James O’Donoghue has endured an injury hell for the last while.
A couple of serious shoulder injuries have stalled his progress in recent years. A calf injury sustained in the very first round of this year’s Allianz League campaign against Donegal kept him out of the rest of that competition.
So when James O’Donoghue was named to start in the Kerry full forward line, alongside Paul Geaney and David Clifford, it’s fair to say there were a number of Kerry supporters licking their lips prior to this Munster championship semi-final against Clare.
Things got off to a rocky start in Fitzgerald Stadium, with Clare reeling off two unanswered points as they set their stall out early on. That was as good as it got for the Banner boys, however, as Kerry went onto notch fifteen points without reply in an explosive first half from there on in.
Paul Geaney was typically effective, the big Dingle full forward scoring six from play, but those in green and gold will have been most pleased with the performance of their Legion man O’Donoghue, who kicked four points on his return to the fray.
O’Donoghue played in a more withdrawn role than usual, but he pulled the strings to good effect in a lively all-round performance.
SportsJOE’s Colm Parkinson was down in Killarney and he caught up with Kerry manager Eamon Fitzmaurice after the game.
https://twitter.com/Woolberto/status/1003282645478932482
Fitzmaurice was unsurprisingly pleased with Kerry’s showing, but that man O’Donoghue came in for particular praise with his body language impressing his manager.
“He played in that kind of a (withdrawn) role today. We know that he’s a lethal finisher, and he can play closer to goal as well. It was a huge positive for James to get that under his belt,” he said to Wooly after the game.
After kicking an early score, O’Donoghue showed how much it meant to him with a fist pump and a passionate roar.
“You could see how much it meant to him, even by his body language in the first half, (celebrating that first score) Just to be playing, to be out and enjoying championship football again.
“He’s been unfortunate with injuries, and those big days in Killarney and elsewhere haven’t been as plentiful as all of us would have liked. It’s great to see James out there bouncing with energy, and he’ll only get better.”
With Kerry eventually running out 0-32 to 0-10 winners, the Kerry manager is looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead of them.
“I can’t ever remember ever being involved in a Kerry team where we put up such a big points total.
“I think the lads that came on showed that they were chomping at the bit as well, that kept the energy high throughout the whole game and you’d have to be happy with that.
“We moved the ball quickly today. When we do that, we’ve the players to trouble most teams. We’re very much a work in progress, we know there’s going to be bigger challenges down the line, but for a first day out, you’d have to be happy.”
You can listen to the rest of this interview on Monday’s GAA Hour Show.
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