Two-time Kerry All-Ireland winner William Kirby turns 40 next February and he's eager to add a county SFC medal to his collection before hanging up the boots.

The veteran midfielder has a key role to play in Austin Stacks' pursuit of Kerry SFC honours and the Tralee outfit are putting the final touches to their preparations ahead of tommorow's decider against Mid Kerry.

"It's great! To be in a county final is just something I didn't think would still be on the radar at this stage in my career," Kirby said to The Irish Times.

"The 40th isn't for a good few months yet anyway so I probably have another few years left in me unless they kick me out."

He added: "I've five kids at home and it can be hectic in the evening when I'm heading out to training. My wife mightn't like to see me going out the door but once I get to training I really love it.

"Your career is short enough and I'm finding it hard to walk away."

Dr Crokes have proven to be the rock on which Austin Stacks' championship aspirations have perished in recent years: "Around 2009 and 2010 we were really knocking on the door. We were training really hard, we had a nice young team, we were making the semi-final and final.

"But we kept running into the Crokes and we just couldn't get over them. We met them in a couple of finals and in semi-finals.

"They were at their peak and they'd come through a few years of bad losses themselves. They'd fallen to South Kerry a few times but they had got over it and now they were totally dominant in Kerry ... "

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