anthony Nash; Damien Cahalane, Stephen McDonnell, Brian Murphy; Aidan Walsh, Mark Ellis, Cormac Murphy; Daniel Kearney, Bill Cooper; Conor Lehane, Patrick Cronin, Brian Lawton; Alan Cadogan, Séamus Harnedy, Patrick Horgan.
