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Eamonn Fitzgerald: Keane should know 11 of his 15 starters

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Kerry manager Peter Keane speaking with David Moran after the Super 8s match against Mayo in 2019. Pic: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile.

As Kerry ramp up towards the championship, Eamonn Fitzgerald gives his assessment of their preparations to date.

One certainly learns more from defeat that from victory, so what has Peter Keane and his management team learned from the 2020 debacle?

In fairness to the Kerry management, they have opened up the panel, brought some new players into the fold. They will bring them along hoping they will be in contention for places in the resurrection, which occurs when they start the 2021 championship campaign with a home game versus Clare in the Fitzgerald Stadium.

Tomorrow, Kerry will meet Tyrone in the NFL semi-final. Their league title is at stake. Too many supporters give them no credit for winning the 2020 National League.

If Kerry win and Dublin win as expected, there won’t be a league final and it will be a shared title. That is disappointing for the players. The GAA should have done better and ensured they a final had to be played.

IDEAL PREPARATION

Peter Keane and the Kerry players have had the ideal preparation for the championship. Three competitive league games so far and one more tomorrow. The Kerry selectors used the matches wisely, trying out as many players as possible to see which combination will deliver success.

Injuries forced their hands for all games and some established players were rested. That gave game time to so many players.

That huge win over Galway in Tralee was a great morale booster. They ran up a big score, inflicting a 22-point defeat on Galway, the worst ever margin of defeat for the Westerners. It was magical stuff, Kerry going at them from the throw-in and imposing their game on hapless Galway.

In my report I said that one swallow does not make a summer, but that one swallow was most welcome and hopefully the rest of the flight would follow to make a summer of delight in Kerry.

The eagerly awaited clash with the Dubs did not disappoint. Kerry were like the proverbial curate’s egg, good and bad in patches. Leaking three early goals was ominous. Had we learned anything about basic defending?

Dublin went seven points clear and looked odds-on to make it a 10-point win, but Kerry responded magnificently hitting six unanswered points. It looked all up when Dublin converted a late penalty, but David Clifford came to the rescue in the dying minutes of the game to snatch a draw. Lessons to be learned against the top opposition. Kerry forwards are very good, but the defence is still the Achilles heel.

Roscommon proved as tough as ever, but Kerry competed well. Still that goal leakage at the back was a worry. Diarmuid O’Connor improved steadily and will start at midfield v Clare.

Tomorrow’s very competitive match v Tyrone will tell us more.

STARTING 15

I expect at this stage Peter Keane and his selectors have 11 positions filled to start v Clare. They haven’t a surplus of class players and injuries will deprive them of a full hand.

I’ve still to see the Peter Keane gameplan, his stamp on this team. Every manager in any team sport wishes his/her team to play in a certain matter. The defensive tactics in Cork failed. Thankfully, that has changed in the three league games of 2021 and that is encouraging.

The ball is going in much quicker and sooner so that the inside forwards are brought into play. They score freely and once you get the ball inside 50 metres defenders are quite likely to foul. With Seán O’Shea that’s a pointed free in most cases.

I’m not suggesting that the Kerry defenders should send the ball anywhere out of their way. Leave that to supporters of Charlton. Get it out long and accurate setting up an attack, instead of lateral passing and not progressing.

I expect that the Kerry selectors have pencilled in 11 places and the discussion really is for the remaining starting four. They will also will be very mindful of seven other subs. The starting 15 will not be the 15 that will finish. Such is the intensity of the modern game.

DEFENCE

Shane Ryan has been out injured for this league and must be doubtful for the early stages of the championship. Kieran Fitzgibbon has been catapulted into goalkeeping duties and he has performed quite well, especially playing behind a much-maligned defence.

The goalkeeper is just not alone a ball stopper, but he is called into play once the opposition start moving out the ball from the other end of the field. He can see possible developments long before his defenders do. He can see the runner, gaps opening and real danger, before defender do. They are too taken up with marking their own men. The keeper is the eyes and ears of the defenders and must be sure and vocal. It will take time for him to assert his authority and the same goes for the kick-outs. Understandably, he hasn’t always succeeded in picking out a fellow player, be it short or long. That will come. Even Cluxton had to learn.

