It’s the hope that often kills you.
Dublin have confirmed their starting team to face Kildare in Sunday’s Leinster Senior Football Championship final at Croke Park. At first glance, it is a formidable line-up.
Take a closer look, though and some championship stalwarts and proven winners are missing out.
Jim Gavin has made only one change from the Dublin side that walloped Westmeath 4-29 to 0-10 in the semi-final. That one is injury-enforced as defender Jonny Cooper misses out.
Darren Daly is named at No.2 with powerful forward Eoghan O’Gara coming in at No.14. Stephen Cluxton will make his record-equalling championship appearance [88] on Sunday, once the ball is thrown in.
See the Dublin starting XV for their Leinster Final clash with @KildareGAA ! #UpTheDubs pic.twitter.com/DiLfV74GlF
— Dublin GAA (@DubGAAOfficial) July 15, 2017
The other major Dublin names missing are Philly McMahon and Bernard Brogan, who started the semi on the bench too. Michael Darragh MacAuley is out injured for the foreseeable future while Diarmuid Connolly is suspended until late August.
The missing players have given former Kildare star Willie McCreery some hope. He told The GAA Hour:
” It will take a bit of time, and just because you’re scoring five or six points in a 30-point victory, it doesn’t mean you’re the next Paul Flynn or Diarmuid Connolly. I wouldn’t say there is a changing of the guard [yet] but there’s certainly hope.”
The Lilywhites, meanwhile, have named an unchanged 15 from the side that did for Meath in the other semi final.
Cian O'Neill has named his team for this Sunday's Leinster SFC Final ⬇
Best of luck to the team & management! pic.twitter.com/7O3Hvrf8Bw
— Kildare GAA (@KildareGAA) July 14, 2017
The games throws in at Croke Park from 4pm on Sunday.
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