Just one survivor from 2016 Leinster winning team for Kildare as they begin title defence

Carbury midfielder David Kelly is the sole survivor from the team that started last year's Leinster Minor Football Championship final named in the side to play Carlow in the Lilywhites' championship opener against Carlow on Saturday. Gay Campbell begins his first year in charge of the minor footballers following three successful years with Brendan Hackett at the helm, with the final two years of his reign delivering successive Leinster titles for the first time in Kildare's history. Mark Barrett also featured for the minors last year, and the Ballymore Eustace defender lines out at full-back, while Naas forward James Burke, who featured off the bench in the final last year, is struggling to shake off an illness that has disrupted his hurling and football season so far. He hasn't been named in the first XV, but clubmate Darragh Kirwan - instrumental to the County Town's Kildare Minor Football Championship win last October - is in the full-forward line alongside Clane's Shane O'Sullivan and Leixlip's Jack Barrett. Throw-in for tomorrow's game is scheduled for 1pm in Netwatch Dr Cullen Park in Carlow.

Kildare minor team to play Carlow

1. Aaron O’Neill Carbury 2. Daniel Reilly Clane 3. Mark Barrett Ballymore Eustace 4. Conor Murphy Sarsfields 5. Jack Travers Leixlip 6. Ben Carroll Maynooth 7. Daragh Ryan Sarsfields 8. David Kelly Carbury 9. Cian McQuillian Sarsfields 10. Findlay Nairn Leixlip 11. Niall O’Sullivan Maynooth 12. Brian McDonnell Sarsfields 13. Darragh Kirwan Naas 14. Shane O’Sullivan Clane 15. Jack Barrett Leixlip