The defence has been much-maligned and leaking so many goals substantiates that argument. In their defence they are often at sixes and sevens with extra men galloping through, because other players let their men sally up field unmarked. However, I cannot understand why this sextet - and it could be any six - do not realise that their first duty is to mark their own men. Too often they stand off their opponents and gift them the initiative.

These are elite players who have been coached in the art of defence in their own clubs since they were juveniles. Too often, some but not all, do not seem to understand that there really is no defined tackle in Gaelic football, but you can get in close. Use your hands strategically and prevent the attacker scoring or laying it off to a fellow player. That’s all legitimate and there is no need to concede a free. I could name several players at club level who operate this defensive tactic so successfully. Great Kerry backs of the past did it. I think of players such as Paudie Lynch and Mike McCarthy.

The present Kerry defenders are plenty fit enough. They need to be near their direct opponents and be pro-active instead of being reactive. Rarely is there need for a long inaccurate clearance. A hand pass, or preferably an accurate punt kick will set the Kerry forwards in motion.

The Kerry full back line should not be drawn 50 yards from goal and certainly not sprinting out as a link man into the opposition’s territory. How often have we seen it by some of these defenders? Mind the house, don’t leave the goalkeeper exposed and the goal leakage will dry up, or curtailed at worst.

I also feel that Gavin Crowley should not be lured into up field sallies. He has a very onerous job. He must mind his man and also mark space. Tim Kennelly and Mick Morris before him were not classy players but were highly effective centre-backs. No yawning gaps to allow Brian Fenton, Eoin Murchan, or Jack McCaffrey exploit this this tempting mortal sin.

Primary duty for wing backs Paul Murphy and Gavin White is to mark their own man and when the two or three opportunities arise in the game they have the explosive pace to go up field to score or assist in a score. If that run breaks down it is not as serious, as if it happened to a centre back exposing the middle for those Dublin invaders.

MIDFIELD

Midfield has been a problem area for Kerry. David Moran has given Kerry great service over many years, but I contend that he should not be on the starting 15. He may well be on the finishing 15.

I like Diarmuid O’Connor. Big, strong, mobile, well able to score when the opportunity arises, he has a great engine and has youth on his side. Who should partner him?

Jack Barry is in the frame to start, but not Tommy Walsh.

I also expect Kerry to have a Plan B. My preference is to include Seán O’Shea and Paudie Clifford in the half-forward line, one of them centrally and both tasked with helping out at midfield. The older Clifford is mobile, brave and eager and could do a very effective smash and grab possession ploy. He should start. Now he is more even-tempered than he has been in the past. He can open a defence route one and knows when to deliver to the full forward line. I feel that we can get more out of Seán O’Shea.

I hope Peter Keane doesn’t fall back on the Cork gambit where the half-forward line’s role was to go back to their own half-back line helping out. Tracking back is important, but that last-ditch ploy inevitably draws out the inside forward line. Wouldn’t David Clifford’s marker love to see him 70 yards from goal? Even Kerry’s jewel will not score from that position. Again, send in the ball quickly to Kerry’s best scorers, Clifford and whoever is with him. Paul Geaney, Paudie Clifford, Tony Brosnan and Killian Spillane are in the frame to score.

You can have all the fitness in the world, elaborate game plans and astute use of the bench, but those ingredients alone will not propel Kerry forward in a realistic bid for Sam 2021. Pride in the geansaí will oil the winning machine.

Over to you the present Kerry players, whichever 15 starts v Clare, then Tipperary followed by Cork. Bryan McMahon the former Kerry player and songster was spot on with the importance of dúchas and tradition.

“You cannot box or bottle it, nor grasp it in your hand,
But pride of race and love of place inspire a love of land
.”

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Four-week break (including trip to Portugal) for Kerry footballers

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by Adam Moynihan

Kerry are facing into a four-week pre-championship break knowing that there’s plenty of work to be done if they wish to retain their All-Ireland crown.

Last Sunday’s two-point defeat to Galway (1-13 to 0-14) put paid to The Kingdom’s league final aspirations and actually left them in fifth place in Division 1 with their worst away league record in 22 years.

