Fitzmaurice: We are fighting for our lives now
É AMONN FITZMAURICE knows he is facing into one of the biggest games of his management career when Kerry travel to Clones on Sunday.
His young team — who went into yesterday’s showdown against Galway as the most likely to challenge Dublin for the AllIreland — are now facing the live prospect of being dumped out of the Championship by Monaghan this weekend.
It is a startling fall from grace for a team hyped as an emerging force after their 17-point Munster final win over Cork and Fitzmaurice, who signed an extension this autumn that will see him remain as Kingdom boss until 2020, knows what kind of heat an early Championship exit will bring.
‘It’s a huge game for all of us,’ admitted Fitzmaurice (below), when quizzed on the challenge of lifting his team.
‘We’re fighting for our lives and we’ll have to bring everything we have but, you know, I suppose the positive thing from our point of view is that we’re still in the Championship.
‘If this was the old system of an All-Ireland quarter-final knockout and we brought that level of performance today, that’s it, we’re gone, we’re out and we’re finished so we have another chance.
‘We have another chance next weekend but we need to improve 100 per cent,’ said Fitzmaurice, who explained that he could not point to a reason for his team’s no-show yesterday.
But he dismissed the notion that the hype which ratcheted up after their 17-point mauling of Cork in the Munster final had played a part.
‘We knew that it was going to be a huge jump from the Munster Championship.
‘We weren’t getting carried away with the Munster Championship results,’ he added.
‘We knew we played well but that there was more there at the same time. Same as we won’t get carried away with this. We were well off it today but we’re still in the Championship.
‘We didn’t turn up. Right from the off we looked to be a yard off the pace for whatever reason and the better team won.
‘They won all the battles and I think, at the end, David’s goal put some bit of respectability on the score.’
The impact, even if they bounce back to beat Monaghan next week, this result will have on Kerry’s All-Ireland chances is likely to be lasting — setting them on a likely All-Ireland semi-final collision course with Dublin — assuming the champions finish top of their group.
The market responded by doubling Kerry’s odds — they drifted from 11/4 to 11/2 last night, while Fitzmaurice is faced with a defensive crisis ahead of this Sunday.
Tadhg Morley (hamstring) was not able to line out yesterday, while Jason Foley had to hobble out of the game and Killian Young is facing a one-match ban after receiving a straight red card.
And Fitzmaurice’s substitution policy, despite claiming that his hand had been forced by Foley’s injury, is likely to come under scrutiny, not least for leaving veteran Kieran Donaghy on the bench while introducing Barry John Keane and Donnchadh Walsh late on in the game. ‘A couple of our substitutions were forced by the likes of Jason Foley getting injured. Sometimes you would have loads of plans in your mind but it doesn’t pan out on a given day.
‘Our hand was forced with a couple of substitutions that robbed us of that today,’ explained the Kerry boss.
But while Fitzmaurice will feel the heat for what was only a third Kerry defeat at the last-eight stage — they previously lost to Down (2010) and Donegal (2012) — he was quick to pay tribute to Galway, who he insisted were now genuine contenders for the All-Ireland.
‘I think they’re big-time contenders but I wouldn’t have needed today to confirm that.
‘I think if you go through the regulation Division 1 unbeaten, that’s a fair test of your credentials,’ added Fitzmaurice.
‘They’re big contenders.’