Kerry’s Bryan Sheehan stresses benefits of playing on consistent basis

“I think it is madness, really,” says Bryan Sheehan, and although he’s not talking about Kerry’s midfield options come the football championship he might as well be.

The madness is the fact that after Sunday’s Allianz Football League final against Dublin, Kerry aren’t out again until June 12th, against either Limerick or Clare; assuming they win that, Kerry aren’t out again until the Munster final on July 3rd.

“I think I went 11 or 12 weeks in a row playing, after losing the All-Ireland final last September,” says Sheehan. “Okay that’s a bit extreme, but it’s the best way. We’d 11 weeks training before the championship last year, and it was numbing, you get sick of it.

“Hard training, hard running, and fellas picking up knocks. For the ratio of training to games, four or five months to play four or five games? We’d much rather be playing games, and I think the GAA has to do something to change that.”

Sunday’s showdown against Dublin, meanwhile, will likely see Sheehan regain his midfield berth (he didn’t start the semi-final against Roscommon because of a hand injury, but did come on): come championship, Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice will have a range of madly talented midfield options that include Sheehan, Kieran Donaghy, David Moran, Johnny Buckley, Tommy Walsh, plus the soon-to-be-fit-again Anthony Maher.

“Look, I suppose we’re lucky as a group to have that. As an individual it’s probably harder, because someone has to miss out. But Eamonn has said he’d be very comfortable with any of us five or six lads going in there, and doing a good job.

“So I think it drives fellas on. No fella can afford to take a back step or take his foot off the pedal because if you do then you’re going to be replaced and that’s the way to have it. We have that throughout the whole set up. It’s great for the team, it’s great for the morale. Even on our 26-man match panel there’s some big names missing out on making that squad as well so that’s good for us going forward.”

Sheehan has played in a few different positions in recent years, but has not doubt midfield is his best: now aged 30, and taking over the Kerry captaincy from Donaghy, he admits he too him a while to break into the role, who quite obvious reasons.

“Well, six years ago, I was only 24 years of age. I was probably still relatively young, going in there at that age and playing midfield. It’s a hard slog inside there, it’s a physical game. You had Darragh ó Sé and Séamus Scanlon, two big, physical players and at 24 years of age I probably didn’t have the physical strength, to get up and down the field all day and give and take the hits.

“The last couple of years I have matured and adapted to the game, when to push it and when not to push it. Since I got to the middle of the field I just feel like my game has progressed and I feel more comfortable. It’s definitely where I enjoy my football, with that bit more freedom.”

As well as enjoying his football, there is also the sense Sheehan is playing his best football. He contributes this partly to his extended winter run that saw him guide South Kerry to a senior county title, while also playing a key role in St Mary’s run to county, provincial and All-Ireland intermediate honours.

“A lot was made of that but it was great and enjoyable because you were winning. What made it more special was the fact that it was with the club and there was an All-Ireland series, the bulk of football was played up until Christmas. We finished our local championship on St Stephen’s day and I think we played two games then the intermediate semi-final in January and the final here in Croke Park on St Valentine’s weekend.”

Sheehan did enjoy an enforced break when injuring his finger in the fifth round game against Mayo, but that minor setback aside, suggests one of the main reasons he is playing such good football is because he’s stayed injury free, and got that long run of games.

“The number one thing for me is that I’m injury free. I have been unfortunate picking up injuries at the wrong time of the year just coming into the championship. In 2014 I played all the league, and I think the quarter-final here against Galway I had a slight problem with my hip flexor coming into the game and it just went and it turned out to be two or three weeks and I missed out on the All-Ireland semi-final and just got back for the final.

“For me I’m the kind of fella who needs to play football, and I played from last September to Christmas and luckily I didn’t get any injuries and continued on from there into the New Year. I didn’t go on a team holiday with Kerry, just staying home, playing football, and I think that is what is standing to me.

“But you need the balance of not picking up injuries and keeping fresh. Living back in Caherciveen as well, I’m just a stone’s throw from the sea, and getting in there definitely helps with the recovery and freshness. So I have been looking after myself that bit better.”