JUST OVER A year ago, Tadhg Morley made his first championship start for Kerry in the Munster semi-final against Clare.
It was a remarkable rise to prominence for the Templenoe defender, who wasn’t even part of the Kerry squad during the 2016 league campaign.
He was virtually an unknown entity outside the county, but Eamonn Fitzmaurice saw something he liked in Morley during Templenoe’s run to the All-Ireland junior club title that February.
The primary school teacher started making the torturous mid-week treks to county training in Killarney from his Dublin base in April, and started every game up until their All-Ireland semi-final defeat to the Dubs.
A year on from his debut, and Morley is an ever-present member of Fitzmaurice’s half-back line.
“Tadhg’s a great lad,” says his club-mate Pat Spillane. ” Tadhg is very mature, a great reader of the game.
“He can play forward, can play midfield, can play back. Really good guy, really mature beyond his year, really solid. Tadhg is a brilliant forward, Tadhg loves to attack.
“Outside of the fact that they’re laying down a marker, Kerry were conservative for the last two years and that wasn’t playing to Kerry’s strengths. Tadhg would get the ball at right back and his only contribution with the ball was to pass it to the fella sideways and point to somebody.
“There was fear in them, it was safety first. There was no attacking. Now, he’s his own man and this is the one big change. I think Fitzmaurice has got the balance right between defence and attack and now they’re off the leash.”
In both Kerry’s league games against Dublin this year, the physicality they brought to the field was plain to see. Much of that was down to Morley, who got to grips with Footballer of the Year nominee Ciaran Kilkenny and came out on top on both occasions.
“Kilkenny is well able to mix it,” says former Kerry wing-back Tomás Ó Sé.
“I have great admiration for him. I think he is a great, great player. At the moment and throughout the league he was one of the key players that made them tick constantly. Look, you are going in against a team and you need to focus on who is doing well for them.
“Tadhg Morley had a role (on Kilkenny). I’ve no doubt, if they meet again, Morley will get the same job, to pick up Kilkenny no matter where he goes.”
Morley is equally comfortable at wing or centre-back and Ó Sé feels his versatility is a very useful asset for Fitzmaurice.
“(Saying) Tadhg Morley is (just) a centre-back would be wrong, because Tadhg Morley would probably be put horses for course in certain areas. That’s the question for Fitzmaurice, do you play him at centre back or move him around?
“I think he’s an adaptable player, comfortable on the ball, he’s physically strong, he’s your complete modern player. He has legs in him that and go all day look.
“He’s totally committed, he’s brave and he’s come through and learned a lot in this national league.”
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