HAPPY TO KERRY THE BURDEN

Fionn: Weight of expectation goes with privilege of wearing the shirt

KERRY have endured some fallow seasons but it hasn’t lowered expectations locally.

Fionn Fitzgerald wouldn’t have it any other way.

Although the Kingdom are on their best winning streak in Munster for nearly 40 years and were League champions last year, defeat in the All-ireland semi-finals in each of the last two seasons has defined those campaigns.

With a host of All-ireland minor winners coming through, the team Eamonn Fitzmaurice (inset) sends into action against Clare on Sunday is likely to have a fresh look about it.

But having a more youthful side won’t buy time from their demanding supporters and captain Fitzgerald feels that is as it should be.

“I don’t think I’d want them to be easier on us, I wouldn’t think that at all,” said the Dr Crokes man.

“You can look at it two ways, I would be always looking at it from a positive point of view. There can be pressure but a lot of the time it’s a healthy pressure. People want you to succeed, they want you to do well.

“The pressure that the Kerry public put on us, we need that at times and it’s always been part of the Kerry tradition. I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

Fitzgerald feels Kerry’s status hasn’t dipped significantly despite four successive Championship losses to Dublin, who also handed them a drubbing in this year’s League.

“We’re definitely in the mix. I suppose we definitely have to bring something different this year that we haven’t brought over the last number of years.

“We’ve fallen short and any year you fall short, you’re looking to bring something different the following year.

“The League was definitely positive and from that end we got to look at different players, different tactics, different ways of going about things.

“Hopefully we can bring the good things together and polish them for the

Championship.”

Clare come to Killarney for Sunday’s Munster semi-final having lost 10 successive Championship games to Kerry since their famous win in 1992.

Yet while the Kingdom are strong favourites to win their sixth provincial title in a row for the first time since 1980, the standards in Munster have evened out somewhat.

Fitzgerald added: “When I started, traditionally it was Kerry and Cork, but we’ve been put to the pin of our collar over the last few years by the likes of Clare and Tipperary.

“The Munster Championship is a lot stronger now, and that’s good because you are more battlehardened.”