Johnny Buckley happy to be up and running so quickly

Never mind turning over Donegal and Dublin on their home patch, never mind the man-of-the-match baubles. Johnny Buckley is simply enjoying an uninterrupted league campaign, very much a rarity as far as the Kerry forward is concerned.

Munster club football glory in 2011, ‘12 and ‘13 meant a delayed return to the Kerry fold for the Dr Crokes contingent. Winter training, the McGrath Cup and the opening two rounds of the national league were missed — the remainder of the spring spent playing catch-up.

Upon his return to the Kerry set-up last February, Buckley was introduced for the final 11 minutes in their round 3 defeat away to Mayo. Across the concluding four weekends of league action, he started only once; Buckley’s total league-time reaching 113 minutes.