Gilroy refuses to be taken in by reports of Kerry’s demise

DAMN statistics. The Fourth Estate arrived at yesterday’s Dublin press conference armed with incendiary questions about Kerry’s disciplinary issues and stuttering performances, but Pat Gilroy found adequate shelter behind the record books.

It was a typically polished display from the Dublin manager who lets his team do the talking, thanks to his ability to perfect the art of speaking without saying much.

“You’ve got to look at the overall context of the year,” he said. “Kerry have lost one game, they’ve drawn two games, and they’ve beaten everybody else and that includes all the top teams. They didn’t become a bad team from the end of the league to the championship.