Fitzgerald would be welcome back, says Ó Sé

PÁIDÍ Ó SÉ will warmly welcome Maurice Fitzgerald back into the Kerry team should the Caherciveen star decide to return.

“Maurice would be welcomed back with open arms,” Ó Sé said in Dublin last night, as he launched the 11th annual Páidí Ó Sé tournament.

“That goes for myself and the whole management team as well as the players. There is no strain between myself and Maurice, everyone knows that now. I have always held him in the highest respect.

"The decision is Maurice’s to make. Everyone knows he is training very hard, and it would be great to see him come back.”

Sources close to Fitzgerald have said the stylish forward is ready to come back and the Kerry manager believes it would be a boost to the county.

“It will be a great shot in the arm for myself and for the whole of Kerry football,” the Ventry publican said.

Ó Sé was centre of attention in the Burlington Hotel as luminaries such as Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte, Minister for Sport John O’Donoghue and his predecessor

Dr James McDaid all came to pay tribute to the Kerry manager.

Even though the function gave him respite from the current slump in form of his footballers, Ó Sé’s mind was still very much on Kerry football last night.

Two defeats out of three games isn’t the start he had hoped for, nevertheless, he is not too worried about it.

“We are in the midst of heavy training and haven’t really been training together that much because we only came back from holidays at the end of January, and players were playing club games until last November.

“It was the same thing last year, but in division two, no disrespect to the teams there, we were still able to scrape out a few results doing that. With the quality of teams in division one, you can’t do that.

“We have already played teams like Galway and Cork, and we have teams like Tyrone and Dublin to come.

Every team in division one will be pushing for honours in the summer, you are up against the top teams.”

Ó Sé believes the league may unearth a gem or two yet to help Kerry regain the All-Ireland this year.

“We have been lucky in that regard. Because our underage structures are so good, the league has been used to getting a few players over the last number of years, Colm Cooper last year and Mike Frank Russell a couple of years ago.

“We might find a few more before the league finishes.”