Facing kingpins Crossmaglen is all the motivation O’Leary and Crokes need

REVENGE will not be Dr Crokes’ key motivator ahead of their mouth-watering semi-final against All-Ireland champions Crossmaglen Rangers in February, says star forward Kieran O’Leary.

The Kerry senior still has vivid memories of Crokes’ All-Ireland club final replay loss to Crossmaglen back in 2007 but while he admits the Kerry club were unlucky not to win that day, this tussle is not a revenge mission for the newly crowned Munster champions.

“This won’t be about revenge, not at all. We were beaten fair and square by Crossmaglen in the replay. We don’t have any complaints about that. We could have left it behind us on the actual day of the original final in Croke Park but we aren’t sore losers because the better team won the replay,” O’Leary said.