Gaelic Games News round-up: Kerry have been dealt a cruel blow with the news that inspirational midfielder Darragh Ó Sé seems likely to be ruled out of next month's Bank of Ireland All-Ireland football championship final.

At Kerry General Hospital yesterday morning an X-ray revealed he had suffered a fracture of the metatarsal bone during Sunday's comprehensive semi-final win over Derry.

With just four weeks to go to the final, Kerry manager Jack O'Connor has all but conceded that Ó Sé has no chance of making the starting 15 for the clash with Mayo.

The loss of Ó Sé would mean Kerry could go into the final without their two most experienced and respected players - Séamus Moynihan's return after injury is still highly unlikely.

"There was no operation on Darragh's foot. The procedure is that the foot needs time to heal itself," said O'Connor. "We will get our medical people to look at it but at the moment it does not look good for Darragh. He is a huge loss, our primary ball-winner in the middle of the field. But that's part and parcel of championship football."

A recuperation period of six to eight weeks is typical for a metatarsal injury. This is the injury which laid low England soccer players David Beckham and Gary Neville in the past.

Moynihan's return to competitive action has been flagged of late, but the fact remains he didn't tog out on Sunday, and is still awaiting medical clearance to resume light training.

"We are hoping Seamus will be able to start back doing some light training this week, but he hasn't got the medical clearance just yet," said O'Connor.

In Ó Sé's absence, Kerry are likely to bring Eoin Brosnan from centre half-forward to partner William Kirby at midfield. This could mean the restoration of Dara Ó Cinnéide to centre half-forward, with Johnny Crowley coming in on the full-forward line.

Séamus Scanlon and Donal Daly, both of whom might have been considered for the midfield berth, are also out injured at the moment.

Ó Sé showed signs on Sunday of returning to his very best after a patchy run of form in recent months.

An All-Ireland winner in 1997, Ó Sé and his colleagues are hungry to atone for major Croke Park defeats in the past three seasons.

Cork hurlers have troubles of their own too, with the news forward Jonathan O'Callaghan suffered a fractured cheekbone in a behind-closed-doors challenge game on Sunday.

O'Callaghan made a big impression when coming on as substitute against Antrim and Wexford, and was expected to play a major role in the All-Ireland final showdown with Kilkenny on Sunday week.

Team selector Seanie O'Leary yesterday confirmed they were worried about O'Callaghan, and would be monitoring the situation closely over the coming days. "It's a big concern," he said.

O'Callaghan was playing with the first team in an A v B challenge. Team captain Ben O'Connor was rested as a precaution and his place was taken by Castletownroche's O'Callaghan. There are no major doubts over O'Connor's participation on Sunday week.

In Meath, three candidates remain in the race for the position of county senior football team manager - including long-time incumbent Seán Boylan.

Eamonn Barry, who contested the post for the last two years, and Paul Kenny are the two men still challenging Boylan for the post. Mattie Kerrigan and Eamon O'Brien were both in a list of candidates emailed to the county's clubs at the weekend, but they have since withdrawn their names.

The appointment is likely to be made at a meeting of the Meath board on Monday night next.