‘We’re capable

Jason O’Connor spoke with Kerry Under 20 boss Jack O’Connor about the challenges this new championship has presented

ALONG wait to get going is about to end! However, maybe it’s the discussion about who can’t be involved with the Kerry Under 20s in the revamped competition that has dominated the build-up with 2016 and 2017 All-Ireland Minor winning captains David Clifford and Seán O’Shea securing senior panel berths meaning they can’t be involved in this Under 20 campaign at any stage.

Under 20 manager Jack O’Connor had accepted they were unlikely to be involved with them well in advance, but feels the changes to the old Under 21 set-up this year highlights how changes are not fully thought through in advance sometimes.

“We would love to have both David and Seán with us, but you have to accept that the senior set-up always gets priority in Kerry and the two lads have proven they are well capable of playing at senior level.

“The decision on it was one that was made by the two management teams, myself and Eamonn Whelan sat down with Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Tim Murphy to discuss it, the players were left out of it as it was felt it would be unfair to ask them to choose between one or the other,” O’Connor said.

In general O’Connor talks of the competition being a bit ‘skewed’ and in need of ‘tweaks’ down the line.

“I find it strange that an Under 20 can move up to a senior panel at any time, but an Under 20 in a senior panel can’t come down the other way. It’s a bit ironic as well that in bringing minor down to Under 17 to avoid the Leaving Cert it is actually now starting to affect the Under 20s with the timing.

“We have eight players doing the Leaving Cert and some are in exams until 5pm on Friday two and-a-half hours before throw-in in Limerick. This rule on only being allowed to play challenge matches at the start of the week is crazy as well and it suits urban counties who can bring players together more quickly than we could from five different parts of the country potentially.

“Hopefully they will have a look at that going down the road,” the Kerry Under 20 boss said about some complicated constraints placed on the set-up.

The positives though are the potential for a quick succession of games for players with possi-