The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
McCarthy ‘out’ of semi-final
Kilcummin star unlikely to feature in Limerick
KERRY star Kevin McCarthy has all but been ruled out of this weekend’s All Ireland intermediate club championship semi-final with Kildare and Leinster champions Two Mile House in the Gaelic Grounds (Sunday, 2pm).
The forward broke his hand in the Kerry champions victory over Fermoy in the Munster final. The break occurred ten minutes into the game with Fermoy and, while he played on well into the second half, the injury ruled him out for up to eight weeks.
It was the second time he had broken that hand – albeit in a different place – having earlier broken it in the drawn game between Dingle and East Kerry in the County Senior Football Championship semi-final.
“It looks like that Kevin McCarthy is definitely out,” Kilcummin boss Willie Maher told The Kerryman this week.
“That’s not talk, he broke the hand, I wouldn’t be 100% sure, but it was another break. I would be saying that there’s very little chance that Kevin McCarthy would be playing.”
McCarthy aside, Maher expects to have a full hand to choose from against Two Mile House.
“We had a few injuries after the Fermoy game,” he explained.
“We had Pádraig Nagle. We had Chris O’Leary. We had Seán O’Leary and all the rest would be back. Pádraig Nagle should be okay. Chris O’Leary should be okay. Seán O’Leary should be okay and Philip Casey is the other one and he should be okay.
“They were all missing from the O’Donoghue Cup final and they played against Fermoy. All of them would be available for selection.”
Beaufort, meanwhile, report a clean slate of health with Liam Carey the only slight concern ahead of their All-Ireland Junior Club semi-final against Dundalk Young Irelands.
Carey injured his hamstring in the warm-up to the Munster final before Christmas and has been nursing himself back to fitness over the festive period, but the schoolteacher who is based just 30 miles south od Dundalk in Drogheda, should be fit to start.
Beaufort manager Eanna O’Malley can also welcome back Ronan Murphy who missed some of the Munster campaign through injury also.
MEANWHILE, the fixtures for the Munster U-20 Football Championship have been announced with Kerry set to play the winner of Tipperary or Limerick in the semi-final on Thursday, July 11 at 7.30, with the Munster final fixed for Wednesday, July 17.
Also, Munster GAA has confirmed that the curtain-raisers for the Munster SFC quarter-finals and semi-finals will be games in the TG4 Munster Ladies SFC and IFC which will see each of the six adult Ladies football teams in the province taking part in at least one curtain-raiser.
The Kerry ladies will play Waterford on May 11 at 5pm ahead of the men’s quarter-final between Clare and Waterford in Ennis.
Kerry will play Cork v Kerry in Round 3 of the Ladies SFC at 5pm in Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Saturday June 1 ahead of the men’s semi-final between Cork and Tipperary or Limerick at 7pm.