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It was Kerry's first All-Ireland title win in five years. Morgan Treacy/INPHO

Fitzmaurice: It is tougher managing in an All-Ireland final than playing in it

Fitzmaurice has now tasted All-Ireland success as a player, selector and as a manager.

IT WASN’T THE prettiest All-Ireland final win but Eamonn Fitzmaurice was just pleased to get over the line. Fitzmaurice has now experienced All-Ireland final day as a player, a selector and as a manager, and he found his current role the toughest to deal with.

“It is a lot harder on the sideline,” Fitzmaurice said.

“I was a selector with Jack O’Connor in 2009 and it wasn’t a sweet as when I was a player but this is definitely as sweet. Nothing can replace playing but this is a sweet one.”

Most people thought that Kieran Donaghy would be at the edge of the square from the off, but Fitzmaurice put Paul Geaney there to start. The Kerry manager stressed the importance of keeping your opposite number guessing before the throw in.

“You have to try and have a surprise up your sleeve on the day of a final,” Fitzmaurice said.

“Paul Geaney is good in the air too. We are fluid inside and that is a big thing that we worked on in the last few weeks. Kieran was outstanding as well.”

Kerry were quite wasteful on the day and star man James O’Donoghue didn’t score at all. Despite kicking away some chances to make the finish a little less stressful, Fitzmaurice was confident his side would see out the game.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Fitzmaurice said.

“I knew after watching the Dublin game that we would get chances and we would go for them; if we got them we got them and if we missed them we weren’t going to be too worried about it. We knew it would be a very tight game and that there wouldn’t be much in it at the end. Thankfully we came out on the right side of it.”

‘Well Joe Brolly, what do you think of that?!’ Kieran Donaghy lets out a post-match roar

Kingdom come! Kerry savour ‘sweet’ All-Ireland success against Donegal

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    Mute Cormac Loughnane
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    Nov 20th 2024, 9:08 AM

    What a cop out by the English FA. If a player of another ethnic origin had to escape from the field of play each week to avoid abuse and objects being thrown at him the offending clubs would be playing behind closed doors. Jimmy is Irish so it’s ok to fudge their own rules on racism and discrimination.

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    Mute Cian O
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    Nov 20th 2024, 12:01 PM

    @Cormac Loughnane: Poor Jimmy has also glorified a terrorist organisation in the past, on his Instagram, with his kids..

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    Mute Paul Ennis
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    Nov 20th 2024, 12:59 PM

    @Cian O: Naming a Wolf Tones song as your favourite is no more glorifying a terrorist organisation that the Womens football team singing in their dressing room. He refuses to wear the poppy because it is worn to remember all fallen soldiers, including those who died killing Irishmen and women in Derry. The targetted abuse by football supporters is not deserved and whilst I don’t think it is racist, it is sub-human.

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    Mute Cian O
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    Nov 20th 2024, 1:10 PM

    @Paul Ennis: I’m referring to him wearing a balaclava as he was supposedly teaching his kids a history lesson.

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    Mute Richard Ford
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    Nov 20th 2024, 1:24 PM

    @Cian O: . He apologised for that photograph.

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    Mute Cormac Loughnane
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    Nov 20th 2024, 4:42 PM

    @Cian O: He apologised, admitted it was a crude joke and that he shouldn’t have done it. Your assertion that the misjudged insta post makes him somewhat deserving of the abuse is ridiculous and the quintessential definition of victim blaming.

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    Mute Kevin Dillon
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    Nov 20th 2024, 8:40 AM

    If the UK education system taught their kids Anglo Irish history and stopped ignoring what happened in Ireland for 100′s of years, these m0r0n’s that give McLean abuse would understand his stance. Never going to happen though. He should be applauded instead of abused.

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    Mute Brian Dunne
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    Nov 20th 2024, 9:35 AM

    @Kevin Dillon: they know mcleans situation. It’s been explained to them 100 times at this stage. Some of them(not all) simply don’t care.

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    Mute QuinsStoop
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    Nov 20th 2024, 10:11 AM

    @Kevin Dillon: I came through that education system and I can tell you first hand it’s not just the Irish situation that’s avoided, it’s stuff all over the Empire. Simply not mentioned. Maybe it’s different now.

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    Mute Sam Bingham
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    Nov 20th 2024, 11:43 AM

    The Brits are obsessed with the poppy.

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    Mute James Dowling
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    Nov 20th 2024, 1:29 PM

    Easier solution for the FA…they certainly don’t want to address the actual issue here!!

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