Kenmare in a strong

ALL IRELAND CLUB IFC SEMI-FINAL

ONE thought dominates this potentially intriguing meeting of two of Ireland’s favourite tourist destinations on Sunday.

What will Lee Keegan’s role be for Westport on Sunday as they bid to not only derail Kenmare’s hopes of a third trip to Croke Park, but also gain a coveted Championship victory for a Mayo side over the Kingdom at some level.

Will he man-mark one of the Shamrocks’ potent full-forward line of Paul O’Connor, Stephen O’Brien and Sean O’Shea or will he try and influence the game further up the field like he has done in the inter-county colours in recent years?

Considering the memory of the Castleknock saga for Kenmare they are unlikely to be too caught up in the hype and expectation that hopefully will be generated by this game, but knowing that it was a side from Connacht in 2013 that derailed their All-Ireland Junior Club title hopes, Ballinasloe from Galway, they are unlikely to take the challenge lightly.

While Keegan might be the most well-known name for Westport, injuries to Lewis Cawley and David Ketterick appear to be a big setback for the Mayo side in advance as Kenmare head into Sunday’s match with their sails in full flight as Fethard, Kilfenora and Adare were seen off with relatively little difficulty.

Being two full months since their last competitive game might take a small bit of an edge out of Kenmare’s challenge but this is a unique opportunity for them to get another chance at making up for their 2013 loss in GAA HQ.

They will look to join Ardfert as the only Kerry club at the present time to have played in Croke Park three times (Dr Crokes get the opportunity to add their own names to that list when they face Corofin in two and a half weeks time) and you sense the more experienced players in their ranks will play a big part in trying to overcome the challenge of this young Westport side on Sunday.

Kenmare boss John O’Sullivan Morgan is under no illusions about the challenge facing the Shamrocks in Ennis on Sunday.

“When you get to this stage you have to expect tough challenges and the age profile of the Westport would be pretty similar to what we have. We took two