FINAL FLING FOR KINGDOM’S MEN

Wise heads set to have limited roles

COMFORT was in short supply for Kerry last Sunday evening as they pulled away from Croke Park after their latest chastening defeat at the hands of Dublin.

If the 12-point hammering was not enough, it was the realisation that the latest humiliation had been inflicted on them by half a Dublin team. Jim Gavin’s side were shy of seven of the 15 that started last September’s All-Ireland final, including five — Michael Fitzsimons, James McCarthy, Jack McCaffrey, Con O’Callaghan and Paul Mannion — who are current All-Stars.

Of course, Kerry could point to their own missing in action, but doubts persist as to how many have the legs, or the form, to endure another summer journey. And while Dublin have been missing key players this spring, big names have been absent for the Kingdom. There is a crucial and obvious difference.

With the exception of Tadhg Morley and, to a lesser degree, Johnny Buckley, ticking mileage clocks and battered bodies means that Eamonn Fitzmaurice will be forced to choose carefully when recalling veteran stars. There is also the internal pressure; in the fall-out to last year’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Mayo the Kerry manager took heat for staying loyal to his older players, while the two-year extension he accepted in the interim amounts to a licence to go and build a new team.

It means, for several established Kerry players, they may be running out of road in a summer where it will be a final spin around the circuit.

Ahead of tonight’s crunch relegation clash with Kildare, we assess seven who have not featured this spring — with the exception of David Moran who was sprung from the bench last weekend and James O’Donoghue who has seen just five minutes of game-time — and evaluate what role, if any, they will have this summer.