Kerry name Tommy Walsh at full forward for Dublin game

Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Philip O’Connor to make first league starts

Tommy Walsh will start at full forward in the Kerry team named to play Dublin in Saturday's Allianz Football League opener at Croke Park.

Two years after returning from the Australian Football League, Walsh has struggled to find a position in the Kerry team, and his selection at full forward may well be a sign of new things to come in 2016.

Manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice is down several first-choice players, including Kieran Donaghy, 2016 captain Bryan Sheehan plus James O'Donoghue, and so he has also given starts to Brian Ó Beaglaoich, who makes his league debut, and corner forward Philip O'Connor, who makes his first league start.

Killian Young will captain the team at centre back in the absence of Sheehan, one of just eight starters from the team which also started last year's All-Ireland final – the others being goalkeeper Brendan Kealy, plus Shane Enright, David Moran, Johnny Buckley, Stephen O'Brien, Johnny Buckley and Donnchadh Walsh.

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KERRY(SF v Dublin): Brendan Kealy; Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Mark Griffin, Shane Enright; Paul Murphy, Killian Young (capt), Fionn Fitzgerald; David Moran, Johnny Buckley; Stephen O'Brien, Darran O'Sullivan, Donnchadh Walsh; Barry John Keane, Tommy Walsh, Philip O'Connor.

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan is an Irish Times sports journalist writing on athletics