Kingdom have Stacks of talent but Blues can lay down marker for season
ONLY one place to start and that’s a packed Austin Stack Park in Tralee tonight.
It will be a full-blooded, rip-roaring encounter with a big band of travelling Dubs creating a hostile but healthy atmosphere.
There will be lots of aggression, plenty of physicality but it might well be more defensive than some may like.
I’m still trying to find the answer to the question l posed two weeks ago: How good are Kerry?
Are they, and their new manager Peter Keane (inset), going to fall flat on their faces – or are they the real deal with a new thought process ready to elevate Kerry back to winning All-irelands again? l do hope it’s the latter. Keane is trying to embrace some great old Kerry traits, and part of that is making players and management more accessible to the media and supporters etc.
In general, there’s a much more relaxed approach to those outside the camp looking in. Back to Kerry basics seems to be the new management’s mantra and that’s good.
Of course, the most important question remains to be answered and that will only become clear on the field of play as the weeks go on.
Keane must pair a physical, tight defence with a creative, swashbuckling and dynamic forward unit. That’s the Kerry way, and trying to change the formula hasn’t worked in recent years.
What might surprise a few neutrals is that the defence to date that has comprised players like Peter Crowley, Jack Sherwood, Brian O’beaglaoich, Tadhg Morley, Paul Murphy and Mark Griffin have all been there before.
To be fair they have conceded no goals and only 0-20 points against
Tyrone and
Cavan but the jury is still out on a number of these players who have previously been deemed not up to it in certain quarters.
Also, it’s up front that Kerry have struggled a little more than the Division 1 table suggests. Yes, they’re missing the top-class David Clifford but it’s a concern that they have failed to register a goal.
And scoring a total of 13 and a half points per game – with a measly total of eight points from play from their entire forward line over the two games – now that is a worry.
To see young Sean O’shea single-handedly dragging Kerry back into games this early in the season and in his career asks more questions of the real strength and depth of the squad.
It must be said though, the 19-year-old is an outstanding talent who looks to have it all.
Tonight will tell us a lot about how Kerry will fare this year. The Dubs haven’t set the world alight as yet but one big difference to Kerry is that the Dublin forwards have scored 2-19 from play – a whopping 2-11 more than their Kerry counterparts. It’s a big gap in class.
The Dubs will be up for this. It’s a game that may well ignite their season. They absolutely love facing Kerry and relish the battle. l don’t see this changing tonight – or anytime soon.