Peter Keane happy that GAA championship is being played in 'safe' environment

The Kerry boss previously said he believed the championship was 'hanging by a thread'

Kerry manager Peter Keane: 'If the numbers are dropping and you are still in Level 5, then you would have to imagine that things would be very safe'. Picture: Matt Browne/Sportsfile

Kerry manager Peter Keane is more optimistic about the Championship being completed this year than he was earlier this month.

After the country has since moved to Level 5, Keane no longer believes the competition is “hanging by a thread”.

Keane, who added it’s more than likely Kerry will travel to Cork individually by car for Sunday week’s Munster semi-final, said: “I think it’s been handled very well by the GAA. I did think it was hanging by a thread at the time. I feel, albeit it might sound like a contradiction, now that we are in Level 5 and albeit the HSE and the chief medical officer are at pains to say that they don’t see it as a trend yet, that the numbers are dropping. But if the numbers are dropping and you are still in Level 5, then you would have to imagine that things would be very safe.

“If you go back to last April, I remember thinking that if the county league had been played in Kerry last April or the championship had been played in Kerry last April, it would probably have been the safest time we could have played it because numbers were very low at the time.”

As much as Kerry have gone above and beyond Covid-19 guidelines to keep players safe, Keane is still wary of the toll it can have on players.

“I suppose when you bring fellas in we are not using dressing rooms now and it's rotten down here tonight. Fellas are getting wet, we had a training session Tuesday night as well and you are conscious of fellas going home without showers and you are trying to get them out of the place as quickly as you can.

“Making sure they are socially distancing themselves all the time so if they are coming in they have a mask on. Checking temperatures, making sure they fill in their return to play form earlier on in the day. Going back to the games, togging out inside in the stand.

We’ve done everything we possibly can.

Keane fielded the same team for both the recent league wins over Monaghan and Donegal and asked if that’s the way he hedging for Sunday week, he shrugged:

“I suppose we named the same team for the last two games, so I suppose you could say there’s a bit of consistency in that. It’s probably too early to say whether that would be the team that would go against Cork. We have another four sessions before that, so lots of things can happen along the way.”

Keane assured Paul Geaney and James O’Donoghue who he reports have had “bits of leg injuries” will be fit for contention against Cork - neither featured in the matchday panels against Monaghan or Donegal.

“Paul and James are coming back. We got Jack Barry back. You have bits and pieces and that’s why you carry a panel and that’s why you have options.”