Flying visit for Fitzmaurice

When Eamonn Fitzmaurice flew back to Kerry’s Algarve training camp on Saturday night after Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne’s defeat, it was the first time since agreeing to the Kingdom hot seat last August that he was finally able to focus on one team.

Once Fitzmaurice had stepped down as Kerry U21 coach at the end of last summer, he had to see out the Kerry, Munster and All-Ireland campaign with Finuge, recover from a broken jaw, and see out his commitment to the school team before giving his undivided attention to Kerry. Little wonder, then, he went to extraordinary lengths to be in Nenagh for Saturday’s Colleges semi-final.

Fitzmaurice was on the road from Kerry’s Amendoeira Resort base to Faro Airport at 5am on Saturday for a 7.30am flight to Knock — the only one back to Ireland on the day to get him to Nenagh for the 1.30pm throw-in. He drove from Knock to Nenagh, suffered the pain of All-Ireland semi-final defeat, then dashed to Dublin Airport and hopping on a flight back to Faro to be back in camp by 10pm — 17 hours after departing.