Kerry’s ‘Fred Flintstone’ season turned to rubble, says Geaney

Experienced Kerry attacker Paul Geaney has admitted that Kerry went from playing ‘flawless’ football against Clare last summer to feeling like ‘Fred Flintstone’ just weeks later. The 2014 All-Ireland winner, who made his league debut in 2011, described last year’s 22-point Munster semi-final annihilation of Clare as the best performance he’s been involved in with Kerry.

They thrashed Cork then to retain the Munster title before slumping to an opening round defeat to Galway in the Super 8s, a result that ultimately cost them an All-Ireland semi-final spot. Kerry open another provincial campaign against Clare on Saturday evening in Ennis and while Geaney is hoping for a repeat of last year’s big win, he’s hoping their form doesn’t dip so violently again afterwards.

“I think after we played the Clare game last year, I felt that it was probably the best performance from a Kerry team that I’d been involved with, that we ever put down,” said Geaney, at an event to mark AIB’s fifth season sponsoring the Championship.

We were pretty much flawless on the day. No disrespect to Clare on the day but I would have said afterwards that we would have beaten everyone, we were so good that day.

"We were outstanding that day. We hit 31 or 32 points and hardly put a foot wrong all day, defence, attack, midfield, the whole lot really came good and then we went down to Páirc Uí Chaoimh and we played very well against Cork as well.

“We gave up a goal or two but other than that we were dominant and full of life. Then we went to Croke Park and the energy was just sapped out of us 10 or 15 minutes into that game.”

Asked to explain the drop off as Galway won a dour game by 1-13 to 1-10, Geaney said he couldn’t.

“It’s just impossible to explain really, it’s one of those days when you feel like Fred Flintstone — the legs are going 90 but you are going nowhere,” he said. “It was just one of those days and it took the momentum out of us and we paid the price after. It was very frustrating, hugely frustrating but you’d hope this year that we’d get it all right when it matters.”

Geaney has two All-Star awards to go with his All-Ireland medal though admitted that he thought he’d have more Celtic crosses in his collection at this stage.

“At the start you’re probably looking at it and saying, ‘Well, Kerry have won almost every two years and I’m 20 and I’m going to play for 10 years so I’m going to win at least five All-Irelands’,” said the 28-year-old Dingle man.

“But it doesn’t work like that. After ‘14, Dublin were only after winning one or two at the time, you were looking at it and saying, ‘We are here now to stay’ but we were beaten in ‘15 and we haven’t seen a final since. So it’s tough. But you’ve just got to try to keep pushing to get back there.”