His league and championship career at senior level with the Kery county team spanned fourteen seasons from 1988 to 2001.

His father, Ned Fitzgerald, was an All-Ireland medal winner with Kerry in 1955 before later captaining the side in 1957.

Fitzgerald played competitive Gaelic football during his schooling at Cahersiveen CBS and won several county championship medals in various grades.

With divisional side South Kerry he won three successive county senior championship medals from 2004 to 2006.

Fitzgerald made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he was added to the Kerry minor team.

After being chosen on the Munster inter-provincial team for the first time in 1988, Fitzgerald was an automatic choice on the starting fifteen on a number of occasions.

Fitzgerald later studied at University College, Cork, however, he also became a key member of the UCC football team.

In 1988 he won a Sigerson Cup medal following an 0–8 to 0–5 defeat of University College, Galway in the inter-varsities series of games.

In 2004 South Kerry qualified for the final of the county football championship for the first time in twenty years.

Laune Rangers provided the opposition; however, the divisional side never looked troubled at any stage of the match.

At the full-time whistle victory went to South Kerry by 1–13 to 2–5 and Fitzgerald added a county winners' medal to his collection.

In a low-scoring contest South Kerry retained their title giving Fitzgerald a third consecutive county winners' medal.

Fitzgerald was involved in an accidental clash with his captain Paul O'Connor, and worried supporters saw him lay still for over eight minutes before being stretchered from the field.

All went to plan as Fitzgerald's side reached a fourth county championship final in succession.

In Fitzgerald's debut season Kerry reached the provincial decider and faced reigning Munster title-holders Cork.

Limerick broke the provincial duopoly and provided the opposition in the county's first Munster final since 1965.

This proved to be the highlight of the year as Kerry were defeated by eventual champions Down in the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final.

In 1996 Kerry regrouped under new manager Páidí Ó Sé and Fitzgerald lined out in his seventh provincial decider.

A 0–14 to 0–11 victory gave Fitzgerald his second Munster winners’ medal in the senior grade and kick-started the Kerry football revival.

The team reached the final of the National Football League that year with Cork providing the opposition in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

[9] His performances throughout the championship and in the so-called ‘Maurice Fitzgerald final’ earned him a third All Star award.

For the third year in succession ‘the Kingdom’ proved the provincial masters, and a 0–17 to 1–10 win gave Fitzgerald a fourth Munster title.

In a game to forget both sides missed easy chances and seemed apprehensive about taking a lead.

Galway worked the ball the length of the field to Declan Meehan who scored a goal to give the westerners a boost.

A disputed free with seventeen minutes left in the game gave Kerry a lead which they would not relinquish.

With Dublin manager Tommy Carr shouting in his ear and the deafening roar of the crowd, Fitzgerald, with his first touch of the ball — he had only been introduced a few minutes earlier —, kicked the ball with the outside of his boot on his bad side over the bar to level the match and force a replay.

Kerry won the replay at Semple Stadium giving Fitzgerald's side the right to advance to an All-Ireland semi-final showdown with Meath.

In one of the lowest points ever for Kerry football, ‘the Kingdom’ were demolished by ‘the Royals’ on a score line of 2–14 to 0–5.