Tipperary's Kevin Fahey football status is rising with each passing year

It’s hard to believe that when the National Football League kicks off for Tipperary on Saturday next, Kevin Fahey will be pulling on a Blue and Gold jersey for his 11th consecutive year while still only 25 years of age.
The Clonmel Commercials star has been on the go with the Premier footballers since first being called up to the minor panel in the All-Ireland winning year of 2011. He hasn’t looked back since.
If anything, Kevin’s ambition and appetite for the game is growing year on year. Last year he pocketed an elusive Munster senior medal in Tipp’s famous Munster final win over Cork. He also had his undoubted ability as a top class half-back recognised with a thoroughly deserved All-Star nomination following some stellar performances. He is now amongst a very select few of Tipperary men with minor, under 21 and senior provincial medals won on a football field.
This season will be his sixth at senior grade, having made his debut as a corner-back for Liam Kearns in a 2016 National League win over Offaly at Sean Treacy Park in Tipperary Town alongside football legends like Ciarán McDonald and Peter Acheson.
Kevin missed the championship that year in what was a little football controversy at the time.
“I wasn’t around for the championship. Jason Lonergan and I both went to America that year to work for the summer. Of course it was the year Tipperary went to the All-Ireland semi-final. We were humming and hawing about going. We had the J1s sorted and we left for Philadelphia right before the championship commenced. I had to ring Liam Kearns to tell him we were leaving. It didn’t go down too well. I had been playing well in the league and there was pressure on me to stay but I decided to go anyway. I was watching how the championship was developing then from ‘Philly’ and it was playing on my mind a lot,” said Kevin, quickly adding with a smile “we had to make amends with Liam Kearns for the following year.”
However, Kevin hasn’t missed a championship since and last year was a year that he will never forget.

Looking forward to Saturday's National Football League commencement against Limerick is Tipp half-back Kevin Fahey.

After a stop-start league campaign, Tipperary looked to be in relegation trouble when the first lockdown was called for but after football resumed in October they rebounded with wins over Offaly and Leitrim to retain their place in Division 3.
With momentum on their side now, Tipperary recorded Munster championship wins over Clare and Limerick, the latter somewhat fortuitously after extra-time, to earn another tilt at Cork in the provincial decider.
And undoubtedly that was the highlight of the year - and for 85 years - for Tipperary football, an incredible Munster final victory over Cork. It was a day for the history books, a never-to- be-forgotten occasion in which wing-back Kevin Fahey had one of the games of his life.
“You always want to play well in a final, especially when you win, you want to be able to say that I gave it my all. That was one of the days when I probably played my best football. The feeling of winning is amazing obviously but the feeling of knowing you put everything into it and you helped the team to win is a special feeling and it is one that I will always remember,” added Kevin.
Such was his single-mindedness on the day and his total commitment to the cause that he was lucky enough to see the game out having taken a yellow card early on.
At the second half water break, Kevin explained the tightrope he was walking to his manager, David Power. It demonstrated a very commendable and mature outlook from a total team player to deny himself for the benefit of all others.
“At the water break I said to David, you can make the call here but the referee is after telling me that one more bad tackle and I am gone, so I am leaving it up to you now. They made that call and Paudie Feehan came on for me then and did a great job,” added Kevin.
The All-Ireland semi-final against Mayo two weeks later was one that got away from Tipp too early and with it a curtain of fog came down on a year for football folklore.