The last time they lost all their away games in a single league campaign was in 2001 when they were beaten by Tyrone, Offaly, Roscommon and Galway – results that saw them relegated to Division 2. They returned to the top flight in 2003 and have been there since.

Although Kerry’s spotty form didn’t result in demotion this time around, it raises questions about their credentials ahead of the championship, which gets underway on Saturday, April 22 with a Munster semi-final against Tipperary or Waterford.

If Tipperary win (as expected) the match will be played in Killarney at 4pm. If Waterford win, the semi-final will be played in Dungarvan at 7pm. Kerry haven’t played Waterford in the championship since 2013.

Looking beyond that semi-final, Kerry would expect to be facing Cork in the provincial decider, although The Rebels must overcome the challenge of Limerick or Clare on the more competitive side of the draw.

The winners of Munster will be paired with the Connacht runners-up and two other unseeded teams in the new All-Ireland round robin series. Given that Galway, Mayo and Roscommon are on one side of the draw in Connacht, there is a strong possibility that the Munster champions will end up in a pool with one of the teams on the other side – namely Sligo, Leitrim, London or New York.

Meanwhile, the Munster runners-up will be pooled with the Connacht champions and two other unseeded teams.

If Kerry reach the Munster final, they will have a home game in Round 1 of the group stage. That match against a third or fourth seed will take place on May 20 or 21.

Their second match will be away from home against the other non-provincial finalist in the group. Round 3 will be against the Connacht finalist and that tie will be staged at a neutral venue.

There will be a week off between every round of fixtures.

The first placed team in each of the four groups of four will advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals with the second and third placed teams moving on to the preliminary quarter-finals. Only the bottom team in each group will be eliminated at the climax of the round robin series.

BELOW PAR

Last Sunday Jack O’Connor’s side were a fair bit off their best against the team they beat in last year’s All-Ireland final.

The league was never going to be a priority for O’Connor, though, and the absence of a host of key players in the opening rounds weakened his hand. Now the majority of those players are back or nearly back, which is encouraging.

The Kerry boss has the bones of a month to whip his charges into shape for the important business of the championship.

He will be hoping that a training camp in Portugal beginning on April 12 will help in that regard.

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An Hour with Paul Galvin: Drawing lines between football and fashion

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by Adam Moynihan

Whenever you meet a famous man, the people you tell always ask the same question. “What’s he like?” But when that famous man is Paul Galvin, the question is delivered with a little more emphasis. As in, “what’s that fella actually like?”

The tone hints at a sort of weird scepticism that, for some, still pervades the very notion of a GAA player from Kerry pivoting to fashion. Add to that his on-field reputation for being an emotionally charged – if unquestionably skilled – force of nature, and his brooding demeanour, and it’s easy to see why people who don’t know him are keen to figure him out.

Earlier this week, Paul was kind enough to bring me in to Dunnes Stores Head Office in Dublin to show me around. After introducing me to a few of his colleagues in a ground-floor studio where models were posing in some of Dunnes’ latest offerings, he brought me up to a fourth-floor room with some nice seating and a balcony overlooking George’s Street.

Maybe the hour-long chat that followed would give me an idea of what Paul Galvin is “actually” like.

DRAWING LINES

It’s patently true that the path that Galvin is walking is not well worn. After putting together a brilliant body of work with Kerry that included four All-Irelands, three All-Stars and a Footballer of the Year award in 2009, he retired in 2014 and turned his attention to clothing.

On the surface the two callings are worlds apart but Galvin doesn’t see it that way. He is adept at drawing lines and finding parallels between ostensibly disparate things. To him, the connections are obvious.

“It’s all very interlinked,” he explains. “Stadia, boots, footballs, jerseys. Everything was designed. If you don’t have design in sport, you don’t have the same sport. You might not even have the sport at all.”

He explores this relationship between design and sport in his latest collection for Dunnes. ‘Lines’ is inspired by the lines on a GAA pitch and the pieces in this collection include references to these markings. For example, the green and navy ‘Groundskeepers’ jacket has the inner lines of the pitch on the upper back, and the area around the goalmouth features on one of the sleeves.

