Is the Kerry team on a learning curve?

SIR, Just back from a great Listowel Races week. Regrettably, what was once one of the most entertaining nights of the year – the All-Ireland Wrenboys Competition – is now almost extinct. Only one band, Causeway, gave us a performance of the traditional wrenboy music/entertainment. Time was when half a dozen bands, maybe more, gave us a brilliant night, MCd by John B Keane or Michael Dowling, now sadly no longer with us.

Now, I thought my last letter (Kerry gallant losers, September 7) would stimulate some response concerning Kerry’s failure to match the Dubs since 2011, and the reasons thereof. Instead, we were treated to more flowery prose/poetry and nostalgic recollections from Jim O’Connell. Let’s face up to reality, and do some critical analysis of the team’s performance and shortcomings.

The great Brian Cody says he never looks back, and any player is only as good as his last game. He is regarded as quite ruthless when it comes to team selection and weeds out weak links following what he regards as substandard performance. Can the Kerry management meet this criteria? I suggest the lessons which should have been learned from our defeats in last year’s All-Ireland, and this year’s National League finals, were not adequately addressed in this year’s final.

Anyway, thank God for our wonderful minors, and goal of the season by David Clifford in the minor final. And what about our All-Ireland winning Junior team? The Irish Independent had this to say “they did it in style and they did it the Kerry way, with slick , flowing football encapsulating all the traditional skills of the game”. Sincerely, Michael Enright, Listowel and Dublin.

Thank God for our wonderful minors... seen here celebrating their victory on Sunday.