Callaghan insists Kildare can cope without talismanic Earley

THE initial prognosis on Dermot Earley’s availability for the All-Ireland semi-final may be cautiously optimistic but Eamonn Callaghan believes Kildare have the strength in depth to cope should their talisman be forced to sit out their date with Down.

Earley has returned to top form this past two years after a prolonged spell blighted by injury and illness and Kildare’s chances of defeating Meath last Sunday appeared slim when the midfielder was carried off after just three minutes.

Instead, Kildare turned around an early two-goal deficit to comfortably see off Eamonn O’Brien’s side. By the end, they had eight points to spare with Hugh Lynch stepping seamlessly into Earley’s shoes for the remainder of the afternoon.

“Dermot is huge for us, on and off the pitch,” said Callaghan. “The thing is in Kildare we have a very strong squad. Hughie came on and did very well. Dermot would be a huge loss for us and hopefully he will be back but we are fairly confident we do have lads to come in to fill the gap if needed.”

Lynch’s contribution last weekend was symbolic of how Kildare have been able to call on different men to lead the way throughout the campaign and nowhere has that been as evident as in the forward ranks.

Johnny Doyle remains their signature attacker but others like James Kavanagh and Eoghan O’Flaherty have taken centre stage at one point or another. So, too, has Callaghan who was yesterday named Vodafone player of the month for July.

The Naas clubman displayed his versatility by featuring as centre-back against Leitrim and scoring 1-4 from wing-forward against Derry but there was a time not so long ago when it looked like his inter-county career was over. He picked up a groin injury last season that stretched through the spring and into the summer and Kildare had already bowed out of Leinster and turned into the qualifiers by the time he was fit and able to play again.

“At stages there I thought I might never play for Kildare again. It was a pretty serious injury and I was thinking whether I’d get back at all. I just worked very hard in the winter months and got back again into good shape.”

Callaghan has hardly wanted for game time this summer what with Kildare emerging through to the last four of the All-Ireland on the back of a hectic spell of six games inside five weeks since their Leinster quarter-final defeat to Louth.

The defeats of all four provincial champions last weekend has again suggested at an imbalance between teams taking the more sedate traditional route to the quarter-finals and those gathering momentum through the back door.

“It’s not for me to say,” said Callaghan of the lessons – if any — to be taken from last weekend’s results. “It was four games of football and four teams came out. I don’t think any of the teams that won last weekend were major underdogs.

“I wouldn’t read too much into the championship and how it’s laid out. Teams are there.

“They know what’s ahead of them. They are well able to prepare, they are given plenty of time to prepare.”