A VICTORY IS essential for Kerry in Killarney on Saturday night and even at that it may not suffice to propel them into the All-Ireland semi-finals as they need a favour from Galway in Salthill.
Eamonn Fitzmaurice has never failed to guide Kerry into the last four stage but that record is now under threat ahead of their final Super 8s clash with Kildare.
The stakes may be considerable but the Kerry manager is able to insulate himself from that external pressure. It’s his players he is concerned for these days in the build-up to a match.
“No, it’s not hard for me but I do think it is hard for the players,” reflects Fitzmaurice.
“At the moment I am off from work so I can go into the bunker and be hard to be got at. I did after the Galway game. But I think I am from a slightly older generation than the lads in that I can actually put my phone out of my hand for five minutes and I can avoid my phone.
“Whereas I think for the players it is challenging when they are put working and meeting people and so much of their lives are in their phones, it is hard to avoid a lot of it.
“You are meeting people in the street and people might mean the best in the world but we can be direct in Kerry and that can be challenging for the players.
“But look it is all part of the learning process and the easiest way to create positivity is to win games.”
Heat from supporters isn’t something Fitzmaurice is focusing on in the wake of their limp display in the loss to Galway and the last-gasp draw they secured against Monaghan. Trying to correct the results is his objective.
“I don’t. I’m sure the chat is going on, that goes with the job. I know that. I haven’t heard.
“I’m sure there’s plenty going on but for us, we’re just keeping the head down, especially the week after the Galway game, we’d a good bit of regrouping to do to get ourselves organised for a tough away game the following weekend that our season was riding on. I’m sure there’s plenty there but a couple of wins always sorts that out.
“I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge at the moment. I am always that way as I seem to find the hard way of doing everything. So I am enjoying the challenge at the moment and in terms of long term plans you don’t think about those.
“Of course you are aware that some of the exposure the younger lads are getting at the moment will help them in terms of their long term development but all we are focused on within the group is the here and now and the Kildare game, and try and win that and see where that takes us. After than then you can be thinking of the long term stuff.”
David Clifford’s late goal rescued Kerry in Clones in a game where they had been playing catch-up from early on after Conor McManus netted for Monaghan. That attacking talisman shone for Monaghan but Fitzmaurice doesn’t feel it’s clearcut to point in hindsight to a sweeper as a solution to their rearguard issues that day.
“That is dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t. To be fair to Monaghan they play orthodox when they have the ball, so it’s harder to have someone back in place (to play sweeper) while Galway more or less (have) most of their team go behind the ball
“It makes more sense to have someone back there but it can be hard to explain that at times. So again (on a sweeper against Monaghan) that is hindsight and if we had someone back in front of Conor McManus, he might not have scored as much but maybe we might not have scored as much either. You play each game on its merit.”
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