Ian Maguire out of Kerry clash due to bone fracture in his hand

The Cork football captain will be sidelined for a minimum of four weeks and will miss the Munster Senior Football Championship semi-final against Kerry

Cork’s Ian Maguire is a serious doubt for Cork's clash with Kerry. ©INPHO/Lorcan Doherty

Cork midfielder Ian Maguire will miss the county’s Munster SFC semi-final against Kerry on May 7 after fracturing a bone in his hand during a challenge game last weekend.

Maguire’s injury, which will keep him sidelined for a minimum of four weeks, deals a significant blow to Cork hopes of springing an upset against Kerry when the two counties renew acquaintances in just over a fortnight.

Last year’s Cork football captain has already been seen by orthopedic surgeon David Morrissey this week, with the injury not requiring surgery.

The timeframe put on Maguire’s injury is four to six weeks and so while the 28-year-old will miss next month’s controversial Munster semi-final, he will be back in harness for Cork’s second championship outing, be that a Munster final or first-round qualifier.

Maguire has been Cork’s most consistent performer in recent campaigns and his absence from midfield leaves a sizeable void that either the returning Brian Hartnett or Paul Walsh will be asked to fill.

Walsh saw no game-time at all during the League because of injury, while Hartnett's League involvement amounted to 11 minutes at the end of the Offaly win in Round 7.

Defender Maurice Shanley and corner-forward Damien Gore are another two who did not feature during the League because of injury that will be available for the Kerry clash.

It remains to be seen if Seán Powter, who suffered his latest hamstring setback during UL’s Sigerson Cup final defeat in mid-February, will have any involvement on Saturday, May 7.

The venue for the Munster semi-final remains mired in uncertainty and controversy, with Cork adamant that they will not travel to Fitzgerald Stadium, the venue Munster GAA has fixed the game for.

With Páirc Uí Chaoimh out of commission because of next week’s Ed Sheeran concerts, the game was initially fixed for Páirc Uí Rinn. But following an evaluation of the latter ground that put its maximum capacity at 11,000, Munster Council took home advantage off Cork and moved the game to Killarney.