trip to Limerick

back on the Kerry team was an 18-yearold from Mangerton View. He was on his way down to St Brendan’s College when a neighbour told him that he had been picked on the Kerry team for the following Sunday. He had never kicked a ball or trained with Kerry and here he was landed into an All-Ireland final against Dublin, his first ever game for the Kingdom.

Match reports showed that he had acquitted himself so well that his future looked bright. It was. By the age of 26 he had won six All-Irelands with Kerry at right half back. No other Killarney man achieved such success. The great Paul Russell.

David Saunders Rip

We are all struggling in the mud and only a few can see the stars. How he did he do it, at 12 years of age, standing on one leg when he had been diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo a leg amputation?

David Saunders eventually succumbed to his third bout of cancer and died last week at the age of 40. A packed congregation in Rathmore heard of his unbelievable courage and positivity.

Keith, David’s great friend from their undergraduate days at Mary I, delivered the eulogy. He referred to David’s cancer but insisted that it “did not define him”. It didn't cripple his hope. It didn’t quench his spirit.

"He was a rogue, the funniest person I knew. He had different accents for everyone, and his use of puns could hold the attention of a packed room,” Keith added.

But the most important thing in David's life was his wife, Castleisland native Anne Marie and their two precious children, Jack (4) and Aoibhín (2). Being a dad and a husband were his proudest achievements.

David was among the first players for Cork’s amputee soccer team and was capped 38 times for Ireland – a mark of his determination. A jersey representing his sporting career was among the symbols of his life brought to the altar at his funeral mass.

So, too, was an U10 medal representing his sporting prowess as a child, which continued even after losing his leg to cancer at such a tender age.

A schoolbook was brought to the altar by his sister Emer to represent his teaching career. He taught at Douglas/Rochestown Educate Together school. His former teammates, wearing their green Irish Amputees jerseys, provided a very symbolic and moving guard of honour as Fr Pat O’Donnell sent David on his final

Winning Start

Kerry LGFA continued their great form after winning the Division 1 league with a comfortable win in their first round championship match away to Waterford on Sunday last (2-8 to 0-8).

Once again it was the ageless veteran Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh who dominated this game, scoring 1-7.

Co-managers Declan Quill and Darragh

Long have been doing tremendous work with this team over the past three years and they are aiming to complete the league and championship double this season. That is a huge ask, especially with big challenges coming from Meath, Dublin and Cork, of course.

Kerry play Cork this Sunday at 2pm in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

U20 SEMI-FINAL

Kerry will play Sligo in the All-Ireland U20 semi-final in Galway tomorrow. They were porous in defence against Clare and wiped out at midfield; they were steeped in luck to snatch a draw they hardly deserved, before going on to win that semi-final after extra-time.

I‘m pretty sure manager Tomas Ó Sé was very direct with them after escaping and they turned it on in style in the Munster final against Cork, scoring two goals in the first five minutes. They won easily but will have to up their performance even more tomorrow when they face a very good Sligo team, backboned by the emergence of Summerhill College as a winning side.

Munster Final

At senior level, Kerry are hoping to retain their Munster title against Clare in Limerick on Sunday. That will be a stepping-stone in the defence of Sam Maguire who was welcomed with open arms this past 12 months, compensating for the times the title was lost by Kerry. Title number 39 beckons but in this new format and with so many extra games, supporters will wonder if this will suit Kerry.

I expect Clare to put it up to Kerry and they are well capable of springing a big surprise as they did in the past. But Kerry showed against Tipperary in the Fitzgerald Stadium that they are moving well. No goals but points galore against a very limited Tipperary side.

Jack O’Connor has most of his stars back from injuries, but they will have to prove themselves once more with fringe players performing well in the league. Of course, there is no David Moran who has dominated the exchanges so often at midfield. None of his successors have that same stamp of authority in those aerial challenges so, more often than not, Shane Ryan has to go with the short kickout. That can be playing with fire if the opposition close up on the Kerry defenders.

The Kerry team will be announced on this Friday evening, so one can only speculate on its composition. I think the same 15 which started against Tipperary will also start against Clare. There is good cover in the subs bench and that will be necessary in the long campaign after the Munster final.

Injuries are always a crucial variable, tough on the injured players but also on management, forced into plugging holes before the dam bursts. Everyone will be hoping that David Clifford in particular will stay injury free. You don’t want to face the big guns without Cúchulainn leading by example.