Football

Former Kerry boss Eamonn Fitzmaurice enjoying time away from the inter-county spotlight

After six years managing Kerry, Eamonn Fitzmaurice says there is a shelf life at inter-county level Picture Seamus Loughran.
After six years managing Kerry, Eamonn Fitzmaurice says there is a shelf life at inter-county level Picture Seamus Loughran. After six years managing Kerry, Eamonn Fitzmaurice says there is a shelf life at inter-county level Picture Seamus Loughran.

LEAVING the Kerry job was easy. Easier than Eamonn Fitzmaurice ever expected. After two years as a selector, under Jack O’Connor, and six as manager, 2018 felt like the natural conclusion.

And he’d no problem filling the void.

Before he succeeded O’Connor, he’d no kids. Now he has two.

Last year, he was moving house and also became school principal at Pobalscoil Chora Dhuibhne where he was trying to nail a third Hogan Cup crown (they fell at the semi-final stages to Naas CBS in March).

“I was lucky and I was probably similar as a player, whether it’s my personality or just the way things worked out, I moved on very easily, to be honest,” Fitzmaurice says.

“I felt by the end that I had given it absolutely everything that I had, that I’d emptied myself into the job.”

Kerry’s former centre-back won an All-Ireland crown in 2014, six consecutive Munster titles [2013 to 2018] and they took Dublin’s scalp in the NFL Division One final in 2017.

Last season, Kerry struggled to hit the high notes. David Clifford got them out of jail up in Clones in a tempestuous Super 8s clash but their opening defeat to Galway was where the real damage was done.

Fitzmaurice signed off in the immediate aftermath of their handy victory over Kildare - which wasn’t enough as Monaghan and Galway progressed to the All-Ireland semi-finals.

“I was disappointed the way it finished up. We were in a great position last year but we didn’t do ourselves justice in the Super 8s. But I was very comfortable with the effort I put in and I got every drop out of the lads. I was busy in my personal life so I didn’t have a void to fill.”

Fitzmaurice adds: “I was still on the pitch [with the school team] and still involved in football. With Kerry, it was time for me to move on and time to freshen things up for the players. I’m happy doing other things and watching the lads and I enjoy my media work with The Examiner and that keeps your eye without that same level of obsession and insanity, really.”

Jumping from the classroom to the Principal’s office ensures Fitzmaurice won’t be making a quick return to inter-county management any time soon.

“Managing Kerry is an all consuming position. It was something I enjoyed and I feel privileged that I got the chance to do it when I was so young.

“We had a degree of success but we’d like to have won more.

“When I started out we didn’t have any family; we’ve two kids now and I just feel it gives you a bit of perspective and a bit more time with them.

"When you’re full on and working as well it hits the family, really. At the moment I’m enjoying the time away from it.”

Fitzmaurice was in his pomp back in the early-to-mid ‘Noughties’ when their rivalry with Tyrone had reached fever pitch.

The Finuge clubman was part of Paidi O Se’s side who were hit by a Red Hand tsunami in the 2003 All-Ireland semi-finals.

Two years later, he featured in Kerry’s ill-fated All-Ireland final against Tyrone but he’d retired a year earlier – at just 29 – by the time Mickey Harte’s side made it three Championship wins out of three against the Kingdom in the 2008 All-Ireland decider.

As the two rivals prepare to face-off in tomorrow’s All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park, Fitzmaurice believes neither side will fear each other.

“When we came up against Tyrone in the ‘Noughties’ they were an exceptional team. I don’t think we ever feared them. There was a massive respect for them…

“In those Championship games we didn’t do quite enough. In ‘03 we were blown out of it. In ‘05 and ‘08 the games were very close and could have gone either way at the end but Tyrone prevailed.

“The last time we played them in the Championship was in the 2015 All-Ireland semi-final and we had the upper hand that day and we won the Qualifier in Killarney in 2012.

“In this decade Kerry have had the upper hand but both sides are probably in slightly different places, development-wise.

“Tyrone got to an All-Ireland final last year and all the buildings that come with that, whereas Kerry are a coming team and there is still plenty of them learning their trade. That could be a slight advantage for Tyrone but if Kerry win it’s a great scalp and puts them in a great position for an All Ireland final.”

While Kerry have a better scoring spread among their front men, there is still a rawness associated with their defence.

But a slick surface like Croke Park, the better forward unit usually wins big games.

