Kerry and Tyrone dominated the gaelic football landscape from 2003 to 2008 and they will renew their rivalry at Croke Park tomorrow.

The Red Hands were a bogey team for the Kingdom back then but, as Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice pointed out this week, those titanic battles are distant memories.

"There was a ferocious rivalry in the noughties and Tyrone had the upper hand, beating us fair and square in 2003, 05 and '08.

"We got some measure of revenge in 2012 when we beat them in the qualifiers in Killarney.

"Since then there's been a lot of change and two new teams will take to the pitch on Sunday. As a manager, my experience of Tyrone has been the few league games we've played."

Regardless of the cooling down of relations between the two counties in recent times, it's a game that the Kingdom, the 2/7 favourites, can't contemplate losing and Fitzmaurice has rung the changes.

Peter Crowley, Johnny Buckley and fit-again captain Kieran Donaghy are recalled to the starting 15 with Aidan O'Mahony, Bryan Sheehan and Paul Geaney dropping to the bench.

Footballer of the Year James O'Donoghue has been named at top of the left having recovered from the shoulder injury he picked up during the 27 point quarter-final demolition of Kildare.

Mickey Harte, meanwhile, has made just one change to his starting line-up with Justin McMahon taking over from his brother Joe, who underwent a minor hernia operation last week, in the number six jersey.

Elsewhere, Tiernan McCann will line out at right half-forward having successfully appealed his eight-week ban and the Sean Cavanagh captained outfit will be looking to continue their winning ways which has seen them claim the scalps of Limerick, Meath, Tipperary, Sligo and Monaghan.

Significantly, they have improved with every outing since their narrow Ulster SFC preliminary round defeat to Donegal on May 17th and they will strive to suffocate the All-Ireland champions with numbers in defence before hitting them on the counter-attack.

It is a game-plan which has served Harte and his players well so far this year but the men in green and gold should prove to be one bridge too far on this occasion.

Verdict - Kerry.

Kerry team: Brendan Kealy; Paul Murphy, Marc Ó Sé, Shane Enright; Jonathan Lyne, Peter Crowley, Killian Young; David Moran, Anthony Maher; Stephen O'Brien, Johnny Buckley, Donnchadh Walsh; Colm Cooper, Kieran Donaghy, James O'Donoghue.

Tyrone team: Niall Morgan; Aidan McCrory; Ronan McNamee, Cathal McCarron; Ronan McNabb, Justin McMahon, Peter Harte; Colm Cavanagh, Mattie Donnelly; Tiernan McCann, Mark Bradley, Conor Meyler; Darren McCurry, Sean Cavanagh, Connor McAliskey.

Match details: Sunday; Croke Park; 3.30pm.

Referee: Maurice Deegan.

Odds: Kerry 2/7; Draw 10/1; Tyrone 7/2.

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