Peter Crowley recovers from horror ‘Braveheart’ clash during Kerry training

Peter Crowley has revealed how a horror training ground clash with Kerry colleague Johnny Buckley left his nose shattered and him resembling “an extra out of Braveheart”.

The Kingdom defender had to withdraw from their Munster final team that faced Tipperary after colliding with Buckley’s forehead a week or so ahead of the event.

Crowley said that while powerful Buckley, a close friend off the pitch, was left with a minor gash, the Laune Rangers man himself suffered a badly-broken nose.

He then required corrective surgery while he also struggled to breathe properly through it.

“Johnny Buckley has got a hard forehead,” smiled Crowley.

“It was over here (gestures to nose), it was like a scene out of Braveheart the boys were telling me, I could have been an extra out of Braveheart so it wasn’t great.

“Johnny Buckley is like my best friend. I lived with him for four years in college.

“He came off with a tiny little scar. Ah, it was just bad.

“It’s good now. I got an operation on the Monday after the Munster final so that settled it down as well.”

Crowley insisted he’ll be fit for Kerry’s All-Ireland quarter-final clash with a Round 4A winner next Sunday week.

“No worries, no, I just have to get my place back, that’s the only thing,” he said. “That’s the only worry.

“I was actually trying up until the last minute to play the Munster final but my breathing just wasn’t right. When you have a quality player like Aidan O’Mahony or Jonathan Lyne on the bench, you’re only being selfish saying you can play.

“You’d only be doing the other lads a detriment by putting yourself ahead of the team.”