‘Tight season leaves players at breaking point’
TOMÁS Ó Sé believes the consequences of the injury to Kerry’s Jason point up the ‘madness’ of the GAA’s condensed season. Before the start of the Championship, Kerry’s hopes have been dented by fears that the 2022 All-Star full-back could be set for a prolonged period on the sideline. Foley was helped form the pitch at Dr Hyde Park on Sunday following an alleged stamping incident that could see Roscommon forward
Cathal Heneghan facing a disciplinary sanction. Foley is not expected to feature in the Munster SFC and could be out of the early rounds of the All-Ireland series. Five-time All-Ireland winner Ó Sé lays the blame for Foley’s situation with the GAA’s tight calendar. ‘I don’t think you can get a pre-season, a National League, provincial championships and an
All-Ireland series into six months and not expect fellows to be breaking down,’ said Ó Sé who will manage Kerry in this year’s EirGrid All-Ireland Under 20 Championship ‘I think it is madness when you have those kind of serious injuries, you are going to be talking about fellas possibly missing two competitions. ‘That is the nature of it, that is the way it is gone.’ The loss of Foley, long considered the lynch-pin of the full-back line, will force Jack O’Connor into a significant defensive reshuffle but Ó Sé believes the Kerrry boss still has the options to do so without sabotaging his team’s All-Ireland ambitions. ‘When people always mention key players in Kerry, they will always mention the Cliffords, Seánie O’Shea and Diarmuid O’Connor but he (Foley) is the guy who puts out the fires at the back and he is vital to them. I won’t say he is an unsung hero but anytime they have done well he has always done his job inside. ‘I don’t know how long it is he will be out but I would imagine they will be trying to get him back as quick as they can. ‘I think Kerry are strong enough to shoulder that anyway. ‘Jason Foley is an outstanding player but Kerry if they have any ambitions of winning AllIrelands they have enough defenders in there to cover it up until they get him back.’