Maher set to be available for final showdown

Anthony Maher is set to be available for next month’s Munster SFC final despite being sent off for a double yellow card offence for the second time in 48 weeks.

The Kerry midfielder was previously dismissed in second half injury time in last September’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Dublin.

Two double yellow cards in 48 weeks previously meant a one match ban. However, with the introduction of the black card the number was extended to three.

Maher was sent to the line for a foul on Gary Brennan in the 59th minute, just four minutes before committing his first yellow card offence.

Kerry managed to hold on for the remaining 13 minutes although Eamonn Fitzmaurice was far from happy with their performance.

“We got a result. We didn’t play well. We made it very hard for ourselves. You have to give Clare a lot of credit as well but we are relieved to have won the game and be going on to a Munster final.

“We got a bit of the dirty petrol out in the first half and you see the difference in the teams in terms of the intensity levels. You could see Clare have played a couple of games and that it was a while since we had an intense game.

“It probably took us a while to get up to the pace of the game. The second half was a good bit better but we’ll have to really improve for Cork.”

All the same, Fitzmaurice had anticipated they were going to get a game of it in Ennis.

“We expected it all week. I was at both of Clare’s games in the last couple of weeks and Cian (O’Neill) went to the league final so we knew a good bit about them.

“They had games under their belt, are well organised and fit and they play a good system. It’s hard to break down. And we were under no illusions — people outside say it will be an easy Kerry win or will there’ll be complacency. There can’t be (complacency) because the game is at such a level. Teams are well organised, they are going to make it very hard for you.

“You can see that in the World Cup where there are a lot of so-called shocks but it doesn’t surprise me because if you are off your game at all you can suffer. I felt it would go to the wire and we prepared for that. In an ideal world you’d love to do a Kilkenny and come out of the traps and have the game over at half-time but we felt it would go to the last quarter and that’s the way it panned out.”

Fitzmaurice said he is hopeful James O’Donoghue and Johnny Buckley will be fit for consideration for the July 6 showdown. He knows Cork have as much food for thought about their performance against Tipperary on Saturday as Kerry have after yesterday.

“It’s great to have a game under the belt but we will have to improve big time. Cork got a similar fright and they’ll have a game under the belt and have a bit of thinking to do like ourselves. We’ll train well and head to Páirc Uí Chaoimh and have a right go at it.”

Bryan Sheehan suggested Kerry paid little attention to what happened to their Munster final opponents. “To be honest, we kind of ignored what was going on in Cork and focused on our own game but you are always going to hear about it. But we knew today was all about attitude and getting it right and in fairness, we did have the attitude right. Clare played really well, you have to give them credit for that in the first-half and I just think our bit of experience and finishing came to the fore in the end.”