Kildare manager Kieran McGeeney has named five championship debutants for tomorrow night's Leinster SFC quarter-final against Offaly.
Goalkeeper Mark Donnellan, midfielder Daniel Flynn and forwards Paul Cribbin, Niall Kelly and Paddy Brophy, key performers in the Under 21 team that lost the semi-final to Galway have earned their starting stripes.
Offaly manager Emmet McDonnell has included three debutants in their starting team for tomorrow’s game at Croke Park (5.0pm).
Cappincur’s Eoin Carroll, Ballyfore’s Daithi Brady and St Brigid’s Johnny Brickland will make their first ever senior championship appearances for the ‘Faithful County’ against Kieran McGeeney’s Kildare.
While Edenderry’s David Hanlon, who was introduced as a sub during Offaly’s 0-6 to 0-19 loss against Kildare in last year’s Leinster Championship encounter at O’Moore Park, Portlaoise will start a championship match for the first time tomorrow.
Carroll played throughout this year's Allianz Football League campaign, including the recent Division 4 Final at Croke Park, where Offaly lost out to fellow promoted side Limerick by 0-16 to 1-11.
The team for tomorrow shows three changes in personnel to the side that went down to Limerick – Niall Darby (who is included among the subs), Sean Pender and Ross Brady have made way with Brady, Brickland and Hanlon coming into the side.
Tomorrow's clash will be the second occasion this year that Offaly and Kildare have met. The counties played out a highly entertaining Bord na Mona O'Byrne Cup semi-final where Kildare shaded the honours by 1-12 to 1-9, before the Lilywhites went on to defeat Dublin in the final by 1-16 to 0-17 at Parnell Park.
Offaly: 1 Alan Mulhall (Walsh Island) 2 Brian Darby (Rhode) 3 Paul McConway (Tullamore) 4 Daithi Brady (Ballyfore) 5 Eoin Carroll (Cappincur) 6 Shane Sullivan (Rhode) 7 Michael Brazil (Tullamore) 8 Alan McNamee (Rhode) 9 Brian Connor (Walsh Island) 10 Graham Guilfoyle (Clara) 11 Johnny Brickland (St Brigid’s) 12 David Hanlon (Edenderry) 13 Anton Sullivan (Rhode) 14 Niall McNamee (captain) (Rhode) 15 Ken Casey (St Brigid’s) 16 Ian Duffy (Walsh Island) 17 Peter Cunningham (Bracknagh) 18 Johnny Moloney (Tullamore) 19 Niall Darby (Rhode) 20 Ruairi Allen (Gracefield) 21 Willie Mulhall (Walsh Island) 22 Luke Kelly (Clara) 23 Matthew Mitchell (Clara) 24 Daire Corbett (Shannonbridge) 25 Derek Kelly (Edenderry) 26 Paul McPadden (Rhode)
Kildare: M Donnellan; P Kelly, M Foley, H McGrillen; E Doyle, E Callaghan, E Bolton; Daryl Flynn, Daniel Flynn; P Cribbin, N Kelly, E O’Flaherty; J Doyle, T O’Connor, P Brophy
