Kerry mourns true sporting legend

John Egan was hailed as one of the ‘unsung heroes’ of Kerry football yesterday as former team-mates, GAA officials and admirers joined in paying tribute to the player credited with “terrorising defences”, for an innate ability to get “vital scores at vital times” and for perfecting the role of the corner-forward.

Kerry chairman Patrick O’Sullivan said that his memory would forever be perpetuated in the Golden Years video for the masterclass he gives.

Former star Ambrose O’Donovan, the 1984 All-Ireland captain concurred, telling Radio Kerry: “I would tell young fellows to look at the Golden Years tape and see how brilliant John was. I always felt he was a bit of an unsung hero in Kerry. We speak about Kerry greats, but John was never spoken about [like that]. But after seeing the tape, Kerry supporters realised how absolutely brilliant he was — a fantastic corner-forward.