ÉAMONN FITZMAURICE FINALLY managed to take down Dublin in Croke Park today as Kerry senior manager.
He’s had his share of disappointment at the venue with three championship losses in 2013, 2015 and 2016 and league setbacks like last year’s decider.
But the Kerry manager was keen afterwards to downplay any suggestion that his team had been psychologically damaged by their recent record against the All-Ireland champions.
“You’re kind of portraying as if there is this psychological damage there that every time we go out, we’re going down the road and we’re banging our head off the window of the bus.
“We come up and give it everything we have. They’re a brilliant team and we’ve come up short. But we’ve come up short going at them and bringing the best out of them.
“I think the Kerry-Dublin games over the last couple of years, some of them have been some of the best games that have been played in the last 10 years. We’re realistic enough to go away and say, “That was good. This is something we need to improve upon.”
“If Dublin had beaten us, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world. We still have players to come back. It’s still the month of April.
“The fact that we’ve won it, it’s a positive of course. It’s great to win the league. It would be third in our list of priorities but still you want to go out and win it.”
Fitzmaurice is hopeful of the benefits that this victory will have for his players.
“We knew we weren’t a million miles away. To get the job done, absolutely it was great. For the belief of the players themselves, it will be a big boost to them.
“This Dublin team, it’s not as if we’re the only team that has struggled with them. They are one of the best teams that has ever played the game.
“I think everyone has agreed, or there has been a consensus on that. We’ve been very close to them the last couple of years, not so much in the league but particularly in championship.”
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