Kerry set off again glancing backwards

GAELIC GAMES: Kerry's first team of the season, to play Cork in Saturday night's National League match, features some new but expected departures.

New captain Barry O'Shea of county champions Kerins O'Rahillys is selected at full back in the presumably fervent hope that he will re-stake a claim to his old position and liberate Séamus Moynihan from the confines of the square.

Moynihan is named at centre back, a position more in tune with his creative abilities. Other changes from the side that lost the All-Ireland to Armagh include selecting O'Rahillys' Declan Quill in place of the injured Mike Frank Russell.

Tom O'Sullivan - who was sent off when the counties last met in the All-Ireland semi-final - comes in at corner back for Marc Ó Sé. Aodan MacGearailt is named in place of Liam Hassett and O'Shea indirectly replaces Eamonn Fitzmaurice.

Kildare make a couple of alterations to the side that beat Longford in the O'Byrne Cup final. Midfielder Killian Brennan and Padraig Brennan, who came on as substitutes at the weekend, return to the starting line up for Sunday's league match against Cavan, replacing Aidan McHugh and Terry Rossiter.

Glenn Ryan will line out at centre back instead of Damien Hendy, who will start at full back taking Ronan Quinn's place. Also in defence, Andrew McLoughlin starts at corner back in place of Emmet Mulhall.

Paddy Murray is another replacement to hold his place, instead of Padraig Hurley. Goalkeeper Enda Murphy replaces Christy Byrne.

Offaly have named a familiar side for their opening fixture against Louth in Drogheda on Sunday. Only one newcomer is included, Edenderry's Colin McNamara who takes over in goal from Padraig Kelly.

Also on duty in the half-back line will be dual players Neville Coughlan and Ger Rafferty, both of whom lined out with the hurlers last Sunday and who will miss Sunday's Walsh Cup semi-final against Kilkenny in Birr.

Monaghan's Colm Flanagan could miss the entire season following injuries picked up in the McKenna Cup game against Armagh in Crossmaglen last Sunday. Flanagan was carried off 22 minutes into the first half with a leg injury following an accidental collision, but it has now emerged that he sustained two fractures in the incident.

The shinbone break was bad enough, but further X-rays on Monday have revealed that Flanagan also has a broken bone in his foot.

Monaghan manager Colin Coyle was understandably disappointed when he heard the news.

"It's a terrible blow and my heart goes out to Colm. He had been playing well, he's very keen and his loss is a big blow to us, but the main thing is to get the injuries sorted out properly, but unfortunately it looks as if he will be out for some considerable time."

Sligo forward Dessie Sloyane will miss his county's opening game, against Mayo in Castlebar. He has a knee injury and could be out of action for a few weeks.

There are also injury doubts about defender Karol O'Neill and forward Tommie Brennan. All Star Eamonn O'Hara has a slight ankle injury but is expected to be fit to play.

Meanwhile, Brian McEniff readily accepts he is on a hiding to nothing as he faces into a fourth decade of inter-county management.

As newly elected county chairman, the man who led Donegal to the county's only All-Ireland success 11 years ago believed that his tracksuit days were over.

"This wasn't planned in any shape or form. Before I became chairman I was asked by PJ McGowan would I help formulate a panel in the event of a new manager being chosen. But we didn't get one and things began to unravel."

If his accession to management was largely unintentional this time around, it wasn't the first time that McEniff has taken the job because there were no other candidates.

"In 1972 the county couldn't get a manager either. We'd just been beaten by Leitrim about 2-16 to 0-7.

"This time someone asked me, 'are you afraid of the job'? I said 'no' but I am on a hiding to nothing because there'll be high expectations of the team and of me."

Despite the high expectations his job is made easier by the return of some players who were previously unavailable, Martin Coll, Niall McCreadie and the reversal of John Gildea's decision to retire.

Still missing through long-term injury, however, are Mark Crossan and Barry Monaghan.

KERRY (v Cork): D O'Keeffe; T O'Sullivan, B O'Shea, M McCarthy; T Ó Sé, S Moynihan, J Sheehan; D Ó Sé, D Daly; S O'Sullivan, E Brosnan, A MacGearailt; D Quill, D Ó Cínnéide, C Cooper. Subs: D Murphy, M Ó Sé, E Fitzmaurice, M Lyons, S Scanlon, D O'Sullivan, R MacGearailt, P Galvin, M Quirke.

KILDARE ( v Cavan): E Murphy; A McLoughlin, D Hendy, E Callaghan; P Mullarkey, G Ryan, A Rainbow; D Earley, K Brennan; E McCormack, J Doyle, P Murray; P Brennan, D McCormack, T Fennin.

OFFALY (SF v Louth): C McNamara; J Hurst, C Daly, B Mooney; N Coughlan, G Rafferty, K Slattery; C McManus, A McNamee; C Quinn, J Kenny, P Mulhare; P Kellaghan, R Malone, B Malone.