Kerry will be short four for game against Meath as Barry Dan O'Sullivan's season still in doubt
The Kerryman understands that the player and management are still waiting on a full diagnosis of the knee injury that forced O'Sullivan off against Cork last Saturday week, but a source said 'it doesn't look great'.
There are genuine concerns that the Dingle man has suffered knee ligament damage, which could be bad enough to sideline him for the rest of the inter-county season.
With the All-Ireland final just six weeks from next Sunday, any injuries now could become 'season-enders' and O'Sullivan is in danger of falling into that category.
O'Sullivan hobbled out of the Group 2 win over Cork after just 20 minutes, and it is understood another scan is required to determine the exact nature of the injury.
The 28-year-old, who had been playing very well in midfield, won't make the squad to play Meath in Tullamore, and neither will Geaney, Clifford or Diarmuid O'Connor.
Geaney hurt his shoulder against Cork, while Clifford came off after half an hour with what his manager Jack O'Connor said post-match was a hamstring problem.
Kerry are already guaranteed a place in the last 12 of the championship, but they need at least a draw against Meath to finish top of their group and qualify directly for the All-Ireland quarter-finals on the weekend of June 28/29.
A win for Meath would see them top the group and send Kerry into a preliminary quarter-final, but Kerry won't risk any player that isn't one hundred per cent fit.
It will be hoped the extra fortnight will give Geaney and Clifford time to fully recover before the teams heads to Croke Park where they could potentially come up against Dublin, Galway, Donegal, Tyrone or Mayo among others.
There will be more concern over Diarmuid O'Connor who has only played one match since the middle of March, when he injured his shoulder against Armagh.
The midfielder returned to play against Roscommon on May 17 but didn't make the squad for the Cork game. Jack O'Connor said the player had a groin injury.
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Irish Times
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What materialised in the round-two fixtures is unlikely to be an indicator of what happens in the round-three games. The matches are so variable and unpredictable at the moment, swinging wildly based on how teams set up for the opposition and how the opposition sets up for them. This is great news for supporters, but it also means management and analysis teams are second guessing everything. Paul O'Brien is a performance analyst with The Performance Process.
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Ireland to face England in Women's Six Nations opener
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