JAMES O’DONOGHUE has played down any notion he could miss the start of Kerry’s All-Ireland title campaign after a calf injury sidelined him at weekend.
The 2014 Player of the Year, was meant to run out for Legion in their county championship opening round match against Mid Kerry, but was forced out because of a calf muscle injury.
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Not a bad full forward line. James O’Donoghue, launching AIB’s sponsorship of the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship, yesterday in Croke Park.
“My body feels really good. I think it (the calf injury) was always going to happen when you come back from six or seven months out,” O’Donoghue said.
“I was training really hard fitness-wise and running-wise and I just tweaked a calf. Small things like that are part of the rehab process because you are not going to come back completely smooth.
“I am not worried at all about my body, I feel I am probably in better shape than I was last year so I’m ready to rock.”
This time last year, the Legion man was hiding a shoulder issue, playing through the pain barrier during the campaign. Almost as soon as the championship finished, surgery was done on his shoulder, the recovery time would put him out of the entire league.
“The shoulder is excellent, I put serious graft into it,” O’Donoghue said.
“The frustration of missing the League and not playing any football, I could put all my focus on the shoulder, which it needed because it wasn’t in great nick. I put all my time and effort into that.
“I feel far stronger and much more solid, so I am looking forward to testing it out,” he said.
Kerry will open their Munster Championship against the winners of either Tipperary or Waterford on June 14. Tipperary v Waterford takes place this Sunday.
