James McCartan has defended his decision to impose a media ban on his Down players ahead of Sunday week's All-Ireland football semi-final against Kildare.

He said at press briefing earlier this week: "It's not meant to be disrespectful towards the media, but the worst thing a player can do is read about himself on a Sunday morning.

"So I'm looking forward to all you have pin-ups of Kildare players on Sunday morning. That would suit me grand. No one wants to see massive features on their players. It is just manna for opposition managers. It's just trying to do it in a controlled manner."

McCartan is expected to draft Peter Fitzpatrick into midfield as a direct replacement for team captain Ambrose Rogers, who is virtually certain to miss the game due to a knee injury. Tweet

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