Kerry boss Keane:

NOT far off a year since he was talking in similar circumstances, Peter Keane is preparing the Kerry Minors for another ‘all or nothing’ Munster semi-final meeting with Cork. A lot would feel that the situation is unfair that the year will end next Tuesday night for one of the province’s two traditionally strong football counties when ‘backdoors’ are available both before and after. However Keane feels a debate about the format itself is pointless at this time.

“I think it’s a worthless exercise to think too much about last year’s win in similar circumstances (in Pairc Uí Rinn). Practically none of the players involved in that match are available again because of the change to U-17 and whether ourselves or Cork like it or not that we have to play each other at this point in time, the reality is one of us will be gone after next Tuesday night,” Keane said about facing Cork again at this stage.

It is true that there is no experience factor here as such. Kerry don’t have the experience of a David Clifford, a Diarmuid O’Connor, a Michael Potts or a Brian Friel to call on like last year’s team did from the 2016 success in calling upon to lead them in such a big encounter. That’s why the first outing from Thurles might be gone through in a lot more detail that other opening encounters in getting a sense of how Kerry are going to fair at this level this year.

“Really that night was about trying to find out what the lads are like. What are they like on a bus going up to a match like this, what are they like when they put on the Kerry jersey for the first time and how do they respond to certain situations during a game. We’re happy with some of the answers we got to those questions and while we could have won by a bigger score in Thurles I agree, the margin of victory doesn’t matter to me once you win,” he said.

On the same night Cork were