The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)

Captain Morgan leads Kerry against Cork in Killarney Final

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July 1995

STERLING corner back Morgan Nix was a very happy ma this week when he was selected to play for Kerry in Sunday’s Bank of Ireland Munster football final in Killarney.

But the Kerins O’Rahillys player was even more delighted when, he was named as captain of the team to do battle with Cork.

“It’s a great honour to be chosen as the Kerry captain,” said 28-year old Morgan.

“It was very good of the Austin Stacks Club to nominate me. Of course, Pa Laide would have been the captain but for the fact that he is out injured.”

Nix, troubled by injury of late which kept him out of the starting 15 against both Limerick and Tipperary, has already captained Kerry. That was in the National League games against Meath and Laois in the recent campaign.

Will the captaincy put extra pressure on him on Sunday?

“Not really,” replied Morgan who works with his Father, Tom, in the family industrial painting contractin­g business, based at Ballyvelly, Tralee.

“I don’t want to let it get to my game. I’ll just play my game of football as I normally do.

“It’s hard to call any Kerry/ Cork game. You don’t know until the game itself. Things are going very well for Kerry. Midfield will have a big bearing on the result. I expect Conor Kearney to open things up here for us.”

Morgan made his senior championsh­ip debut for Kerry in the 1988 Munster final against Cork which Kerry lost by a point.

He was on the losing, side again to Cork the following year but ended the drought collecting a Munster medal when helping defeat Limerick in the 1991 final.

He won Munster U21 medals with the county in 1987 and 1988.

“I’m mad anxious to get back in the Kerry jersey on Sunday,” said Morgan who’ll be marking Stephen Calnan.

“You have to be confident going into these games. It’s no good, going in with a defeatist attitude,” he continued.

“We are scoring well but I wouldn’t be carried away with the Tipperary game,” he said.

Limerick born Morgan chuckled as he remarked that the captaincy of the Kerry team was “moving around a lot”.

Darren Aherne captained Kerry in their opening game against Limerick before it was entrusted to Anthony Gleeson for the semi-final tilt with Tipperary.

Now the Kerins O’Rahillys player has been bestowed with the honour.

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