‘I’m looking forward to the next couple of months and years as well’

Kerry hurling boss Fintan O’Connor had a more successful National League campaign than the results might suggest, writes Damian Stack

TO describe it as a poisoned chalice might be going a little too far. Undoubtedly it’s a tough gig, but one not without its rewards. For the manager of a developing hurling side Division 1B is both the place to be and the place that makes your life more than a little complicated.

Without facing the best you’re probably not going to develop your side to its fullest potential over the long term. And, yet, the very fact of being in Division 1B, of playing sides like Galway and Wexford and Limerick, means your immediate development can be, if not stunted, then hindered at least a little bit.

How so? Well because preparing a side for a game with Wexford in Wexford Park, as Kerry manager Fintan O’Connor did a few months back, is a hell of a lot different to preparing a side to face Meath in Navan, as he will this weekend.

And that, by the way, is not to be disrespectful to Meath. Instead it’s a simple statement of fact. After all there was two divisions separating the two Leinster sides during this year’s National League.

“It can be very difficult to prepare a team and tactics and get prepared for a championship, because some days it’s damage limitation mode and sometimes not the way you’d like to play,” is how O’Connor explains it.

Against Wexford or Galway it’s about staying afloat. This weekend, on the other hand, is more so about trying to impose yourself on the opposition. Much as Limerick would seek to impose their game on Kerry, Kerry, as a Division 1B side, should be looking to impose their game on 2B kingpins Meath.

Easier said than done of course. Especially when Meath have been making such impressive and substantial strides in the last couple of seasons. Last year they took victory in two Christy Cup Finals (it’s a long story) and this season secured promotion from Division 2B.

“I watched the two Christy Ring Cup finals and I watched their match against Wicklow so we have a fairly decent knowledge of what they’re about,” O’Connor says.

“In fairness they’re a good team

and a very strong team in the air, a skilful team and they’ve put up some massive scores this year so look they’ll be a big challenge. Facing them on their own home patch as well will be tough for us.

“I think it’ll be a massive challenge to go away from home and get a result and that’s what we want to do. From a momentum point of view they’re after coming off winning their league and we’re coming off having been relegated.

“It’s tough, but we’ll just have to pick ourselves up and try to get a good result next Sunday.”

That’s just another reminder of how difficult a place Division 1B is. It’s not just the established championship sides you have to worry about it’s those operating at a similar level to each other.

There’s no margin for error and, yet, at the same time a strict analysis of how the Kingdom fared – five defeats, one victory, relegated from the division – hardly does their efforts justice.

“None of them are happy with being relegated first and foremost,” O’Connor stresses.

“They want to try and put it right and they want to try and go out and make the championship the story of the year instead of being relegated the story of the year. They’ve trained very hard, they had a few days last week where we trained and the commitment of everybody over the Easter weekend was brilliant.

“I know we had championship football yesterday as well, they’re busy boys at the minute. They’re training away and their attitude has been very good and that’s all you can ask for as well.”

What that means is obvious – Kerry need to go one better than last year and escape from the round robin, all the while remaining cognisant of the fact that relegation remains a very real threat (just ask Division 2A champions Carlow).

“Obviously you’re aiming for a quarter-final,” O’Connor agrees.

“But as you said you do have to be very careful that if you don’t mind yourself or pick your games or try and be too clever you could find yourself back playing Christy Ring as well.

“Any team in the round robin could beat any other team and that makes it exciting, but also makes it a very difficult competition to be approaching and you couldn’t really take any game for granted, momentum is a massive thing. Even the fact we have to travel to two games, two weeks in-a-row, is difficult.

“I’m looking forward to this campaign and I’m looking forward to the next couple of months and the next couple of years as well. I’m excited about the talent we have coming through.

“I’m excited by the application of the lads and it’s not just me trying to say the right things I genuinely am happy with the effort levels they’ve put in. I know the results haven’t kind of gone with that, but there’s an awful lot of peace of mind in the fact you’re doing the right things and are working very hard and hopefully in the long term the results will come.”

None of them are happy with being relegated first and foremost. They want to try and go out and make it right