Kerry have a great chance of victory against Donegal

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION 1 Donegal v Kerry Sunday, February 5 O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny 2pm

THESE first round games have rarely been kind to Eamonn Fitzmaurice.

Indeed the entire month of February has more often than not constituted something of a sticky wicket for the Finuge man. This is the Kerry manager’s fifth National League campaign and in his four previous attempts Kerry have failed to win their opening fixture.

That’s a quite remarkable statistic, even if one must admit there have been extenuating circumstances more often than not. That said it can’t be something that sits easily with an All Ireland winning manager.

Compared to those previous campaigns, this Kerry squad does look to be in a much better position to start the season strongly. It’s easy to dismiss the McGrath Cup, but those games have provided Kerry with a solid foundation for these early league fixtures.

Those games have allowed the management team to experiment a little, blooding new players, yet still being able to form a competitive and recognisable starting fifteen. The mixture of youth and experience is hugely encouraging.

The young guns – Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan, Jack Barry, Jack Savage – haven’t been left to fend for themselves, they’ve all had somebody experienced alongside them to show them the way.

Jason Foley was named at full-back for the final against Limerick and there alongside him for company were Killian Young and Shane Enright, All Stars both. Jack Barry started at midfield and alongside him was another All Star winner, David Moran.

Our suspicion would be that Fitzmaurice will start with a similar team to the one he did in the McGrath Cup final, which is not to say he doesn’t have options. New captain Peter Crowley is sure to force his way into the starting fifteen. Paul Murphy, meanwhile, could move to the forwards.

Brian Ó Beaglaoich is another name the management team is sure to consider. Brian Kelly too, he and Brendan Kealy seem to be rotating the goalkeeper’s position. Barry O’Sullivan is also a contender to fill the second midfield berth alongside Moran in the continued absence of Anthony Maher and Bryan Sheehan.

There’s bound to be a couple of surprises in the team when it’s named later in the week and that’s exactly what Kerry supporters have been crying out for. Youth will be given its head, starting this weekend in Donegal.

Fitzmaurice doesn’t have the luxury of waiting until a slightly easier fixture to make that call. The Under 21 players will be available to him for just these opening two games everything going according to plan.

If these guys are going to make an impact come the summer months now is the time to find out if they can hack it. Neither Donegal nor Mayo a week later are what you’d consider a soft touch, which is just what Fitzmaurice would want for these players right about now.

If Jason Foley is going to feature for the championship he’s going to have to continue his fine form in the next two games. We think it unlikely he’s given the task of marking Michael Murphy at fullback (Mark Griffin seems a much better fit), but he could find himself marking Paddy McBrearty this weekend.

Donegal don’t look to be in nearly as strong a position as Kerry for this weekend’s game. They’ve lost a lot of experience and in Leo McLoone and Odhran MacNiallais players who would have been expected to back-bone them for some time to come.

Only a few of their Under 21 side, managed by Declan Bonner, which took part in the McKenna Cup are considered likely starters right now, some featured in a challenge game Donegal played with Mayo last weekend.

Notably midfielder Micheál Langan started that challenge match and he would seem to be in pole position to retain the number eight shirt for the visit of Kerry alongside Hugh McFadden.

The Donegal team from last weekend looks strong in places – the full-back line of Paddy McGrath, Neil McGee and Eoghan Bán Gallagher and the full-forward line of Jamie Brennan, Michael Murphy and Paddy McBrearty for example – but our sense would be they’re not quite as complete a side as Kerry, not yet.

What they have going in their favour is Kerry’s record in opening round games and Kerry’s record in Donegal. As ever the debate over where best to employ Michael Murphy rages in Tir Chonaill.

With MacNiallais gone from the scene he is likely to play a key role around the middle this season. That said with Kerry a little light at midfield at this early stage of the league, they might be content to start him at full-forward this weekend – he scored the winning goal in the challenge match against Mayo last weekend.

Taking all of that into account it does feel like this is a game Kerry can win and maybe even should win. It’s far from certain that they will, of course, but this does appear to be the best chance yet for Eamonn Fitzmaurice to get this particular monkey off his back.

Rory Gallagher’s men won’t give anything easy to the Kingdom in O’Donnell Park, but our sense is that Kerry should have enough about them to edge out their hosts after a real battle. Verdict: Kerry