Graham Canty had not been named in Cork’s starting line-up for last Sunday’s All Ireland football semi-final against near neighbours and deadly rivals Kerry.

But when the sides actually lined up, the familiar figure of Canty was out on the Croke Park pitch.

And even though he was some way short of full match fitness - injury had precluded his involvement with the side up until Sunday - Canty still had a major input into the contest, not least in terms of winning the penalty which John Hayes converted so expertly in the last, tension-filled minute to give his side the draw they scarcely deserved.

Canty’s presence coupled with the promotion of Kevin McMahon (right) from the substitutes’ bench for the suspended Donnacha O’Connor will undoubtedly bolster Cork’s hopes for Sunday’s replay, particularly as Kerry will be without their talisman Dara O Se following his 37th dismissal last Sunday for punching Pearse O’Neill.

Positional changes on the Cork team see Ger Spillane lining out at centre-back while John Miskella fills the number five jersey. Nicholas Murphy’s injury troubles see him start on the bench once again.

Kerry appeared well on the way to yet another All Ireland final appearance when they led at one stage on Sunday by eight points but Cork’s stunning 2-2 in the last six minutes brought an almost incredible outcome to the game.

The Kingdom, though, have found themselves backed into a few corners this year and have so far managed to survive.

They found Monaghan a tough nut to crack in the third round of the qualifiers and were severely tested by Galway in the best championship match of the year to date in the quarter-finals.

Last Sunday brought another dice with danger - but it should have been avoided.

Kerry were the better side for long spells, their fluent, easy style posing big problems for a limited Cork side who showed little imagination or penetration up front - indeed, all of thirty minutes had elapsed before they eventually got their first point from play.

With Seamus Scanlon and Tommy Griffin, normally midfielders, on defensive duty, Kerry manager Pat O’Shea must now come up with a formula to compensate for the absence of Dara O Se.

His side is still laced with quality, of course - Tomas O Se and the belligerent O’Mahony take no prisoners at the back while Declan O’ Sullivan, Colm Cooper, Kieran Donaghy and free-taker Bryan Sheehan are influential up front.

Cork will obviously feel they have an opportunity to gain midfield ascendancy and if they do, then players like Daniel Goulding, James Masters and John Hayes may flourish in their attack.

And if the Leesiders manage to get quicker ball into the towering Michael Cusseen then their chances of making it into the final will surely increase considerably given Kerry’s defensive frailties.

CORK: A Quirke; D Duggan, D Kavanagh, A Lynch; J Miskella, G Spillane, K O’Connor; A O’Connor, G Canty; S O’Brien, P O’Neill, K McMahon; D Goulding, M Cussen, J Hayes.