Seamus Moynihan's anti-podean adventures may have caught up on him.
Having played a crucial part in Ireland's win over the Australians in last month's International Rules series, the Kerry defender-cum-midfielder is struggling to overcome a hamstring injury that makes him doubtful for the Church and General National Football Division 1A encounter with Tyrone in Tralee tomorrow.
"He's extremely doubtful," conceded John O'Keefe, the physical trainer to the Kerry team. "It's an old hamstring injury which is coming back at him, probably because of overuse," he added. Moynihan has been playing "almost constant football," according to O'Keeffe, with his club Glenfesk, divisional side East Kerry and Kerry while also of course playing in the international code. A vacancy has been left at centrefield alongside Donal Daly in the hope that Moynihan will be able to fight off the hamstring strain.
The Kerry-Tyrone match is arguably the match-of-the-day in the National League tomorrow, with, as O'Keeffe pointed out, "two teams coming off big wins." It wasn't so much the size of the margins in Kerry's win over league champions Cork and Tyrone's victory against Dublin in the opening series of matches as the manner in which the two sides performed that makes tomorrow's showdown an intriguing prospect with the winners set to assume pole position in the quest for knockout places.
Meanwhile, former Kerry footballer Jack O'Shea and Cork's current hurling manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy were yesterday inducted into the GAA Writers' Hall of Fame.
Although he failed to break into the so-called "Team of the Millennium" earlier this year, O'Shea got some measure of recompense when honoured by the Gaelic Games writers at an awards ceremony in Dublin yesterday. The legendary footballer played centrefield for the Kerry team of the 1970s and 1980s, won All-Ireland medals in seven of their eight championship successes (1978-'81 and '84-'86) and won six All-Star awards.
He was also named Texaco Footballer of the Year on an unprecedented four occasions (1980, '81, '84 and '85) as well as captaining Ireland in the first two International Rules series, including the successful tests in Australia in 1986.
Barry-Murphy was one of the best dual players in the history of the GAA, winning All-Ireland medals in both codes. His football success came in 1973 but it was as a hurler that he left most impression: Barry Murphy won five All-Ireland hurling medals (1976, '77, '78, '84 and '86) and also won five All-Stars before turning his hand to management.
He led Cork to the minor All-Ireland title in 1995 and this year led his county to their first senior title in nine years.
Catherina McKiernan will unveil a plaque next weekend to honour former Cavan captain John Joe O'Reilly's selection on the "Football Team of the Millennium." O'Reilly captained Cavan to All-Ireland successes in 1947 and '48 and the unveiling is part of a weekend of celebration organised by Cornafean GFC.
