Donaghy: We pulled off something ‘unbelievable’

Kieran Donaghy says Kerry’s achievement in winning an All-Ireland this year was "unbelievable" in light of the loss of a number of senior players to injury and retirement last season.

The Austin Stacks star was speaking at Croke Park yesterday, where he was named GAA/GPA Player of the Month for September after a remarkable contribution to the Kingdom’s 37th All-Ireland title.

“I know there was talk of a crisis,” Donaghy said. “I never thought there was a crisis. I knew we were going to be in a bit of bother but that with fellas coming back we’d get our act together.

“We’re a championship team. Don’t judge us on the league – judge us on the championship. I knew that. There was a fear and the fear was: you’re going out into a championship game without Colm Cooper for the first time so that brings its initial challenges. You’re after losing two warriors in Tomás Ó Sé and Paul Galvin.

“That’s all happening in the depths of winter when you’re running around on dark pitches and you’re losing guys and all of a sudden you’re thinking, ‘This is going to be hard, hard.’ And that definitely crossed my mind. I never said we’d no chance but I knew it was going to be hard.

“We were going to have to pull something unbelievable out of the hat and that’s what we did in hindsight. We pulled it out of the fire, at Croke Park against Mayo, in Limerick (in the semi-final replay) and obviously the final, because you’re trying to do it without Darran O’Sullivan and Declan O’Sullivan, who was doing miracle stuff to be out on the field and he’s one of the best of all time.

“You’ve only got him at 80 or 90% – 90% with all the injections he was getting! He was bullet-proof when he came on in the final. He took off the strapping at half-time against Mayo saying, ‘Take these bloody things off me’!

“When you see a fella like that who’s done it all and he’s in the dressing room ripping bandages off his knee because he wants to feel like he’s able to move freely even though he’s no cartilage, that’s what it takes: fellas doing extra work and demanding more off each other, the odd bit of fisticuffs in training, all that kind of stuff brings people together.

“It was a massive, massive achievement.”

He is also looking forward to the return of Tommy Walsh, who recently announced he had left Sydney Swans after five years in the AFL.

“I want to be part of it,” Donaghy said. “The body’s the number one consideration and I’ll see how it goes, how it reacts through the winter. If the body sticks with me I’d love to be wrestling the head off Tommy Walsh in training!

“Having those fellas coming back will give us a great lift. They’ll be savage hungry and they’re three such inspirational players: Darran O’Sullivan, the Gooch and Tommy to be coming back in. Tommy’s coming back with expertise in fitness and weights and I’m going to latch on to him because he’s in unbelievable shape.

“I wasn’t in the best shape coming into this year. When I couldn’t run I felt the weights make me stronger in the core and I want to be fitter so I’m going to get on to him.

“He’s my size, a big man, so latching on to him will be my way of trying to get back into shape for next year.”