'A bit of luck and good genes': 39-year-old Brian Looney aiming for ninth Kerry SFC title with Dr Crokes

Dr Crokes face Kenmare Shamrocks in the Kerry SFC final on Sunday

MARVEL: Brian Looney is aiming to win his ninth Kerry SFC title. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Brian Looney made his senior debut for Dr Crokes in 2005.

For 21 seasons, he has been at the coalface of everything that the renowned Killarney club have achieved. Whether at half-forward or half-back, his lung-busting forays up and down the pitch are legendary.

Now, at 39 years of age (he turns 40 in March), one of the greatest club players in Kerry’s famed footballing history will aim for a ninth Bishop Moynihan Cup medal when his side face Kenmare Shamrocks in Sunday's county SFC final (2pm).

With fellow Dr Crokes stalwart Kieran O’Leary stepping away at the end of last season, Looney, and indeed 36-year-old defender Fionn Fitzgerald, are the standard-bearers for the next generation of talent that constantly filters through the Lewis Road academy.

“I did miss a game, my first county championship one though last year, I missed the Mid Kerry game. It’s a bit of luck and good genes; I’ll give it to the parents. I just think I've been lucky. I was fairly good to look after myself, particularly in the first half of my career,” he said.

“Life's taken over now, in terms of my extra capacity to do all these outside of work things. I've been fortunate to avoid any structural injuries in terms of knees, ankles, joints, that tend to slow people down into their late 30s. Besides all that, it’s just a bit of luck.”

With a demanding job, and three young kids (Iris (6), Adie (4) and Miah (nearly 10 months), Looney is indebted to his wife Gina. It’s his love of the game, the love of the Dr Crokes jersey, and the general enjoyment he gets that has kept him going for over two decades.

"From a home perspective absolutely, my wife is very understanding. It is very time-consuming. She was a fine footballer herself, played with Kerry for a number of years. Even though she's slightly older than I am, she still togged out this year with, funnily enough, Spa, which is her local club.

“She's very understanding, and it's great when you have the kids as well. It's a bit harder obviously and everything's busier at home but two years ago, I said my girl is six, Iris, and two years ago we won the county championship.

“I have eight of them, and that was the first I did with my kids around. It was really special to be able to share that with them, and even there today after the Spa game now with the two older girls in particular, it's great to see them around.

“It gives you a bit of extra, because you realise that when it's gone it's going to be gone. To see them get a lift from it, and the buzz around the build-up to games, and they're playing themselves now up in our own academy. That gives you a little bit of extra juice as well to keep going.”

Na Gaeil’s Oison Maunsell with James O’Connor come up against Brian Looney of Dr Crokes. Pic: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane.

As reigning champions in 2025, Dr Crokes were eliminated first day out in that Mid Kerry match. This year they lost to Rathmore in the senior club championship decider, which led to a period of soul-searching which has been hugely beneficial.

After a comfortable enough victory over South Kerry in their Bishop Moynihan Cup opener, their performances over the last two weekends – against Austin Stacks and Spa in thrillers – have shown that Dr Crokes are beginning to really purr.

“After the club final, it was very disappointing. We rallied the troops, and there was a bit of a hangover. We're so hungry to achieve what we want to achieve, and when we're not at a standard that we want to be at, it can be disappointing for us as a group,” he stressed.

“I think what we've done very well over the last few weeks is that, obviously we want to hit those really high standards, but we have to be able to understand and accept that you're facing really good teams week in week out.

“You’re going to make mistakes, and it’s having a bit of bite and a bit of fight to be able to dig out games. The Spa game was disappointing in the second half, and the manner in which we probably allowed them back into the game. At the same time, it’s very positive to be able to just dig it out again. Semi-finals are there to be won at the end of the day.”

Dr Crokes have had great battles with Kenmare Shamrocks over the last few years. Looney will be part of a half-back line, with Gavin White and Evan Looney, that could well be coming up against a half-forward line of Seanie O’Shea, Stephen O’Brien and Jack O’Sullivan. That tells you everything.

“They've been a superb senior club for a number of years now, ultra-competitive. There's no team out there that they can't beat on their day, as we've seen on a number of occasions. They've evolved as well, their team is evolving, there's some younger players coming through.

“There aren’t too many days you're going to go out and you're going to get a so-called handier game. Kenmare will be no different the next day. They’ll be right up there in terms of as hard a test as you’re going to get throughout the year.”