Kerry do just enough to humble Royals

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 1 Mayo v Kerry Saturday, February 29 MacHale Park, Castlebar 7.15pm

THE guy is fast approaching folk hero status.

As we made our way across the pitch to the dressing rooms for the post match chat with the managers, his day’s work was not yet done. He and a handful of other subs (used and unused) had a few shuttle runs and exercises to carry out before they hit the showers.

Just before they could start, however, an enterprising young fan had made his way over to big man with the blonde hair, programme and pen in hand. He told him he’d happily oblige, he just needed a few minutes to get done what he needed to get done.

Polite, professional and increasingly prominent for this Kerry side, Tommy Walsh is a guy playing with a smile on his face at the moment. Indeed we all had smiles upon our face when Meath full-back Conor McGill somehow ended up on his shoulder and Walsh carried him for a good couple of yards right in front of the main stand – not a bother to the Strand Road man.

That one little incident gave the Kingdom the boost they needed, just when they needed it. Things weren’t going especially well for Kerry before Walsh came into the fray for David Shaw on forty nine minutes.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Walsh was critical – along with Dara Moynihan – in turning things around for the Kingdom in another one of their patchy performances in this year’s National Football League.

No doubt Walsh would prefer to be starting, no footballer likes the dreaded super-sub label, but it’s one that increasingly applies to Walsh. He’s the break glass in case of emergency option on the bench and not as a target man; his influence and nous are needed all over the field.

Walsh is a brilliant option for the Kerry manager to have amongst the replacements. Even so Peter Keane would probably have preferred it had his men been in a bit more of a comfortable position before calling the Kerins O’Rahillys man into the fray.

There have been spells in games where Kerry shrink into themselves a little bit and allow the opposition to dictate. It happened in Dublin. It happened at home against Galway and away to Tyrone and again last Sunday afternoon in Fitzgerald Stadium.

That has to be a little bit concerning and, look, we really wouldn’t put it any more strongly that than. It’s still February. Kerry’s game next weekend with Mayo next weekend will also played in February (just about). These are very early days whichever way you look at it.

Still we have to analyse what we see in front of us and there are aspects of Kerry’s play that need improving. Defensively there are issues. After coughing up a handful of goal chances in their last home game, Kerry did so again on the weekend – four this time around – but not all the blame for that can attach to the six starting defenders by the way.

Two of those opportunities came from Dónal Keogan striking from the half-back line. As a matter of fact some of Kerry’s top performers in Killarney on Sunday were defenders. The man of the match was Gavin White, who deserved the award as much for his tackling and tracking as his eye-catching runs forward.

Another issue for Kerry against the Royals – and one not unconnected to those defensive issues – was their struggles at kick-out time. Kerry managed to retain only a little over half of their own kick-outs (55%, eleven from twenty).

Again it’s important to point out that not all the blame for this is attributable to the change in keeper. Brian Kelly (who proved a very good shot-stopper again last weekend) was as little slow in getting his kick-outs away, but he didn’t always have great options (that said Shane Enright was making runs and trying to get into space for most of his kick-outs).

Liam Kearney has done well and deserves the game-time and he’ll improve, but both he and Jack Barry struggled to impose themselves on the game last weekend. Up against Aidan O’Shea and Jordan Flynn (who was sent off last weekend against Monaghan on a second yellow card) that’s not going to get any easier.

It doesn’t seem likely we’ll see Adrian Spillane back for this weekend – and his absence has been keenly felt – but might we see Diarmuid O’Connor get his first start of the campaign at centre-field alongside his Na Gaeil colleague?

Despite these concerns there are plenty of positives too, of course. Despite not even topping 40% of overall primary possession, the Kingdom still managed to create more chances than Meath last weekend (28 to 23) and typically converted a higher proportion of their chances (71% to Meath’s 65%) and that’s on a day when it could be argued that Kerry didn’t necessarily even hit the heights in the final third of the pitch.

That’s kind of the thing to remember here. The reason people are perhaps a little bit disappointed with last weekend is that they know just how good these guys are and how good they can be, but again it’s important to stress that it’s February. It’d probably be more of a concern that they were peaking too soon, if they were pulling up trees at this time of the year.

Nevertheless what we saw last weekend might not be enough to get over the line against Mayo. Sure, Mayo lost in a disappointing fashion in Clones on Sunday afternoon and, sure, their greater concern now is avoiding relegation rather than a push to retain their title, but they remain formidable.

James Horan’s men were well in the game against the Farney up until Flynn’s dismissal, which was followed almost immediately by a goal for Kieran Duffy. They also lost newcomer Pádraig O’Hora to a second yellow card, meaning they finished (like Kerry did as it happens) with thirteen men.

Castlebar is never an easy place to go and there are definite Kerry weaknesses that Mayo could and should seek to exploit. That coupled with Mayo’s greater necessity for the points might lead one to think the competitive balance might just tip Mayo’s way on this occasion. Against that Kerry have match-winners in their side, far more of them than Mayo do (especially now that Andy Moran has retired). Add to that the option of super-sub Walsh off the bench and Kerry ought to have just about enough.

Not that it would remotely surprise of if it went the other way on this occasion.

Verdict: Kerry