A need to address concession of chances
John O’Dowd Kerry conceded six goal-scoring opportunties against Galway on Saturday night in Stack Park
DESPITE the exultation that a dramatic, last-gasp one-point victory brings, a sizeable portion of the huge Kerry crowd among the 11,117 at Austin Stack Park on Saturday night would have left the ground seriously concerned by the state of the Kingdom defence.
And you can see why. Galway had six serious goal chances during the enthralling encounter, only converting two of them. Dublin also managed to cut through the Kerry rearguard the previous week, and top pundit Colm O’Rourke continues to be particularly scathing when it comes to Peter Keane’s side’s ability to mind the house at the back.
“This Kerry back line was not good enough last year and won’t be good enough this year either. Dublin sliced through them easily and could have had another couple of goals. This department needs close attention from a Kerry point of view as they may run up a big score but won’t keep it out at the other end,” wrote the RTÉ pundit in his Sunday Independent column last weekend.
O’Rourke continued that theme on Allianz League Sunday, discussing the victory over the Tribesmen, when he stressed ‘this game exposed how poor Kerry are in defence.’
Yet, is the criticism of the Kerry backs completely justified?
Of course, they probably lack an out-and-out stopper in the mould of a Liam O’Flaherty or an Aidan O’Mahony, they might not have as outstanding a man-marker as the likes of Marc Ó Sé or Tom O’Sullivan, while it’s also difficult, or next to impossible, to find all-round defenders of the calibre of a Seamus Moynihan, Tomas Ó Sé or Mike McCarthy. Not to mention those with the physical presence of an Eamon Breen.
On Saturday night, though, Galway’s creation of goal opportunities came in a variety of different ways.
(1) When Damien Comer fired narrowly over the bar in the fourth minute, Graham O’Sullivan failed to pick up the ball when it appeared to be his for the taking.
(2) In the 13th minute, the defence was carved open by Shane Walsh and Robert Finnerty before Michael Daly wastefully drove wide of the far post.
(3) Johnny Heaney’s goal
in the 18th minute came from a sparkling move involving Finian Ó Laoi, Cein D’Arcy and Éamonn Brannigan. But who was marking Heaney? There was no Kerry forward tracking him back or near the scene when he found the net.
(4) When Ó Laoi had his shot for goal superbly blocked by Shane Enright, who was behind Shane Ryan, in the 22nd minute, the Galway attack had been instigated by the marauding Gary O’Donnell from wing-back. He wasn’t followed by any Kerry player.
(5) Galway then went route one in the 35th minute when Comer took a mark above Enright from a high delivery and his scuffed shot was smothered by goalkeeper Ryan.
(6) It was the direct route for Shane Walsh’s goal in the 58th minute when his blistering pace was too much for Gavin Crowley and Jason Foley and he billowed the net despite Ryan’s best efforts at keeping it out.
Yes, the Kerry defence finds itself way too open, especially when being run at, and there is a problem dominating the aerial collisions in the inside line. That all needs fixing, or mending to some degree, with help from the forwards and midfield. But, in an overall context, the goal concession rate under this management is not too shabby.
In eight National League games in 2019, Kerry only conceded five goals. There were four clean sheets. In the championship, with the same amount of matches, seven goals were let in, with three clean sheets registered. That’s 14 goals conceded in 16 games, less than a goal a game. Even adding in the three goals scored by Rock (penalty), Heaney and Walsh in 2020 so far, that makes it 17 conceded in 18 games under Keane.
Maybe it’s high time we looked as well at the other end of the pitch, and recognise that Kerry are coming up short with the number of green flags they are actually racking up themselves. With class forwards of pure talent like Clifford, O’Donoghue, Geaney, O’Shea, O’Brien etc, this is something that should not be overlooked.
Last year, in the 16 games played, the Kingdom only scored 13 goals – a paltry five in eight in the League and eight in eight in the championship. This year, it’s two from two, making it 15 from 18 games. Less than a goal a game. With such a star-studded attack. That is not good enough.
On Saturday night, with all the talk of Galway’s missed chances, what about Kerry’s? While gilt-edged opportunities weren’t created in the first half, there were openings where the final ball let the team down (O’Donoghue’s pass towards Clifford in the 12th minute and the captain’s attempted pass to Burns six minutes later), plus Stephen O’Brien (top goalscorer in 2019 with four) may well have kept going and gone for the jugular instead of tapping over a point in the 33rd minute.
In the second half, however, there were three great goal chances squandered before Paul Geaney found the net in injury time. Micheál Burns was foiled by Galway goalkeeper Connor Gleeson from pointblank range in the 47th minute, Tommy Walsh had a shot blocked by defender Heaney ten minutes later, and O’Brien was robbed of the ball by Gleeson after Clifford put him clean through in the 59th minute.
While Kerry undoubtedly have to make strides forward in their overall defensive attitude and organisation, and ability to shut up shop at the back, there is also huge margin for improvement in a forward division that must become more clinical and ruthless.
Plenty of food for thought in early February. Just what Keane and his management would want at this early stage of the new season.