Kieran Donaghy, a career like no other - profiling Sky Sports' newest GAA pundit
Friday 26 April 2019 14:01, UK
Upon Kieran Donaghy's unveiling as a Sky Sports pundit, we look back at his memorable playing career.
A sweltering summer Sunday last July in Clones was to be the three-time All-Star's last decisive act in the famous green-and-gold jersey of Kerry.
With the Munster kingpins staring down the barrel of elimination from the Super 8s with one round left to play, Eamonn Fitzmaurice turned to Donaghy to reel in Monaghan's lead.
'The Star', the unlikely lad who proved so influential in four All-Ireland titles for the Kingdom, was sprung from the bench and swung the tie, like he had done so often throughout his career. A last minute, 'Hail Mary' ball was sent high into the sky before hurtling into the thronged Monaghan goalmouth, with Monaghan's three-point cushion looking increasingly insurmountable.
It was the Austin Stacks club man who rose the highest, tipping the ball down to David Clifford, and the young Fossa sensation did the rest.
Although they were ultimately eliminated after the next round of games, that goal will likely go down as a seminal moment in the history of Kerry football - the changing of the guard.
This summer, Donaghy will no longer be rubbing shoulders with Clifford, Sean O'Shea and the rest of this young Kerry team, but rather taking his place in the Sky Sports studio.
As Peter Keane's charges look to bring Dublin's 'drive for five' to a halt, 'The Star' will be running the rule over the protagonists in the race for the Sam Maguire, including his former team-mates.
A graduate of the TG4 series Underdogs profiling a group of club players with no inter-county experience, Donaghy certainly made an impression and was brought into the Kerry set-up in 2005. As he battled for a starting berth, he played the 2006 National League and Munster Championship at midfield alongside Darragh Ó Sé. However, it wasn't until the Kingdom were dumped out of the province that Jack O'Connor stumbled across the big man's true calling.
Thrown in at full-forward in a qualifier against Longford, Donaghy put in a performance that would change the course of his career, and indeed the course of gaelic football over the coming years.
Having a hand in four goals as they saw off the Leinster side, 'The Star' had found a home in the Kerry team. Scoring an iconic goal against Armagh in the subsequent All-Ireland quarter-final, he continued along that upward trajectory as Kerry secured the All-Ireland title in style with a 13-point hammering of Mayo in the final.
Given that Donaghy's switch to the edge of the square helped Kerry bounce back from a six-point Munster final defeat, it was little surprise that he was subsequently announced as Footballer of the Year.
As breakthrough campaigns go, 2006 wasn't the worst one for the Tralee native.
It proved to be no flash in the pan. Further glory followed in 2007 as he scored two goals in the All-Ireland final, helping the side become the first team to defend the All-Ireland title since 1990.
Injury struggles soon followed, but Donaghy's reputation as one of the most revered forwards in the game preceded him in the ensuing years.
A broken foot saw him miss out on the majority of the 2009 All-Ireland win. As his fitness struggles continued, a number of barren years came along.
However, he hit back with a bang in 2014. Saving Kerry in the All-Ireland drawn semi-final with Mayo, he ran amok when introduced in the replay at the Gaelic Grounds.
Despite being written off by many as a team in transition, Kerry secured an extraordinary All-Ireland triumph that year with Donaghy raising a green flag in the final. The experienced full-forward certainly let his feelings known in the aftermath of the decider, with his famous 'what do you think of that?' interview.
And so, following his inter-county retirement, the Tralee Warriors basketballer from the Kingdom turns his hand to punditry.
Following an iconic playing career, the eight-time Munster winner will bring personality along with expert analysis and insight to the table.
Whatever happens, the 2019 All-Ireland Football Championship will be historic. Stay tuned throughout the summer, as Kieran Donaghy lets us know what he thinks of that.
Sky Sports' live GAA coverage gets underway on Saturday, May 11 as Dublin face Kilkenny in the Leinster Hurling Championship opener. You can also stay up to date with all the action by following us @SkySportsGAA and get all the latest news, previews and interviews www.skysports.com/gaa
