FITZGERALD: HOSTING DUBLIN IN TRALEE IS ALWAYS SPECIAL

FIONN FITZGERALD is in such a bubble with Dr Crokes as they prepare for an AIB All-Ireland club football semi-final next weekend that he admits he has been left ticketless for tonight’s glamour Kerry-Dublin League meeting. ‘I’ve no ticket, I only found out it’s sold out,’ explains the former Kerry captain. ‘Dublin coming to town in Tralee and under lights. It should be a really good game. Playing at home on a Saturday night, there’s a buzz there, possibly even better than playing under lights in Croke Park because there’d be 20,000 in Croke Park whereas Stack Park will be heaving. ‘They’re the kind of games you’ll always remember, playing in that kind of atmosphere.’ The significance of tonight’s result is sure to be a major talking point as Kerry try to lay down a marker for the year ahead under new management. ‘It’s not Championship but it’s as good as at the moment. People say is it going to make a huge difference, and that you’re laying down a marker for later on in the year. Maybe it is. But there’s a different level that comes afterwards in the Championship. The League has gone so serious though. It’s changed drastically.’ While Kerry’s defensive set-up has come under focus, he blames Tyrone for the first round being such a poor spectacle. ‘The first half was particularly poor – it wasn’t Kerry’s fault – and it was 0-2 to 0-1 after about 20 minutes. The way I read it, from a Kerry perspective, was that they were dealing with the Tyrone situation.’ As for his own situation, the defender, who will be forever remembered for kicking an unlikely equaliser against Cork to bring the 2015 Munster final to a replay, is focused on his involvement with