Finalists stick with winning formulas

Armagh and Kerry have given the go-ahead to their successful semi-final line-ups for Sunday's All-Ireland football final at Croke Park. Neither had been expected to tinker with the teams that performed well in their respective matches against Dublin and Cork and with no injuries troubling either camp, the selection task facing the two managements was straightforward.

The sides also name unchanged substitutes' benches.

This means that speculation about the possible appearance of Kerry's Autralian Rules star Tadgh Kennelly has been laid to rest.

Kennelly, a brother of 2000 All-Ireland winner Noel and son of All-Ireland winning captain Tim, had returned to Ireland early because his club, the Sydney Swans, had failed to make the latter stages of the Premiership. He is included in Ireland manager - and Kerry physical trainer - John O'Keeffe's provisional panel for next month's International Rules series in Croke Park.

Only 11 days ago Kennelly came on as a replacement for the Kerry under-21s in their All-Ireland semi-final against Galway. Although Kerry were beaten, he made a big contribution to the comeback, which ensured the defeat remained respectable. He had also trained with the senior panel last week and participated in training matches but his potential involvement in Sunday's All-Ireland was ruled out by the county management earlier this week.

Kennelly's brother Noel is also ruled out because of injury. Although he played for his club Listowel within the last fortnight and has returned to training, he hasn't reached the required fitness levels and will have to sit this out with his brother.

The side shows five changes from the team that won the All-Ireland only two years ago after a replay against Galway. Apart from Mike Hassett who has since retired and Noel Kennelly, the other three changes, Tom O'Sullivan, Aodan MacGearailt and John Crowley, are all listed on the substitutes' bench.

There are six changes from the team that beat Armagh in the semi-final two years ago. Denis Dwyer started at centre forward that day as Liam Hassett was recovering from injury. Armagh show five changes from that match. All of the players who have since been replaced are on the substitutes' bench: Ger Reid, Kieran Hughes, Cathal O'Rourke, Barry O'Hagan and Tony McEntee will all be available to make an appearance.

McEntee is now fully recovered from injury and likely to show at some stage.

The five incoming players are Francie Bellew, Aidan O'Rourke (a brother of Cathal), John Toal, Steven McDonnell and Ronan Clarke. O'Rourke and McDonnell both came on during that replayed semi-final, which Armagh lost only after extra time.

Kerry's five debutants at this level are Marc Ó Sé, brother of Tomás and Darragh, John Sheehan, Sean O'Sullivan, Eoin Brosnan and Colm Cooper. Brosnan and Cooper are both members of Dr Crokes and this will be the first time in decades that the famous Killarney club has started two players in an All-Ireland.

The sides have already played this year in the National League with Kerry winning down in Killarney.

Both counties spent the league in Division Two with Armagh reaching the semi-finals and losing to Laois whereas Kerry won the title - probably the only senior prize to have eluded the county over the years.

A peculiar feature of the Armagh team is that members of it have played against each other in an All-Ireland. Two years ago captain Kieran McGeeney lined out at centrefield for Dublin's Na Fianna in the club final against Armagh champions Crossmaglen Rangers who that day clinched an unprecedented third title in four years.

Francie Bellew, John McEntee and Oisin McConville all started for Cross who were managed by the current Armagh manager Joe Kernan.

The match will be Armagh's first final since 1977 when the county lost to Dublin. The county's only previous All-Ireland was in 1953 when they also played Kerry. The attendance that day was a record with 86,155 being admitted before the gates at the Hill 16 end of the ground were forced. Even then as many as 5,000 were locked out and forced to follow the match on radio transmissions relayed around the city centre.