KERRY boss Eamonn Fitzmaurice says the golden standards set by Tyrone in the 2000s “made us better” and credits the Red Hands for some of the Kingdom’s All-Ireland triumphs.
Speaking exclusively to the Irish News ahead of the start of Allianz National Football League, Fitzmaurice also cautioned the newly created Club Players Association [CPA] not to portray the inter-county player as their enemy.
In a wide-ranging interview about his time at the Kerry helm, the former centre-back revealed Kieran Donaghy will feature for the county towards the end of the League and will speak to Dr Croke’s clubman Colm Cooper about his inter-county future after their All-Ireland tilt ends.
After winning three All-Irelands, Fitzmaurice retired from Kerry in April 2007. He featured in the two All-Ireland defeats to Tyrone in 2003 and ’05, and also felt the rivalry with Armagh in the last decade improved Kerry.
“The Armagh rivalry isn’t spoken about as much,” Fitzmaurice said, “maybe because we beat them in 2000 and 2006. With Tyrone, they beat us three times [2003, ’05, ’08].
“Of course both Armagh and Tyrone had a huge impact on us, particularly the level of physicality they brought.
“Both of those teams were more physical than us but they also had brilliant footballers. We knew we had the footballers but we probably had to toughen up a bit.”
Entering his fifth year as Kerry boss, he added: “When I talk to any of my peers about Tyrone there is only absolute respect for them.
“In ’03, they probably ambushed us. In 2005, it was just an outstanding game and the better team won.
“In 2008, Pascal McConnell made a save right at the end.
“Bar the ’03 game, the margins were small. They made us better and maybe we won a couple more All-Irelands that we mightn’t have won because Tyrone made us improve.”
In light of the CPA rejecting Paraic Duffy’s proposals to ease the fixture problems at club level, Fitzmaurice welcomed the new players’ body onto the national stage.
“I think it’s a very healthy thing for the club players to have a voice. Everyone that’s playing football is a club player; it’s only the elite that’s playing inter-county.
“One thing that seems to have come out since the start of it that I would disagree with is this perception that the inter-county player, the inter-county set-up is the club player’s enemy.
“I don’t agree with that at all. I think it’s possible to co-exist and I know it’s biased towards the inter-county scene in a lot of counties but a balance is possible.
“I do think with a bit of reform over the fixtures that it is possible to co-exist a bit better, but I do think the CPA needs to realise early on the inter-county player isn’t their enemy.”
With Marc O Se and Aidan O’Mahony announcing their retirements from Kerry, Donaghy has put off his retirement plans for at least another year.
“Kieran is back doing a bit of training with us,” confirmed Fitzmaurice.
“He’ll play very little football with us during the course of the League, maybe towards the end of the League [he’ll feature]. Colm [Cooper] is obviously with Dr Crokes at the moment so we’ll just let him at that, and when he’s finished up with that we’ll see where he’s at.”
