Kerry v Derry

Pointless Kerry will be hoping to get their NFL campaign back on track when Derry make the long trek down to Tralee on Sunday afternoon.

Defeats to Dublin and Cork have left Jack O'Connor's men rooted to the bottom of the table. Normally such a scenario would be big news, but other events have helped to overshadow the Kingdom's poor start to the season.

The first is the issue of Paul Galvin's eight-week suspension for his tangle with Cork's Eoghan Cadogan.

There is no doubt that the authorities seem to have over-reacted to an incident that looked little more than a wrestling match. However, the Finuge clubman has plenty of previous and his apparent unwillingness to learn from his mistakes means that yet again his county are denied his services for a lengthy period of time.

Aside from that unpleasantness, midfielder Darragh Ó Sé recently called time on his glittering career. He will be sorely missed in the engine room, but he has been a stalwart for Kerry forever it seems, and he will go down as one of the many greats the county has produced.

There was speculation that his brother Tomás would follow him into retirement, but the wing-back has scotched those rumours and has insisted he will return to the fold sometime next month.

Derry are boosted by the inclusion of Paddy and Eoin Bradley in their full-forward line where the brothers will join fit-again Raymond Wilkinson. Kevin McCloy is also back in the starting XV, and he will assume his usual role of full-back.

The Oak Leafers capitulated in the second half of their clash with Dublin three weeks ago, and will be looking to put that poor performance behind them on their trip south.

They will have to do so, however, without the services of their U-21 contingent. Declan Mullan is in the process of recovering from a hamstring injury, while James Kielt and Caolan O'Boyle will only be introduced if absolutely necessary ahead of their Ulster Championship clash with Tyrone on Wednesday.

O'Connor reckons that Kerry have had three weeks of good training since the Cork game. If that holds true, then there is no reason why his side should not stop the rot.

Verdict: Kerry