‘This is way ahead of schedule’
GLENFLESK, it’s fair to say, have taken quite a few of us by surprise in this year’s intermediate championship.
It was no great shock that they topped their group – all those groups were pretty tight affairs – but it is true they weren’t our favourites to do so and it’s also true to say they’ve turned more than a few heads along the way.
Their complete destruction of Waterville in the second round of games was the shot heard around the county. This young team clearly meant business. The coming force had pretty much announced their arrival that evening in Barradubh.
“We’re coming nicely,” is manager Denis Reen’s assessment of the season to date.
“I think we’re only together fourteen weeks since we took the job in January and from day one they’ve been exceptional. This is way ahead of schedule of where we thought we’d be this year to be honest with you.
“We’re a young team and I just hope we turn up and give Kilcummin a big fright, but Kilcummin’s experience as a senior club, they’ve a lot of good players, a lot of pros on that team and experience will count for a lot the next day, but look we’ll be there and we’ll do the best we can possibly do.”
We can be pretty sure that Glenflesk’s aim is to do a hell of a lot more than to give Kilcummin a fright and there’s every chance they should be able to do so. A team capable of beating St Marys by six points in a county semi-final demands to be taken seriously.
“The most pleasing point about the last day was that St Marys came at us at full pelt and we were up three points at the time and they got a goal and a point straight away to go in front, but the way the boys responded was incredible from such a young team to show great heart and character is the best thing we saw the last day,” Reen says.
It’s possible that Glenflesk hold something of an advantage over Kilcummin in that they were able to fully concentrate on their final opponents, whereas the participants in Sunday’s game had other matters on their minds on Saturday evening.
“Before I say what I made of Sunday, I looked over my shoulder on Saturday night and Kilcummin and Templenoe were at the game, so I think it worked both ways! Everybody has been looking at each other,” Reen says.
“We’re playing Kilcummin and I think both teams know each other quite well. We played them in the league this year and we drew with them, but they were missing four starters that night, Kevin McCarthy wasn’t playing and three other players missing and we only held them to a draw so the next day surely Kilcummin will be favourites.
“I thought they were excellent [against Templenoe], they never dropped their heads. Templenoe came at them and I thought defensively they were superb, they never gave up a goal chance and Templenoe just missed on a few occasions, one or two bad wides, but Kilcummin got their chance with McCarthy and it was a brilliant goal and their team work and overall play was very, very good.
“When you think about it he was on Tadhg Morley there, another Kerry senior who’s doing very well and to score 1-2 all from play. That’s serious going, but you’ve got fourteen other players to get the ball up to him. Kilcummin are a very good team.
“You’ve Kieran Murphy midfield with Kevin Gorman, very experienced and you’ve Brendan Kealy who I think is still the best keeper in Kerry to be honest with you.”