Jack O’Connor is hopeful that Paudie Clifford and Paul Geaney will be fit for Kerry’s All-Ireland SFC Round 1 showdown with Donegal on the weekend after next.

Playmaker Clifford retired with a hamstring problem at half-time in last Sunday’s Munster SFC final win over Cork, while a similar injury sidelined captain Geaney who did, however, lift the Corn Pháidí Uí Shé afterwards, which is named after his famous father-in-law.

Dingle defender Tom O’Sullivan also missed out with a calf strain, joining the likes of Sean O’Shea, Joe O’Connor, Brian Ó Beaglaioch, Paul Murphy, Graham O’Sullivan and goalkeeper Shane Ryan on an already lengthy injury list.

“I don’t think he has done major damage, he is not quite able to open up,” the Kerry manager said of Clifford’s injury.

“For safety, we took him off at half-time. He hadn’t done any more damage (before we replaced him).

“Paul Geaney just tweaked a hammer here last Saturday during some internal football. Pity for Paul because he was making a massive effort. Tom (O’Sullivan) has a bit of an issue from the Clare game, so it is a long casualty list, but we’ll soldier on. It is rough enough going at the moment.

“It is hard to pinpoint the cause of it, only just the intensity of the inter-county season, on top of a very intense club season. That has to be the reason. It is not like we are dogging the players or training too hard. It is tough going, but we’ll be getting a few fellas back.”

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