Morning after brings no relief for O’Mahony and Kingdom

IT was only yesterday morning that the sharp pain of defeat hit Aidan O’Mahony.

Sunday’s All-Ireland final defeat to Dublin was a harrowing experience for the Kerry players and as the Rathmore defender stood in the lobby of the D4 Ballsbridge Inn Hotel, the prospect of a journey home without the accompanying canister began to sink in.

“It’s today it really sinks in,” he said. “You have to head home to Kerry and face the supporters who’ve been with us all year. Going down to them without the Sam Maguire is very tough. It’s hard to lose any of the finals. We lost in 2005 and 2008 to Tyrone and this year to Dublin. When we were four points up you were looking at it and thinking we might get over the line. It’s tough.”