Eamonn Fitzmaurice has paid tribute to Colm Cooper after the Kerry legend announced his intercounty retirement this morning.

While he would undoubtedly have liked to have had Cooper available to him for one more summer, the Kingdom manager had nothing but kind words for his former team-mate and charge, who will be remembered as one of the GAA's greatest-ever players:

"On behalf of the players and management I would like to congratulate Colm Cooper on his retirement from inter county football. He has been an incredible servant to the green and gold since his debut 15 years ago in a division 2 League final in 2002 where he scored a goal with his first touch of the ball which set the tone for what was to follow. His list of honours outlines what an illustrious career he has had," Fitzmaurice says in a statement on the Kerry GAA website.

"I was lucky enough to have both played with and managed him. As a player when on the ball in matches I looked for him and in training I tended to steer clear of him. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him as manager. When I first took over Kerry one of the main things I wanted to do for the 2013 season was to release Colm from the confines of the inside line and allow him to express himself from centre forward. It was a fresh challenge for him and he set about learning the intricacies of his new position with gusto.

"On a training camp to Portugal one evening in April that year we played flat out football. I can still vividly recall his performance on that beautiful sunny evening as he put on a clinic of how a playmaker should run the game from 11. The excitement that generated in the group was incredible. Unfortunately we did come up short in 2013 but he had an excellent summer culminating in his signature performance in the All Ireland semi final. There was one moment prior to James O Donoghue's goal when he had to take a step back to buy himself the half yard and half second necessary for the move to develop sufficiently before he threaded a delightful pass to Donnchadh Walsh who in turn set up James for the goal. It was Colm exemplified in one score. His awareness and decision making is on a different level. His ability to slow everything down for a second, his skills and of course that bit of magic he possesses with a feint or a dummy is what makes him so unique.

"His iron will to win and his leadership abilities shone through also. While recovering from a serious injury during the summer of 2014 he helped to drive the squad towards the All Ireland which depicted what a team player he was. He was one of the few players that managed to transcend county loyalties and was a player that people from all over the country loved to watch. He has given us all countless hours of enjoyment.

"I wish him all the best for the future on and off the field."

Eamonn Fitzmaurice

Tweet

Most Read Stories