KIERAN DONAGHY exudes eloquence and charm as he marshals his thoughts into fully developed answers. He doesn’t disclose the inner workings of Kerry football but he is mature enough to be able to discuss several vexed issues ahead of the Kingdom’s All-Ireland football quarter-final against Dublin at Croke Park on Monday.

A primary example is when his opinion is solicited on how Tomás Ó Sé and Colm Cooper reacted to being dropped for disciplinary reasons ahead of Kerry’s recent victory over Antrim. Donaghy first confirmed there had been no rancour. “That is the way they had to take it. They both knew they made a mistake. We all make mistakes. We are all human, only amateurs at the end of the day. They took it well.

“It is not easy to take because those fellas have never been dropped. They have All Stars falling off the mantelpiece at home. They were disappointed but took it on the chin. The Gooch (Cooper) and Tomás don’t want to be sitting down watching a game.

“It might have been good for their own perspective, see what that side of it is like because they have never experienced it. I was a sub for a year and a half and never want to go back to that. It’s very hard to sit there whether you think you are good enough or are good enough; you always say that you think you can do better, want to do better, want to get out there.

“When you finally get your chance you want to take it. For these fellas they came on the scene and have been on it ever since. It might have been good for them to see the other side, to appreciate how hard it is for a sub at intercounty level when you have 30 on a panel: only 15 get to play and five come on so you’ll have 10 unhappy fellas, win or lose, who want to play.

“We’re not training 11 months of the year to sit down.”

Donaghy also stressed there were no negative vibes afterwards. “We got it sorted that Tuesday. We were told what was going to happen and everyone accepted it. It took about five or six minutes of that meeting and it was put to bed.”

The Kerry star confirmed the players had taken upon themselves to demand more of each other in training and to concentrate on improving the collective. The final throes of the victory over Antrim suggested the message had been embraced. From a point of being level they finished five clear.

Rumours during the week suggested Donaghy could make a Lazarus-like recovery from the injury to the little toe on his left foot, damaged for a second time this season in the game against Longford. “It was more hopeful than anything. The bone has actually settled quite well and Johnny McKenna is actually happy with the operation. There is a small bit of fluid down on my toe. It’s when I am putting pressure on it that it is giving me a bit of bother.

“I am the eternal optimist so I’ll always have a bit of hope. I’m out of it as it stands now. He’s actually happy with the operation and the new, bigger screw that he put into it. It’s just the pain below that’s bothering me and ruling me out. It’s not (the same injury); it’s down further.

“I was 110 per cent, playing full football two weeks before the Longford game. The landing was fine. Barry Gilleran – in fairness to him he sent me an old letter afterwards – hit my leg and rolled my foot. The screw tilted, bent inside in the bone.

“If I didn’t have that screw I would have broken three or four of the bones. It would have ruled me out for the rest of the year completely.

“That’s the problem I am facing. They haven’t done the operation too often, taking out a screw and putting in a new bigger one. That’s why I don’t know where I stand.

“Now it is a case of we don’t know; it’s when the pain goes away you can go back and test it.”

So would he play on Monday? “If I was asked with five minutes to go I couldn’t do much harm. Hopefully they won’t need me. I’m gone. It’s only my own hope of being a part of it. The boys are well prepared and hoping that we click.

“Ye all know we haven’t clicked as a unit this year: in patches of 10 or 12 minutes, that won’t do the next day. We know it. We’d go 20 minutes without scoring and those kind of things and you won’t beat Dublin in Croke Park doing that.”

* Kieran Donaghy yesterday launched Ulster Bank GAA TV at the bank’s George’s Quay headquarters in Dublin. Behind-the-scenes footage is now available on the bank’s dedicated GAA website (www.ulsterbank.com/gaa).