Introducing Dubs’ main rivals – Mayo
Newcomers have given Westerners an edge while Kerry need to beef up
KERRY CAN’T PIN THEIR HOPES ON DAVID MORAN
ONE of the first things Pat Flanagan told us when he entered our footballing lives was that it takes time for a sapling to grow into a trunk. We won the All-Ireland in 2004 in his first year in charge of S&C, but if you take a look at any picture of our legs that year and compare them in terms of definition when we beat Mayo two years later, you will see where he was coming from.
It is a bit like the before and after shots from those shopping channel adverts that promise to turn your beer keg belly into a six-pack by stretching a piece of coiled spring, except with Flanagan, there were no tricks – just hard work and time.
I suspect Kerry’s new S&C coach Jason McGahan has already had that conversation with the current team and the same rule applies.
I am not making excuses early for Kerry’s loss last Sunday, merely reminding my own county folk – normally so taken aback by any defeat suffered by the Kingdom – that a little perspective is needed.
One of the main reasons Kerry were beaten last Sunday was that they were physically bossed and bullied by a far stronger Mayo team.
They were, more importantly, beaten by a better team on the day.
There have been several better League finals down through the years, but fewer have been more instructive.
And from Mayo’s point of view, it could prove to be the most important League title ever won.
Following their round four implosion to Dublin, I commented that there was still a big kick in Mayo this year, so just in case you don’t give me a pat in the back, I’ll do so myself.
Watching them fight on the flat of their backs for every ball showed
that the team that pushed Dublin so hard from 2015-17 is still alive and breathing.
More than that, although the mileage has stacked up for their older players, the newer ones have provided the side with a power surge that, arguably, has put them in a better place now.
In the blink of an eye, they have gone from having a Championship team to having a Championship panel and the importance of that hardly needs to be underlined.
When you consider that Cillian O’Connor and Fionn McDonagh are both likely to come into the attack, Colm Boyle did not feature last weekend, the impressive Michael Plunkett was ruled out with injury and the possibility of Tom Parsons returning, they will only get stronger.
Above all, the introduction of Matthew Ruane has had a transformative impact in terms of the quality he brings and the manner in which he compliments Aidan O’Shea, while allowing Diarmuid O’Connor use the half-forward line as his base.
NOW that the club month is upon us, it is absolutely essential that the grassroots make the most of it.
The take-up, in terms of playing championship games, was less than impressive last year and if that is repeated this time, then the only conclusion is that it is serving no practical purpose.
For Mayo, this could be the most important League title ever won
All of that, and without going too deep into the psychology of this long-awaited success, will feed off winning a national title.
It was revealing that Diarmuid O’Connor made it very clear in his post-match interview that they saw this only a stepping stone rather than the end journey.
So where does that leave them? On the basis that they will only get stronger, they can claim the right to be Dublin’s number one challenger.
And Kerry? I would not be overly concerned on the basis that they are a work in progress.
Not only will it take time – as I pointed out at the start – to beef up, but they also need it to smarten up.
The usual areas of concern were exposed on Sunday, specifically defence and midfield.
I stand by my assertion that Kerry have improved defensively this season despite giving up three goals and at least as many other chances, but our defenders still need oldstyle schooling.
Jack Sherwood and Gavin Crowley were far too loose, but to be fair to the former he is more of an outfield ball player than an inside man marker.
Crowley bagged 1-1 but the space he gave O’Connor to allow him kick his two points was hard to explain and summed up the yawning difference between the teams,
Mayo were hard-nosed and purposeful, in Kerry’s faces all the time and this was exemplified by Lee Keegan’s shacking of Sean O’Shea.
In contrast, too many of the Kerry lads wanted to play ball, unaware at this level, against the best, that you have to fight for that right.
That’s not a condemnation, it is a just a rite of passage young footballers have to go through.
And having done that, it can be argued that Kerry are in a better place now than they were a week ago.
Of course, that is not to say their defensive issues are just going to be kissed better. They will still have to make some personnel changes with the most likely the return of Jason Foley to the full-back line.
But their defensive shortcomings, as I wrote here last week, can hardly be taken in isolation, with the main problem being a lack of experience.
And that goes beyond the full-back line.
Shane Ryan took heat for the concession of that crucial second Mayo goal but he was perfectly entitled to leave his line, but Sean O’Shea got his body position all wrong in marking O’Connor.
But that raises another question, why was Kerry’s top scorer the last line of defence?
The source of Kerry’s defence problems is rooted in midfield’s inability to compete.
That is an issue Kerry must get to grips with rather than pinning all their hopes on being bailed out by David Moran when he’s fit enough to return for the Championship.
They need to be more aggressive, but when they get overwhelmed – as has happened twice in Aidan O’Shea’s company inside a fortnight – they tend to back off, rather than get stuck in.
How Kerry change is a challenge, but perhaps the answer lies left field.
With a surplus of half-backs, there is a strong argument for trying Gavin White in the middle of the field when he returns for the Championship.
It’s a gamble, but if don’t have the courage to roll a dice, you will never learn.
Kerry are still in the business of being educated and Mayo are in the business of graduating.
Last Sunday’s schooling should come as an enormous help to both camps.