Russell’s Kingdom career looks to be over

Mike Frank Russell has opted out of Kerry’s Championship plans for the rest of the season, all but bringing to an end an inter-county career which produced five All-Ireland senior medals with the Kingdom.

The 31-year-old Killingly man says he will concentrate on his club Laune Rangers for the rest of the year, but insisted there may still be a return to inter-county colours in 2010.

However, that looks a long shot at this stage, with Russell more and more a peripheral figure over the last couple of campaigns.

However, that doesn’t diminish his impact for the county over the last 12 years since he burst onto the scene as a teenager in 1997, when Kerry put a barren 11 years behind them to claim their 31st All-Ireland title against Mayo.

Russell scored a key goal in the semi-final that year against Cavan after being introduced as a substitute. He was a central figure in Kerry’s All-Ireland success against Galway three years later, and won an All Star in 2000 for his efforts. He also won All-Ireland medals in 2004, 06 and 07.

Russell won two All-Ireland U-21 medals with Kerry, and has the rare distinction of scooping a clean sweep of All-Ireland medals by the time he was 21 – minor, U-21 and senior with Kerry, All-Ireland club with Laune Rangers and All-Ireland colleges with Intermediate School, Killingly.

A naturally two-footed forward, he was regarded as one of the most clinical finishers of the last decade.

Meanwhile, Waterford could have suffered another crushing injury blow with fears growing that joint-captain Stephen Molumphy has sustained cruciate knee ligament damage.

Latest indications from the Déise camp are that the team’s other joint-captain, Ken McGrath, will be doing well to return by mid-August but if Molumphy’s worst fears are realised, he will miss the remainder of the season.

For the full story, see www.examiner.ie/sport.