Liston tweet irritates Fitzmaurice

Eamonn Fitzmaurice fired a thinly veiled broadside at Kerry legend Eoin Liston last night for Twitter comments that forced the Kingdom into announcing their Munster final team earlier than planned.

The Kerry boss said he was disappointed at “former Kerry players peddling the team” around the place last Wednesday, the morning after Fitzmaurice announced the starting 15 to the players.

Liston wasn’t mentioned by name after yesterday’s 1-16 to 0-17 Munster final win over Cork, but he tweeted last Wednesday before lunch: ‘Hearing major shock on the way re Kerry Team’.

Fitzmaurice said: “It wasn’t a big deal in the sense I didn’t tell the players on Tuesday night to keep it under their hats so it probably came back on me. We should probably just have released the team on Tuesday night, especially where there’s a decision (dropping Kieran Donaghy) like that. It’s human nature that the lads are going to go home and talk to their families.

“But I would have been disappointed with some former players putting it out there on social media. They know what it’s like to be in a dressing room and to have that kind of inner spirit in a team. (But) it wasn’t a big deal.”

Fitzmaurice, who picked up his first provincial title as coach yesterday, said he had no plans to address the issue personally with anyone, adding: “When we heard it on the street next day, we thought there’s no point in holding onto it now, the team is out there.”

He said there was no sense of vindication over the controversial decision to omit Donaghy.

“Kieran contributed when he came in, especially that last kick-out when we needed to get our hands on the ball.

“He got a great tap-down to Declan and that effectively finished the game. I’m happy Kerry won and Kieran’s happy Kerry won.”