Fitzmaurice to continue up front for Laois clash

WHATEVER about his long-term prospects of keeping his centre-forward berth, Eamonn Fitzmaurice realises he won’t be picked in defence for Kerry’s Allianz NFL semi-final against Laois on Sunday.

First of all, his continuing good form will guarantee his retention in attack and then there's the matter of Seamus Moynihan's impressive return.

The Glenflesk man came back into the team in Killarney on Sunday for his first outing since the All-Ireland final and, by his own admission, it was earlier than he could have hoped for. Michael McCarthy's hand injury forced the hand of the Kerry management team.

"It was a lucky break for me more than anything else,'' said Moynihan.

"I had told Jack [O'Connor] that I would be back for the Dublin game but I honestly thought I would be sitting on the bench.

"I was delighted to get the opportunity to play and anytime you play against Dublin you are going to be tested.

"We thought we had the game won at the end, but in fairness they equalised. At that stage we thought we had lost our chance of qualifying, but with Tyrone drawing, we got a bit of luck. It's great to get to the semi-final and to get another game.''

Manager O'Connor agrees. Delighted with the 'fiercely competitive' nature of the campaign, he stressed the significance of maintaining their interest in the league after Sunday's draw.

"It's important. The lads want to play competitive games,'' he stated.

"It helps to bring the team on, to develop the team. Of course, it's much better than training.''

Dublin manager Paul Caffrey echoed that view, commenting: "We would have liked another game or two.'' Understandably, Caffrey also regretted the opportunity to end what he referred to as 'the hoodoo' of not having won away to Kerry for over 20 years. The last victory was gained in Tralee in the 1982-83, when his brother John was one of the Dublin midfielders.

Coincidentally, Kerry's 1-12 to 0-12 win in Parnell Park two years ago gave them their first away win over the Dubs since 1981.

Overall, the Dublin management were reasonably pleased with their campaign, with selector Brian Talty believing that they should gain from the experience. "I suppose you could say we were happy enough with the start and the end with the Tyrone win, regardless of the controversy, and the Mayo game.

"In between, we had disappointing results against Monaghan, Fermanagh and Cork.

"I thought the lads did really well on Sunday. You would have been worried going in against Kerry without Ciaran Whelan, but you could see that Shane Ryan is coming good at the right time, while Darren Magee is going well.

"It's hard to say if we will be better prepared going into the championship, but a lot of fellows have got games. A lot of lads are going to be pushing for places and that has to be good for the team,'' he added.