Marys kept focus on the funadmentals this year

AFTER managing Glenbeigh/ Glencar to a Mid Kerry title back in 2011, Kieran McCarthy has returned home with a South Kerry title win by his native St Marys his latest achievement as a manager. It’s a historic Jack Murphy as well with it being the fourth consecutive one and he took some advice from previous manager Maurice Fitzgerald in guiding the Cahersiveen outfit during the year.

“This was the third time a ‘four-in-a-row’ had been attempted and Maurice did say to me taking over that he felt that the players were getting a bit too giddy about the prospect and that we had to keep their feet firmly on the ground about things. We were big on punctuality with the players this year, 12.45pm was 12.45pm not 12.50pm and tried to keep the same standards that were there under Maurice,” McCarthy said.

When asked about Conor Quirke’s dismissal, McCarthy said it was a marginal call but said the players did well in not letting it affect them.

“I also say keep your six backs intact and things will take care of themselves further up the pitch but on first glance I thought it was more of an accidental collision. We did sweat a bit after but I thought it was well refereed in general and wasn’t one flashed with needless cards. We didn’t bark at each other at halftime like we did in the Semi-Final against Skellig Rangers, we stayed calm and planned out what we wanted to achieve in the second-half,” the St Marys boss said.

McCarthy always felt that it would be a one point game on either side and that the margins that decided it would be small but praised the effort Bryan Sheehan has had on the squad.

“When I was a player and Jack O’Shea entered the dressing room, everyone stood up and too notice, Maurice had the same affect in dressing rooms he was in and Bryan is doing it now for this group.

“They [the present panel] are natural winners with what they have won for both the club and South Kerry and when you get phone calls from Bryan every second day to make sure everything is being right you sense the interest he has,” he said about the St Marys talisman.

With Sheehan now back full-time with the club, McCarthy agrees the club can look forward to 2018 and acknowledges a few further options on the bench for the Cahersiveen side.

“It was a tough call to give Austin Constable the goalkeeper’s jersey at the expense of Mike Daly but I feel there is a panel developing for us at last with young fellas coming through, that’s why we gave Oisín Moran (a late replacement for Darren Casey) a start today with what he has put in during the year.”