Welcome to the club: the inside story on how Kerry delivered the All-Ireland no-one expected
It's a decade since Éamonn Fitzmaurice and the Kingdom struck one against the head. The 2014 campaign began with a stutter but with careful tending of burgeoning talents, they climbed the tallest and most demanding peaks through perseverance and sheer will. Here's how they did it in the words of their leader.
BARRY'S BOYS: Barry John Keane with a Croke Park selfie to remember for Kerry's All-Ireland winners. Pic: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
“The scene is the Kerry warm-up area last September, manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice is surrounded by his jubilant players, the clock over his head says 17.43, the Sam Maguire Cup had been lifted 34 minutes earlier. It was an opportunity to put the achievement of a relatively young Kerry team in perspective and Fitzmaurice, one of the finest coaches in the modern game, was equal to the occasion as he launched into a speech full of emotion and inspiration.
“I just want to say lads, I just want to say to you lads from the bottom of my heart – thanks so much. Ye have no idea lads, ye have no idea the emotion that was in that room [at our meeting] last night, how special and how kind that was, it was unique, it was unique. The fine, massive thing is in front of us. To the boys winning their first All-Ireland – WELCOME TO THE CLUB.”
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