The ‘Groundskeepers’ jacket from Paul Galvin’s ‘Lines’ collection, worn by Kerry model James O’Connor. Photo: DunnesStores.com

“I like the lines. I was always conscious of the pitch lines as a measuring tool in terms of proportions. There’s great proportions to the pitch and you can actually apply those measurements to clothing.”

He must sense that I’m not fully following.

“I do, anyway,” he adds.

“I use the pitch lines in my head for understanding proportions. When samples come in we would do a little bit on fit and I’d have a proportion in my head that works for the brand. I tend to measure the proportions by the pitch lines.

“The GAA pitch is an exercise in design. The groundskeeper is a designer. The same things are at play in tailoring.”

Galvin’s nine-year partnership with Dunnes is going strong and his admiration for the company is obvious. He classes them as an Irish “cultural institution”, alongside the likes of the GAA and RTÉ. Plus, they took a punt on him, and he knows it. 

“We started from scratch. I proposed this Irish men’s brand that I felt could offer something more meaningful in terms of storytelling and design. I was very fortunate that Dunnes understood that proposition and were willing to get behind it all those years ago.

“I think the brand has a good position in the market now and I think it’s understood that it’s a storytelling brand and there’s a good bit of meaning and intention behind it.”

Did he foresee it lasting this long?

“We didn’t know, really, like,” he admits. “Dunnes were taking a chance and I was just following intuition. I was following a vision for sure. But I felt because of the basis of it, because of the fact that I had studied the high street market and I knew what was missing, that it would have a good chance.

“The physical high street retailers like Topman, River Island, and H&M were foreign and they weren’t speaking our language, I felt. They weren’t speaking to the Irish guy. I felt [the clothes] could be more meaningful and educational and design-led. And they could tell stories.

“I just came with that approach and I felt that it would last in the market. But without Dunnes’ support it would have been almost impossible.

“I’ve a lot of respect for the team in here and for Dunnes as a business. I mean, obviously they gave me this opportunity which I appreciate, but I have also learned a lot from the people in here.

“I see first-hand the level of work and the ability to just pivot and understand the market and adapt to circumstances. It’s just a huge business.”

His collections for Dunnes are often inspired by individuals and last year he released Threads, an engaging book that brings to light these remarkable characters and their stories. Among the subjects are Harry Boland, Jack Butler Yeats and Samuel Beckett.

“It was a very Irish thing once upon a time to be well-presented and well-dressed. It was just about re-establishing those facts. I took a publishing approach and a writer’s approach to the collections. I saw each collection as a chapter. I figured at the end I would have a book. And that was the book.

“Really, it’s all writing to me (his fashion work). It was all in my head anyway. I knew each season was a chapter. They were already written to an extent. I got a lot of it done over lockdown in the car, actually. I did 40 or 50 thousand words in the car. That was quite quick. But then the last part was difficult because we had a new baby and that just took headspace and time and all that.

“I got some good reviews. I probably don’t do enough in that regard to be honest with you, in terms of the marketing and promotion of the thing. It performed pretty well.”

In the book Galvin speaks about the terminology that is used in fashion circles and how it can exclude your average man from rural Ireland. As he forged his way in the industry, he was adamant that a new way of talking about clothes was needed.

Paul Galvin at Dunnes Stores Head Office in Dublin. Photo: Adam Moynihan.

“I’d always be conscious of the dressing room, the building site, the team bus, the farm, the truck. I understand the language they speak and then I studied the language of fashion and, sure, it was clear that there was a disconnect. Those guys don’t speak that language. They don’t understand it.

“So I just used language and storytelling to bridge the gap. I have a whole vocabulary around the brand. Words and phrases that I use and words and phrases that I don’t use in any kinds of communications.”

Having said that, he has noticed a shift in attitudes over the past ten years or so when it comes to the way that young men are approaching style.

“I’ve experienced it through emails, DMs, even on the street, young fellas stopping me [to talk about clothes]. You notice it visibly on the streets. You see the trainers guys are wearing and the general style of young fellas.

“That says that they are leaning into it more. They’re not as afraid of it as they were ten years ago. There has definitely been a movement in that regard. It’s just generational, you know?”

