Moloney sets his sights on Kingdom recall

RETURNING Kerry footballer Mike Moloney is eyeing a place in Jack O’Connor’s senior panel this season.

The highly-rated 24-year-old full-back, who starred for London in the Exiles’ All-Ireland championship run last year, is coming home to Kerry next weekend as he starts an 18-month post graduate course in the University of Limerick at the end of the month.

And the decision to return home to Killarney, where he will again link up with Dr Crokes, has opened the door for Moloney, who captained Kerry in the McGrath Cup opener against IT Tralee last year, to win a place on the Kingdom’s senior panel.

With the full-back position proving troublesome for Kerry over the last number of years, many view Moloney — who was full-back for Kerry’s minors and U21s — as a possible long-term solution. But he wants to take it one step at a time.

“I want to get back playing with the Crokes first and see how that goes. Whatever happens after that, we’ll just take it as it comes,” Moloney said.

After his spell in London, where he played club football for the Kingdom Kerry Gaels as well as impressing for London in the All-Ireland series, especially in their famous championship win over Fermanagh, Moloney feels he is returning to Kerry a better player.

“I feel I have improved. The standard in London is fairly high. It’s very competitive in London, the competitions are tough.

“It’s a different type of game compared to back home, a bit more physical, but that is a good thing to bring into my game. You learn to adapt and it’s made me an all-round better footballer,” Moloney said.

On his decision to leave the lights of London behind him, Moloney, who has worked as an engineer in London since moving there last spring, explained: “The opportunity to go back to college in UL was just too good to turn down. To be honest, I always wanted to do that. It’s a route home for me. Everybody knows things aren’t too good in the construction industry at the moment, so if I didn’t decide to go down this road it would be a case of living abroad long-term.”

Tipping his Dr Crokes team-mates to overcome Crossmaglen Rangers in next month’s All-Ireland senior club semi-final, Moloney is also predicting a bright future for London’s footballers.

“They are gunning for another good run and they are capable of having another good season,” Moloney said.

“London definitely fancy their chances of having another strong championship, especially out in Ruislip. There is no reason why they can’t win a couple of more games as well.”