Fitz well aware of Clare threat that awaits

Paul Brennan got the thoughts of Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice as he lead the Munster champions into action against Clare on Sunday

NEVER is a GAA manager more at ease in a press briefing than when he’s asked about the opposition. Questions about his own players and own team’s preparations are generally treated with caution - if not quite suspicion - and every words has to be considered and measured so as to not transmit cockiness or complacency or concern. But throw a manager the bone about what he thinks of the opposition and he’ll happily gnaw away on it for as long as he’s allowed.

Eamonn Fitzmaurice was pretty relaxed all through his press conference last weekend, betraying no sense of worry ahead of Sunday’s Munster semi-final engagement with Clare, but when it came to the ‘thoughts on Clare’ question the Kerry manager was well able to give chapter and verse.

Fitzmaurice and team trainer Padriag Corcoran were in the Gaelic Grounds to see Clare take on and beat Limerick to set up their semi-final meeting with Kerry, and the Kerry boss was impressed with what they saw.

“I think they’re a better team (than 2017). Going back to the first time we played them in 2014 they have progressed every year since then,” he said. “I think what’s noticeable about them this year is that S&C-wise and conditioning-wise they have definitely progressed on another level again. That was definitely very noticeable (against Limerick).

“They’ve new players, they’ve players who were very good last weekend. Ciaran Malone was wing forward, he got 1-3 from play, he was a new player, he was very good. Eoin Cleary, who would have played in the corner against us in the past, he was centre forward, looked very good, kicked five points from play. Jamie Malone we know about, he was very good on the other side.

“Their inside forwards, Evan Courtney, who played football with UCC, he’s lively. And we know all about David Tubridy and Keelan Sexton, we’d have been up against them the last few years. They’ve a couple of new backs, they’ve a new goalkeeper.

“So, I think they’ve changed, I think they’re better. I think as well if you look at them in Division Two they were third in Division Two...everyOne is talking about Tipperary as far as I can see. They finished ahead of Tipperary in Division Two so they’re very close to being a Division One

team. They’ve really put it up to us a couple of times over the last couple of years, they put it up to Mayo in Ennis last year in the Qualifiers, they beat Roscommon in the Qualifiers, they were in an All-Ireland quarter-final two years ago. So, listen, we know all about them, we’re not going to take them for granted at all.

“They scored 1-22 from play. We were saying that coming away from the game that if we kicked 1-23 ourselves we’d be quite happy with that. And they created a couple of more goal chances that they didn’t take. They were very impressive (against Limerick).

“They’ve had good under-21 and minor teams that last couple of years as well. Their Under-21 team put it up to Kerry in Tralee in 2017. We know all about them and if we’re at it next weekend we’ve a good chance of winning the game. If we’re off it we’ll be in trouble, it’s as simple as that.”

Take it, then, that Fitzmaurice and, by extension, the Kerry players won’t be underestimating Clare on Sunday.

What players are tasked to do the job on Sunday is anyone’s guess right now, with the suspicion that even the management might not be exactly sure of their best starting fifteen. An internal match played in Killarney last Saturday will have informed them better but the thinking is that there is probably only seven or eight players absolutely guaranteed to start. In defence, Peter Crowley, Paul Murphy and Tadhg Morley are considered shoo-ins, David Moran and Jack Barry is the most likely midfield partnership, while Paul Geaney, Stephen O’Brien and probably Sean O’Shea and David Clifford look set to start in the attack.

After that it’s a guessing game. Shane Murphy will probably get the nod for goals but we shouldn’t be surprised to see Brian Kelly there. Shane Enright is ruled out with an ankle injury so it’s really any three defenders from Fionn Fitzgerald, Jason Foley, Mark Griffin, Ronan Shanahan, Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Tom O’Sullivan, Killian Young and Gavin Crowley.

Injury concerns to Donnchadh Walsh and Daithí Casey - as well as John Buckley’s withdrawal from the panel - means those last couple of jerseys in the attack will be between Micheal Burns, Kevin McCarthy, Mikey Geaney, Barry John Keane, Killian Spillane, Darran O’Sullivan and James O’Donoghue, the last of whom has played just seven minutes of competitive football (against Donegal in January) this year.

The prize on offer for Kerry should they win on Sunday will be a crack off Cork in Pairc Ui Chaoimh with a sixth successive Munster title on offer for the Kingdom. Of course, no one in or around the Kerry camp will be looking that far ahead. It took all of their experience and nous to see off Clare last year in Ennis and if, as Fitzmaurice suggests, Colm Collins has a better team this year then Kerry will need to be better too.

A less than impressive National League campaign, that saw 37 players used - many of whom could be making their senior Championship debuts next Sunday -, hasn’t instilled the county’s supporters with huge confidence but, as always, they will feel that Clare in Killarney shouldn’t present too much of a problem when all’s said and done. If Kerry do run into problems on Sunday, or worse, then Fitzmaurice won’t be quite as relaxed the next time he’s goes before the media.

If we’re at it next weekend we’ve a good chance of winning game. If we’re off it we’ll be in trouble, it’s as simple as that.