THE TEAMWEAR MARKET

Galvin’s days are varied as he balances his Dunnes work with managing his own company, Keohane Athletic Club. Keohane has produced several striking concept jerseys, a number of which are GAA-themed.

For instance, the ‘TRANSATLANTIC’ shirt features a print of the St Louis, a ship that carried GAA teams and Irish emigrants from Cobh to New York in the 1920s and 1930s.

The company is also making strides in the teamwear market, supplying gear to around 30 clubs including collaborations with Austin Stacks and St Brendan’s Board here in Kerry.

“On the Keohane side I’m dealing with clubs and designers and factories directly. Here [in Dunnes] I’m dealing with the team that deals with that stuff. I think it’s important to have that mix. Keohane gives me more exposure to the real difficult part of the business, which Dunnes have been doing for me for years.

“I see Keohane as more of a design agency for sporting organisations, really. It’s big on meaning and storytelling and club history. We want clubs who want to do it this way. It’s tough to do it the way I do it, but it hasn’t been too challenging to find those clubs.”

The Keohane stuff has been well-received but his most high-profile work in this arena to date came via a collaboration with a different brand. In 2017, Kerry GAA brought him in to design their new O’Neills playing kits.

The classy eighties-inspired home shirt and the daring gold and black away became firm favourites with Kerry supporters, so much so that subsequent kit launches have often been greeted with cries of “bring back Galvin”.

He brushes that part off when I mention it but it’s obvious that his work on the project is still a real source of pride.

“I loved working on it, sure. It was a real privilege to work on it for the fact that it was the Kerry jersey, number one, and that I played [for Kerry]. And secondly for the fact that I’m in that business. It was a great opportunity for me and it was great to work alongside O’Neills as well.

“You talk about cultural institutions, they’re another one. You have to respect how long they’re in the business. They’re in it a long time and they have a lot of knowledge.

“I’d love to be doing more of the Kerry jerseys to be honest with you. But that was one opportunity and another opportunity didn’t present itself. So, unfortunately, I don’t have any more input on the jerseys.

“And given I’m in the industry then, obviously I’m looking at the new jerseys coming out. I think I tweeted about the last one and said I didn’t love it. I probably shouldn’t have said that either, but anyway… I suppose part of it is the fact that I’d like to be working on it because I do think that there’s fierce power in a jersey and you’ve got to do your best to harness that and give the team the most powerful garment that you can.”

The Kerry home jersey that Paul Galvin designed for O’Neills. Photo: Ray McManus/Sportsfile.

FOOTBALL TALK

I could talk to Paul about jerseys all day but I have a train to catch and we haven’t even broached the subject of football. (As it turned out, I missed the train.)

The 43-year-old’s last direct involvement with the game itself was a short spell as coach with Kildare in 2022. Prior to that he managed Wexford, but that stint was also brief. He stepped down in 2020 after less than year at the helm, citing personal and work reasons. With that in mind, I was curious to know if he’s interested in coaching again. His response is firm.

“Definitely. I love doing it and I definitely intend to get back into it. Last year I worked with Kildare behind the scenes on basically their build-up play, which is a big area of the game that I think is kind of unattended. They have a lot of talent there.

“But it was just… It was my mom. My mom got sick in the middle of it and I was pulled away from it. And then she passed the day of the Mayo-Kildare game in the championship. So I just wanted to give time to family after that, d’you know what I mean?

“But yeah, I have a programme that I implement so that’s what I did last year with them. The management understood it. The players understood it. I’ll get back to it soon enough, I’m sure.”

Just coaching, or would a manager’s role be tempting?

“I don’t know. It could be either. It depends on the opportunity. I’m always thankful for opportunities in life. It’s one of the things that I’ve been very blessed with. Working with Dunnes is an example. Working on the Kerry jersey is another example. I’m always, on a daily basis, very aware of the luck that comes with opportunity. When someone picks up the phone and asks you to do X, Y or Z – that’s a privilege.

“In terms of football, we (Paul and his wife, Louise) are back here based in Dublin and we have been since our second girl was born (Elin, a younger sister for Esmé). That has made things a little more difficult for me. I don’t know. It depends on what opportunities present themselves. That will dictate what I do.”

