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keys to the kingdom

'My term is up now and we have lots to think about' -- Eamonn Fitzmaurice ponders Kerry future

The Kingdom chief says Dublin have to take the credit for his side’s performance.

THE POST-MORTEM will go on all winter for Kerry football fans.

And Eamonn Fitzmaurice, too, has much to think about after today’s All-Ireland SFC decider defeat to Dublin at Croke Park.

The Kingdom boss admits he doesn’t know what the future now holds.

“My term is up now,” he told RTE’s Joanne Cantwell. “I’ve three years done. You know a lot of us have a lot of thinking and talking to do and we’ll do that in time as well.”

Kerry never seemed to get going at HQ today but Fitzmaurice insists Dublin need to be praised for dictating the game form the off.

“We didn’t perform Joanne, we didn’t play as well as we can play,” he said.

“I think you have to give a lot of credit to Dublin as well. They played very well, they outworked us, they played the game at their terms. They managed to really tackle us high up the pitch, really slow us down and at the same time get bodies back. So as I said, you have to give them credit but under performed as well.

When asked if the day got to the Munster champions, he said: “I don’t think it was the occasion. Like I said I think you have to give a lot of credit to Dublin. Thinking about it now straight afterwards it’s hard to put our finger on it.

“But we underperformed and that can happen. It can happen on big days. It hasn’t happened us too many times thankfully over the past number of years but it happened today and like I said you just have to take your hats off to Dublin. And I think because as well as they’ve played and hard they worked and fought for each other they made it very hard for us.”

Rory O'Carroll and Darren Daly celebrates at the final whistle Dublin’s Rory O'Carroll and Darren Daly celebrates at the final whistle. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Despite not showing top form throughout a miserable afternoon in Drumcondra, Fitzmaurice praised his side’s attitude until the end.

“We were hoping and we never gave up and the lads in fairness to them never gave up,” he said. “But it would have been daylight robbery today if we got out of it with a draw. But you know you have to an awful lot of credit to the lads — they kept at it, they kept fighting to the end even though it was very obvious we were having an off day and I’d be very proud of the lads from that point of view.”

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