Kennelly coaching job safe

KERRY GAA chiefs have insisted that Tadhg Kennelly’s job as a coaching officer with the county board is not under threat in the wake of comments made in his book Unfinished Business.

The All Star has moved to defuse the row surrounding revelations his tackle on Cork midfielder Nicholas Murphy in the opening seconds of the All-Ireland final was pre-meditated by issuing a statement apologising for his remarks and clarifying his position.

He insisted: “On my solemn word, I did not and would never intentionally go out to hurt another footballer.”

County Board chairman Jerome Conway last night broke his silence on the matter and expressed a hope that Kennelly’s apology will draw a line under the matter.

Conway said: “I am very glad that Tadhg has come out and apologised. The Kerry way is that we go out and play our football to the best or our ability but the most important thing is that we concentrate on playing football and nothing else.

“When we win, we win; when we lose, we lick our wounds and try come back stronger. That approach to the game has been very successful for us.

“I am pleased Tadhg has clarified his position for young people as he is a coach with the county board in the north Kerry area. We want to make sure that teams representing Kerry on football fields in the future will go out and play with the same level of sportsmanship as teams of the past.”

Conway was not surprised by the public backlash since the comments appeared in a Sunday newspaper.

“I am not a bit surprised,” he continued. “People throughout this country expect Kerry teams to go out and play football. We set the standard and we are disappointed when those standards aren’t met.”

When asked if Kennelly’s coaching role was under threat, Conway replied: “No. His coaching is safe now that he has clarified things. This apology was unsolicited and as far as we are concerned the issue is now over.”

Ironically the board met with Kennelly last night for a preplanned meeting relating to coaching affairs and Conway admitted that the matter was set to be discussed.

“It was a genuine mistake, that is not the type of player that Tadhg is. He has been man enough to stand up and say sorry. Initially I was of the feeling that the whole thing had been misconstrued with a view towards selling books. This often happens, when paragraphs and sentences appear in newspapers out of context.

“I got a copy of the book and one sentence left out at the end would have clarified the matter.”

Kennelly also expressed annoyance that a central line was missing from the passage. He admitted: “I have made a mistake and a big one. I should never have allowed the piece regarding the incident with Nicholas to be described in the fashion it was...

“I gave an interview to the Australian ghost writer Scotty Gallon. I didn’t read it over as I should have, and the first account I saw of the incident was on last Sunday morning. Scotty used an expression ‘cop that’ to describe my feelings immediately after I connected with Nicholas. I said no such thing.

“I didn’t plan to tackle any particular Cork man, but I did intend to shoulder charge an opponent immediately the opportunity arose. Shoulder is the key word.

On my solemn word, I did not and would never intentionally go out to hurt another footballer. The challenge, I admit, was over the top. I was too pumped up.

“The words ‘while I hadn’t wanted to come in and seriously injure anyone I was determined to make a statement’ were not included in the extract from the book even though this sentence followed on. That one line would have clarified my intentions, but it was not included in the piece.”

Speculation continues to surround Kennelly’s future plans with claims the Listowel man may return to a career in the AFL. Conway admitted he is in the dark as to the player’s plans.

“Tadhg is a huge asset on and off the field. He contributed hugely to our All-Ireland success this year and I hope he stays around for future All-Irelands. But ultimately he will have to make his own mind up, it will be his decision.”