Kildare team named for Galway challenge game

Brian Flanagan has named his first team as Kildare manager for Saturday evening's challenge game against Galway in Cedral St Conleths Park (6pm) and it shows a mix of new and old faces.

The starting team contains five players who won the U20 All-Ireland Final in 2023.

Harry O'Neill and Callum Bolton featured for the Kildare senior team last year but James McGrath, Colm Dalton and Ryan Sinkey will get their first taste of senior football. Cormac Barker and Jack McKevitt also played in the 2023 final, while Luke Killian was on that squad but missed much of that year though injury, and they are among the subs. Dean O'Donoghue and Tommy Gill played under Flanagan in the U20 2022 All-Ireland final defeat to Tyrone and they are also among the subs. 

There is an experienced look to the remainder of the starting line up, apart from in goal where Two Mile House's Didier Cordonnier is between the posts. Clane's Brian McLoughlin returns to the set up after a couple of years spent travelling. 

Among the subs, Eoin Lawlor (Naas), Daragh Managan (Sallins), Cathal Hagney (Nurney), Tom Browne (Naas) and Marcus Kiely (Two Mile House) are involved for the first time, with Mark Dempsey and David Hyland also returning to the squad. 

Kildare team to play Galway: