The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Minors hold off Rebel rising to retain Munster title
Jason O’Connor reflects on last Sunday’s Munster Minor Football final which saw the Kingdom claim a fourth crown in succession
AFTER going the first three years of the decade without a provincial Minor title, Kerry certainly have made it up for that particular discrepancy with a fourth consecutive title at this level.
This is the second time they have done it this Millennium having previously been done so from 2001 to 2004 inclusive. With all due respect to Waterford and Clare, there was always a sense that the Munster Final would be the first time that we would see any indication of what the 2016 class are like in the heat of battle. What we saw last Sunday was on the main encouraging with a few areas of improvement that any side which has aspirations for further success needs to have going forward.
The magnificent start that Kerry had in going 2-3 to 0-2 in front was never going to maintain itself, with Cork’s own pride as much as anything else ensuring a reprisal from the Rebels, and while Kerry did look suspect in defence when Cork settled they had enough mental toughness to pull through in the final quarter.
Taken with his performances for St Brendan’s College in their Hogan Cup success, David Clifford is proving to be quite a prospect, and the conviction with which he finished the Kingdom’s third goal indicates a player capable of performing on the big day.
Team captain Seán O’Shea had a great outing as well and it was interesting to note the post-match comments of Cork manager Brian Herlihy where he highlighted the presence of All-Ireland medal winners in the Kerry squad as a big factor in their success when it came down to the nitty-gritty.
Kerry did seem to adopt a safety first policy in packing their numbers in defence in the second half when Cork drew level on the scoreboard. Psychologically however, Clifford’s goal was a big boost in giving the team the confidence to express themselves again and erasing the disappointing nature of the concession of Cork’s third goal.
The Kerry half-back line of Michael Potts, Daniel O’Brien
and Micheál Foley appears to be hard working in its nature, O’Brien certainly wasn’t afraid to get in and try and win the dirty balls when required, while Foley got ambitious towards the end in looking for scores.
Mike Breen appears to be solid at midfield alongside Mark Ryan with another one of last year’s All-Ireland winners in Graham O’Sullivan probably the pick of the full-back line based on last Sunday’s evidence.
The sentimental element last Sunday was probably the return to competitive action of Beale’s Cormac Linnane, a full year after a cruciate injury that saw him miss out on the subsequent 2015 All-Ireland success but he didn’t look like he lost any of his sharpness in his role in giving David Clifford the quick one-two for the game’s defining score.
Dara Moynihan also continues to be a solid presence in the Kerry half-forward line as Peter Keane has now used 26 players in the three games thus far in the campaign.
With the onset of the County Minor Championship (getting underway tonight, Wednesday) it will be interesting to see if any other players make their way into the Kerry Minor management’s plans but the August Bank Holiday weekend will be the next port of call for the side.
An investigative trip for the management to Clones for the Ulster Final will have to be undertaken in the meantime to get the low-down on two counties with links to Kerry’s recent Minor revival.
Donegal were the side the Kingdom defeated in the 2014 All-Ireland Minor final while Derry were overcome in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final.
With a Midlands venue likely for Kerry’s All-Ireland quarter-final it will represent a different challenge to the Minors, but on the basis of last Sunday they certainly don’t seem to panic too much when the pressure comes on.
In summary, one could say that if Kerry continue going the way they are in the forward line and shore up a few things in defence then they should be able to progress on to Croke Park and an All-Ireland semi-final.
Kerry did seem to adopt a safety first policy in packing their numbers in defence in the second half