O SE: SQUEEZING THE SEASON IS JUST MADNESS
TOMAS O SE claims Jason Foley’s injury reflects the “madness” of the split season as Kerry sweat over the fitness of the key defender.
Foley suffered an ankle injury during Sunday’s six-point win over Roscommon, with Cathal Heneghan possibly in line for a retrospective ban having appeared to make contact with the full-back’s right leg as he ran back outfield having scored a goal.
Either way, the Ballydonoghue man is set to be on the sidelines for a number of weeks at the very least.
Former Kerry star O Se (right) said “you would have to be concerned” given how important Foley has become to the team.
“When people mention key players in Kerry, they will always mention the Cliffords, the Seanies and Diarmuid O’connors but Jason is the guy who puts out the fires at the back and he is vital to them,” said O Se.
“I won’t say he is an unsung hero but any time they have done well he has always done his job inside.
“They have the likes of Tom O’sullivan, Brian O Beaglaoich hopefully to come back from injury but you don’t want to be going into any All-ireland series and Championship without one of your key players and Jason is one of them.
“I don’t know the nature of the injury, how serious it is or 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.”
If Kerry were to go all the way to the All-ireland final again this year, their Championship campaign would be wrapped up in little more than three months.
O Se continued: “I don’t want to be harping on about it, I don’t think you can get a pre-season, a League, provincial Championships and an All-ireland series into six months and not expect fellas to be breaking down and to be able to get through all that and then play club for whatever length of time.
“I think it is madness when you have those kind of serious injuries, you are going to be talking about fellas missing the possibility of two competitions.”
Meanwhile, O Se (inset) admits that senior inter-county management may not be for him after getting a glimpse of the demands involved.
O Se is in his second season in charge of the Kerry U20s having guided them to a Munster title last year and he also spent the 2022 season as part of the Offaly seniors’ backroom team.
“Probably not, no, because I do think it’s all-consuming,” admitted O Se, who is principal at
Gaelscoil de híde in Fermoy.
He added: “I’d hate to take on something that I couldn’t give 100 per cent to, that’s what I’d hate to do.
“It wouldn’t bother me now if this was the end of the road.”