Down manager James McCartan expects defender Damien Rafferty and star attacker Benny Coulter to be fit for Saturday's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final against Kerry.

Both players picked up knocks in last Saturday's facile win over Sligo and failed to finish the game, but McCartan is hopeful that they will be available for the clash with the All-Ireland champions.

"Benny got a kick in the calf. It's fingers crossed. But knowing Benny, he will tell me if he is fit. Getting the truth out of people before games like this can be difficult," he told the Irish News.

"Dee (Rafferty) got a knock in the elbow. I asked him about it last night. He said it was no problem. But I would refer you to the previous statement."

McCartan, who was part of the Down team which defeated Kerry in the 1991 All-Ireland semi-final (the last championship meeting between the counties), insists that his team aren't going to Croke Park just to make up the numbers.

"From the outside, people aren't expecting anything, but the players themselves are, and that's where we are.

"We're not going up to be cannon-fodder. We intend to win the game and that's the mindset we have going in. If not, we have no chance."

He added: "Any player who goes out wants to win. We will put pressure on ourselves. We're going out with the mindset that we're going to win this game and if we don't, we're going to be very disappointed." Tweet

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