Kerry's manager Paidi O Se is perplexed by the level of curiosity aroused by his team's training panel for the coming championship as the county prepares to defend its Munster and All-Ireland football titles. "What's the big interest in this," he said yesterday. "Last Saturday I turned up for training in Killarney and there was a photographer and reporter from a national paper waiting at 10 in the morning."

This week's publicity has centred on those players who were involved in last year's dual exploits in League and championship but are now deemed surplus to requirements. Principal amongst these was Brian Clarke who outshone both Maurice Fitzgerald and Dara O Cinneide in the full forward line during last May's NFL final.

Clarke's omission from the 22man panel attracted notice but O Se, although acknowledging that the player is not part of the current training sessions, denies that this rules the Dr Crokes man out for the summer. "No doors are being shut on him. I'm waiting before finalising the panel. The game (championship opener against Cork in the Munster semi-final on July 5th) isn't for nearly three months and this gives more time.

"It would be very easy to select an early panel and then half-way through the preparation, discover that some players aren't making progress while others outside the panel are flying. It leads to a lot of chopping and changing. I'll leave it for a few weeks and then there'll be the luxury of bringing in some of the under-21s when that competition is over. There's another series of county league games at the weekend and that will be another opportunity to check on form."

Prompting almost as much interest in the county are some of the names included in the current panel, primarily the Hassett brothers Mike and Liam who captained Kerry last year to the League and championship successes, respectively.

Mike was controversially denied an All-Ireland medal at the end of the season after injury had wrecked his championship but failed to prevent him carrying on the duties of captain throughout the campaign. As 21 players had taken part in the All-Ireland series, semi-final and final, and the Kerry county board has a policy of not striking any extra medals, Hassett lost out to the dismay of his family and club, Laune Rangers.

Neither he nor Liam, who captained the team in his brother's absence, have trained with the county since the beginning of the year and both missed virtually all of Kerry's disastrous NFL campaign which ended in regrading to Division Three.

According to O Se, there is no particular significance in this. "Liam and Mike have both been working in Dublin and there was no reason to bring them down for training at this stage." He added: "All this will be cleared up soon".

Mike Hassett's displeasure has led to rumours - baseless - that he is about to transfer to another county and - more grounded - that he will not rejoin the Kerry panel.

It is believed that a meeting between Mike Hassett, county chairman Sean Walsh and O Se will take place within the next two weeks.