New Junior team might find Cork too hot in Munster Final

MUNSTER JUNIOR FOOTBALL C’SHIP FINAL

Kerry v Cork

Wednesday, June 27

Austin Stack Park, Tralee, 7.30pm DUE to only two counties entering the competition, the Munster Junior Football Final has come upon the horizon without any real expectation or fervour as Kerry and Cork do battle at this stage for the fifth consecutive year. Kerry have won the last three All-Irelands at Junior level and the last four Munster titles but with a lot of uncertainty hanging over the competition’s future it’s hard to know where things stand, especially when Kerry has publicly called for the introduction of an U-23 competition to replace this level as County Chairman Tim Murphy did back in February.

Kerry Junior boss Jimmy Keane himself believes that there is logic to an U-23 element being used beyond this year’s staging. “I think it would be a natural progression for an U-20 player that doesn’t make a Kerry senior panel to try and continue their development in an U-23 setting. The changes to the dates of the U-20 competition have had a big effect on our set-up from previous years because we can’t use players coming out of Minor in the way we have in recent years because the U-20 is running at the same time the Junior competition is on now,” Keane said of the general standing of the competition.

Preparation is still as difficult as ever for the Junior set-up otherwise with the Club Championship month in April meaning it was only the second week of May before any serious work could begin. Despite the fact there is only the guarantee of at least one game with the set-up Keane says that the response from the players has been good in terms of getting involved. “We find it very encouraging that they are willing to try out for a Kerry jersey with us especially with the difficulties that we have with preparation, difficulties that are no different to other years and the situation is the same for Cork (there being only one game) as it is for us,” the Kerry Junior boss said.

Last year’s decider in Pairc Uí Rinn was a humdinger with Kerry coming from nine points down at half-time to defeat the Rebels by 4-24 to 3-20 after extra-time. Kerry have not lost to Cork at this level since 2011 but Keane believes this will be the hardest challenge the Kingdom will face yet from the Rebels. “Even after all the joy at our comeback last night the reality starts to dawn for next year that you are going to be hard pressed to beat Cork again especially when you have to field a new team with the competition’s rules and they can keep that same side from last year if they want. We expect it to be tight all the way though, the 2016 match between the sides in Austin Stack Park was only decided by a point in our favour as well so it’s likely to be another close one,” the Brosna man said.

Keane hasn’t too many from the 2016 side in trying to guide Kerry towards another title, only Darragh O’Shea, Patrick Clifford and Niall O’Shea are involved from that success with Jason Foley and Adrian Spillane now in the senior panel. Kieran Murphy from Kilcummin is the only player involved from a previously senior club having not played County Championship last year with the East Kerry side although players such as Thomas Hickey, Dara Ó Sé and himself are recovering from injuries at present. While agreeing that home advantage is a benefit for the Juniors, Keane does worry about the crowd attendance with the side playing in between the Senior and possible U-20 Finals should Kerry win the Semi-Final of the latter with Waterford this Friday evening.

“We are sandwiched in a bit between the other Munster Finals in terms of the dates but hopefully there will be a good crowd out to support the lads. This will be a very tough ask for them with the restrictions placed upon the panel as defending All-Ireland Champions but hopefully they can overcome it like they have shown in recent years when faced with the same problem.”

Back-to-back not to mind treble successes are extremely rare at this level making Kerry’s success here all the more remarkable. No two counties have dominated this level more than Kerry and Cork over the past decade with only the years of 2010 (Sligo) and 2014 (Cavan) the only time either counties have not won the All-Ireland at Junior level since 2009.

There probably is a hard itch by Cork at this stage to get a win over Kerry at this level and with a strong sense that this might be the last hurrah for the competition in its present format it might add to the occasion. If Kerry can match Cork’s strong desire for a win then it has the ability to go all the way down to wire once more. However there is a feeling the overhaul in personnel is too much for Kerry to find another winning team from and it might just be where one of the county’s recent success stories comes to an end.