COLM COOPER HOPES to return to action for Kerry before the end of the Allianz Football League.
The 28-year-old hasn’t featured for Jack O’Connor’s inside in 2012 after agreeing with his coach to take a break from the game after his club, Dr Crokes, were beaten by Crossmaglen Rangers in the All-Ireland semi-final on February 18.
“We’ll just see when the time is right,” Cooper told GAA.ie. “I don’t think it will be too long. Hopefully it won’t be too far away, it’s just to give the body, mentally and physically, a bit of freshness so that you come back in and are ready to go.
“When you come back in with your county, with Kerry, it’s 100%, 100 miles an hour from there until hopefully September and you want to be as fresh as you can.”
The success of Dr Crokes and Kerry means that Cooper has had little break in the last two years, with one campaign rolling into the other.
“Physically you can get through it, but mentally you can find yourself very drained from it,” said the seven-time All Star. “With Dr Crokes we were in the Munster final last year too (2010-’11) and it wasn’t played until January (2011) because of the icy weather.
“We had effectively been going two years without any significant break so this gives me an opportunity to take a step back, recharge the batteries and be ready to go again when the time is right.”