I put it to Paul that between the 2020 and 2021 seasons he was rumoured to have been approached by then Kerry manager Peter Keane about coming on board in some capacity. Kerry were coming off the back of a rough defeat to Cork in the Munster semi-final and Keane was looking for a new face. It was widely reported that Galvin was in line for a coaching position.

While he refused to be drawn on Keane and Kerry specifically, he says he did get calls from some counties and clubs at the time.

“But I was just out of Wexford,” he reflects. “Things were fragmented with Covid and all that. I didn’t feel the timing was great. It was a pity. It was a pity because it was an opportunity to be involved at a high level. Of course that’s where you want to be: at the highest level possible.”

Another factor was that several enquiries – if acted upon – would have placed him in direct competition with Kerry when it came to competing for All-Irelands, which he didn’t want.

I ask if Kerry would appeal more than any other team – before quickly realising that it’s a stupid question and self-correcting. He answers it anyway, in fairness to him.

“Of course, like. You could say that applies to nearly everybody. But I don’t ever get involved in speculation or making statements. Again, it’s a privilege. I think if you’re lucky it might come around and if not… I don’t like to bang any drums about it or make any big statements about it.”

As a player, Galvin was handed his first championship start versus Clare in 2004 by the current Kerry manager, Jack O’Connor. I had heard that the two are still friendly. As he begins to speak about their relationship, he takes a deep breath, as though he’s about to delve into something important.

“God… For me the relationship is just one of respect. I would have full respect for him and a lot of warmth towards him, because Jack is really like a father figure to me in terms of football. He’s one of three men really – my father, Eamonn Fitzmaurice Senior and Jack – who were the big influences on me in my formative years.

“Jack got a hold of me in my late teens/early twenties. Just a huge point of my life. So formatively, in sporting terms, I see Jack as a father figure for sure.

“And then, sure, it becomes a personal development type of thing. He was a huge part of my development as a footballer. He was a huge part of my development as a person. I have a lot of warmth for him. Huge respect for him.

“I think Jack saw me in a county schools final when I was playing for Causeway against what was then Cahersiveen Post-Primary. He was managing them and I got around five points from play from midfield. I was maybe 16 or 17 and I think I was in his head six or seven years later when he got the Kerry job. I was 23 then. So he had me earmarked.”

“He strikes me as a man who knows what he wants,” I offer.

“Exactly. He knows what he wants and he knew from me it was A, B, C. Do A, B and C and we’ll go from there. That was a gift for a player like me because I needed the direction and I needed the coaching.

“Even now, a lot of how I think about football is informed by some of the stuff that I learned from Jack back then.”

With that level of respect and admiration for the man in his heart and mind, Galvin naturally says he was “delighted” that O’Connor was able to steer Kerry to a long-awaited All-Ireland in 2022, in what was his first year back in charge of the team since 2012. But he stops short of calling it the Dromid bainisteoir’s greatest achievement.

“I won’t say it was his best ever year because in 2004 he was exceptional. You’ll remember that the 2004 team won an All-Ireland without Séamus Moynihan and Darragh Ó Sé. And you think of where they were in 2003 after Tyrone did what they did…

“If a fella was to say to you that in 12 months you’ll have the All-Ireland won but you’ll have no Darragh Ó Sé and you’ll have no Séamus Moynihan on the day. You’d be saying to yourself, you must have some exceptional manager or coach in mind if you think that’s going to happen. Right? And that’s what happened.

“So you’re dealing with someone really exceptional. Sure, I saw it first-hand. It was all very drilled and broken down. We were reprogrammed. We were given very specific direction.

“Having said that, I look back at Páidí Ó Sé’s teams and some of the football they played was amazing. A brilliant watch. Some of the football up to 2002… Even going back to the nineties. Jeez it was fantastic football to watch. But what makes you, breaks you in football. Whatever you lean into for a while you’ve got to be quick to get out of it early and push on to something new. That’s for sure. What makes you eventually breaks you.

“But Jack is very intuitive and he’s also optimistic. I always make the distinction between natural optimism and positivity. Optimism is far more powerful. Positivity is almost a commodity now. It can be pretended and it can be acted. Jack was always an optimistic person and optimism can lead you to great places.