Sean O’Shea has been outstanding, registering 1-32 (0-22 frees, 0-1 ’45), David Clifford has bagged 0-17 (0-5 frees), while Paul Geaney has been the most prolific Kerry forward from open play (2-10). Throw in Stephen O’Brien’s dazzling performances and Killian Spillane’s gallant reach to be regarded as good as any of his peers and Tyrone have their work cut out.

And yet, there has been more talk about how the Kerry forwards will cope with Tyrone’s defensive blanket.

Asked if he believes Kerry can reach their first final since 2015.

“They can, absolutely they can,” the former manager says.

“It’s going to be the toughest game we’ve come up against this year. The Kerry forwards have come up against teams that have allowed them to do their thing.

“Even against Donegal there was plenty of space, there were one-on-one situations. Tyrone aren’t going to allow them to do that on Sunday.

“How Kerry deal with that as a forward unit will be very interesting. Tyrone will ask questions going the other way in terms of their strong running game, coupled with the fact they can kick the ball inside with Cathal McShane and Mattie Donnelly, when the latter is in there.

“So Tyrone are going to ask a lot of different questions that haven’t been asked of Kerry this summer. But, of course, Kerry can win; they’re going to have to get a lot right.

“It’s a 50-50 game and l’d definitely be hopeful the lads can do it alright.”

It remains to be seen just how much Tyrone have evolved since last year’s All-Ireland defeat to Dublin. There were worrying chinks against Donegal and Cork, with Cork hitting 2-12 against them at Croke Park in the middle round of the Super 8s while the Red Hands malfunctioned against eventual Ulster champions Donegal.

“Cork tested Tyrone and tested them well in that game in Croke Park, but it was a game of two halves, really,” Fitzmaurice adds.

“Tyrone looked to be flat in the first half. There looked to be some lethargy there. Mickey Harte made changes at half-time and for him to make three changes at half-time was unusual. You don’t normally see that from Mickey Harte.

“Tyrone were very impressive in the second half and you saw the kind of Championship Tyrone. That’s the Tyrone I’d be expecting to see on Sunday. For Kerry to beat them, they’re going to have to be at their best. The beauty about this game for both teams is they’ve a good bit of football played over the last couple of weeks.”

Despite the high stakes tomorrow and the tactical intrigue, Fitzmaurice is happy to be among the Croke Park stands rather than on the sidelines.

“Where the enjoyment comes in management is being on the pitch working with the lads and trying to make a difference, trying to develop them as players, trying to develop a gameplan and trying to improve as a group,” he says.

“In terms of moments, obviously David Clifford’s goal in Clones last year was special and the games in Croke Park that you win and of course winning trophies.

“Winning the All-Ireland in 2014 was very special and winning the National League against Dublin in 2017. That was a big win for us because Dublin were so good and they don’t lose big games in Croke Park. So that was an enjoyable one. But the big enjoyment is when you’re out on the training pitch and the lads are buying into it and there’s a good spirit. The less enjoyable things would be the time taken up from things away from the pitch and having to drop players. That kind of stuff is tough.

“But it has a shelf life, particularly for a manager. As a selector or a coach you could probably keep going forever but as a manager the demands are so extreme and, for me, it certainly has a shelf life.”

On the much-debated Super 8s, Fitzmaurice feels they are worth persevering with despite some heavy criticism following the dead rubber fixtures between Dublin and Tyrone and Cork and Roscommon last weekend.

“I’m a fan of the Supers 8s just because you’re getting games, particularly for the provincial champions. In the old quarter-final model, the provincial champions were punished – they were coming in cold, waiting for four sometimes five weeks and facing a team that had a bit of momentum. It was often a very tricky game and then if you were beaten you were gone. As a provincial champion you were the only one who didn’t have a second bite at the Championship which seemed a bit unfair.

“I think teams playing of an equal standard playing each other is great. I think there are tweaks and we probably don’t have eight teams that are of that standard.

“Dublin are out on their own and you’ve four or five teams behind them, and then you’re dropping down a level or two after that.

“If we get to the point where we have eight teams of a pretty equal standard, similar to the hurling, I think it will be hugely competitive. I think the scheduling is an issue from the point of view of a six or seven-day turnaround to the semi-finals which is too short. It’s unfair. Even if you had two weeks to the semi-final and two weeks to the final would be better rather than one [week] and three [weeks].

“The tweak of giving the provincial champions the first game at home was good and there can be other little changes made. But, overall, the Super 8s is positive. There are going to be dead rubbers and it’s an unfortunate by-product of that kind of a format. But it’s still better than the old system."