KERRY BOSS EAMONN Fitzmaurice will face the unique dilemma of having to juggle management and playing commitments in the early stages of the 2013 season.
Fitzmaurice missed out on his club Finuge’s Munster IFC final meeting over St Vincent’s on Sunday due to a broken jaw sustained in their Kerry county final replay win over Spa earlier this month.
But Finuge’s victory over their Cork opponents St Vincent’s by 1-5 to 0-5 in Mallow now ensures they will contest an All-Ireland semi-final meeting in late January against the winners of next Sunday’s Leinster IFC final between Louth side O’Connell’s and Kildare outfit Monasterevin.
And that means Fitzmaurice, who will be in charge of Kerry for the first time on January 6th when they play IT Tralee in the McGrath Cup, will have to combine two roles.
His clubmate and Kerry attacker Paul Galvin, who missed out on Sunday’s success as well through suspension after being sent-off in their semi-final over Limerick team Pallasgreen, will be marked absent for the early stages of Kerry’s 2013 campaign as well.
And if Dr Crokes triumph in next Sunday’s Munster club SFC final against Castlehaven, and a potential subsequent All-Ireland quarter-final battle with Tír Chonaill Gaels, their county contingent will not be available for Kerry in the opening part of the next year.
Meanwhile three-time Kerry All-Ireland senior football winner Liam Hassett has hung up his boots after playing his last game for his club Laune Rangers last Sunday afternoon.
The veteran attacker, who also won an All-Ireland senior club medal with the Killorglin-based outfit in 1996, announced his retirement in the wake of their Mid Kerry championship final replay loss to Milltown/Castlemaine in Beaufort on Sunday.