“I do think part of that journey he’s on now is his innate intuition and personality.”

Galvin in action for Kerry at Killarney’s Fitzgerald Stadium in 2012. Photo: Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile.

The Kingdom have endured a rocky start to the season and they find themselves needing points from at least one of their two remaining Division 1 games against Roscommon and Galway to avoid relegation.

Galvin believes that retaining their All-Ireland crown will prove “challenging” but he takes heart from the number of key players that are now returning from injury.

“I think it’s going to be a difficult year and the league has proven that. But it often goes that way when a year is so perfect, the following year can be the opposite. That’s not to say things will go haywire for Kerry this year but I think it’s going to be challenging. I think it’s going to be the most competitive championship we’ve seen in 10 or 15 years. The hungriest ones have the advantage in that regard.

“Kerry should have hunger but it’ll need to come together now over the next couple of weeks. I’m sure the championship has been the big focus.

“Injuries are obviously going to play a part and they seem to be patching up injuries to an extent. Jack will want competitive A v B games and you don’t get them if you have players carrying knocks and that kind of thing. It affects the competitiveness of your training. That’s where I think every All-Ireland is won.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Galvin has a lot of time for Paudie Clifford. The Fossa captain has been a revelation since being promoted to a starter’s role in 2021, emerging as an essential puller of strings in Kerry’s attack and earning two straight All-Stars in the process.

“I’ve been watching Paudie for a while and I must say there’s a lot to like about him as a player.”

When he mentions Paudie’s name, I automatically ask if there’s a touch of Paul Galvin about him. There is, in my opinion, and I think a lot of Kerry supporters would agree.

“I don’t know. I just like him. I think he’s himself. He’s got his own character. I like everything about him really.

“Obviously you’d be so proud looking at David as well. He’s just a great representation for the county.

“And I think Tony Brosnan has something that not many players have. It’s up to the likes of him this year. I think he will have to have a big year because I do think he’s got a rare talent. He’s got a great appreciation for what’s going on around him. Great ability to pass. He’s an unusual type of player.

“And then Jason Foley being from North Kerry. I like to see that. The North Kerry defenders are always valuable. North Kerry is an important breeding ground for Kerry.

“They’re a very likeable bunch in general so hopefully they’ll have more success.”

In terms of football, things have been relatively lean around North Kerry for a number of years but Galvin was happy to see his former district side, Feale Rangers, reach last year’s county semi-final. The lack of North Kerry footballers making the Kerry panel has been a concern for GAA figures in the area for some time so there is hope that Rangers’ run might signal some kind of a renaissance.

“We’re probably not producing enough players over the last while, but I think that starts with the individual clubs. My own club (Finuge) have a couple of very good young fellas coming through that will hopefully go the distance. Every club has that responsibility to produce the best possible player they can for the county.

“I think Kerry will always need a Finuge player. Clubs produce a certain type of player. There’s a club culture and there’s a county culture. Hopefully we have a couple more in the pipeline.”

He has been to a lot of club games in Dublin and in his wife’s native Mayo in recent years but, interestingly, he rarely goes to see Kerry in action, preferring instead to watch the matches on TV.

“I’d say I’ve been to the [Fitzgerald] Stadium once since I’ve retired. I haven’t been to a whole pile of Kerry games. I just feel like when you’re out of it you just stay out of it – unless you’re back in it.”

I wonder out loud if there’s an emotional reason for that. Maybe, after it being such a huge part of his life for so long, he felt a need to park it. To move on.

“Maybe it’s a rest from it,” he suggests. “For me, I definitely needed a rest from it. I needed to get out of Kerry and move into something new that would occupy my mind and interest me, something I could build and grow and improve at and try to become the best at. I definitely needed that change.

“But I keep a close eye from afar.”

With that I switch off the voice recorder. Another colleague joins us and we chat away for a while. London footwear designer Helen Kirkum is upcycling parts of old sneakers to make new ones. The phone is passed around so we can take a look. “Class,” Galvin says as he scrolls through the photos.

A minute ago we were talking about footballers from Finuge. But it’s all connected. It just comes down to drawing lines and finding parallels.

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