Kerry’s drive-for-five sees them face their toughest test to date
IN the Kingdom this week, all the talk has been of the ‘drive for five.’ Not even the drop of agegrade has put a dent in the county’s remarkable consistency at minor level. They are unbeaten in 29 Championship games at this level. An extraordinary record that stretches back to 2014.
But Galway may pose their toughest test yet. Their secondhalf performance against Meath in the semi-final suggest that this group of talented footballers from the west have a big future in front of them.
From midfielder Paul Kelly, who is also an Under-18 basketball international, to Eoghan Tinney and Matthew Cooley, they have potential match-winners all over the field. Their full-forward line have scored a collective tally of 9-32 on their journey to this final.
And there’s plenty of big-game experience on the Galway sideline. Their manager Donal Ó Fátharta has previously served as a selector in All-Ireland minor and U21 winning campaigns under Alan Mulholland and also had time as a selector in a senior backroom team.
The Connacht council’s decision to run their minor Championship on a round-robin basis has clearly benefited this exciting Galway side. They have grown and developed throughout the summer, culminating in their impressive team performance against a highly-rated Meath side, hitting 3-7 in a wonderful second-half performance.
However, the sense that they are on the verge of doing something special seems to be inspiring this Kerry team.
They have found themselves on the rack more than once in this year’s Championship, especially in the semi-final when Monaghan staged a stirring comeback and have come up with the answers every time.
‘They were questions asked against Monaghan and you don’t ever know the answer to that question until you get over a final and how it goes for you,’ says Kerry manager Peter Keane. ‘We were tested, we were put to the pin of the collar. Monaghan had a very good team. They were very well-drilled and very well-organised. They had a lot of physicality. If you had given me a one or two-point win beforehand, I would have grabbed it with both hands.’
Kerry are captained by Kilcummin’s Paul O’Shea, who happens to be first cousin of David Clifford, the superstar of their previous two minor successes. O’Shea followed in the family tradition by driving the team home against Monaghan.
And while Kerry are on the verge of claiming a fifth AllIreland title at this grade, Keane insists that it is not something that is discussed by the group. As he points out, most of this current team were only 12 when Jack O’Connor led the first minor side to an All-Ireland title back in 2014.
‘With regard to Dublin and their senior run, it is the same team. This is a different team each year so you can’t even look at that. These fellas had never played in Croke Park before the Monaghan game. All they want is to get a medal. That is all they want to do. Whatever some other fella has or did in the past, that is purely irrelevant. They know nothing about it,’ Keane said.
Still, if they do claim a fifth AllIreland title in a row, it will be a feat that may never be repeated and prove that the Kingdom aren’t going to go away for very long.