Crokes release Buckley to captain Kingdom

Allianz FL Division 1

However, the selection that has raised most eyebrows is the naming of Dr Crokes’ Johnny Buckley to captain the side with the Killarney men preparing for an All-Ireland Club semi final in a fortnight’s time.

Fitzmaurice said: “I asked the Crokes would they be good enough to release Johnny for the first NFL game and (joint manager) Vince Casey agreed. It’s a huge gesture on the Crokes’ part and if the Crokes had said ‘no’, I wouldn’t have been put out. But I think they wanted to give Johnny every chance of playing in the game and Johnny himself was anxious to play.”

Despite naming them, the Kerry manager hinted some players selected were carrying injuries, including Sherwood and Paul Geaney. “We have a few knocks, and we will test the lads on Sunday morning and see how they get on. It is one of the disadvantages of having to submit a team for a programme on Wednesday.”

Fitzmaurice is conservative in his League ambitions: “Division 1 was never more competitive, and I don’t think there is any easy game. We have four games away, we are going to be trying out young lads, so our first priority is to maintain Division 1 status. We will be trying to make the knock-out stages. If we lose our first two it will be survival, if we win them, then we will be trying for the semi-final.”

As for the new sideline directive that forbids selectors or the team doctor on the line, Fitzmaurice is a card-carrying opponent.

“While we are going to adhere to the new sideline rules, I flagged it right from the start that I thought it was ridiculous. As well as the points I outlined last time, about the awkwardness of selectors being seated near the subs and the difficulties of communication with selectors in the stand, it’s wrong from a human point of view. Mikey Sheehy and Diarmuid Murphy are volunteers, who give a massive amount of time to their roles, but on the day of the game, their thanks is: “Away ye go up into the stands, lads. It’s annoying there has been no debate. We have no idea how it works until we arrive at a venue. It will even vary from Fitzgerald Stadium to Tralee. I’m not happy with it.”