Our GAA writers look back on League and look ahead to Championship

With the National Football League completed and with the championship just seven weeks away we asked our writers – Damian Stack, Paul Brennan, Timmy Sheehan, Jason O’Connor and Seán O’Sullivan – for their assessments of year to date from the Kingdom and f

OKAY, let’s get into it straight away... with a view to the Championship what was more important: winning the League title or finally beating Dublin?

Damian Stack (DS): Beating Dublin, it has to be. I loved the way whenever you asked Eamonn Fitzmaurice about the record against Dublin – subtext being that the poor record had to be affecting Kerry’s confidence – he just bristled at the notion. For him it was always a preposterous idea that Kerry would feel some sort of inferiority complex with it comes to Dublin. Can we beat Dublin? Of course we can beat Dublin. Players and managements have to think that way of course. Still you’ve got to believe that beating Dublin in a big game in Croke Park will be a huge fillip. You could see after the game in Austin Stack Park how much the failure to beat Dublin stung. To get the chance to put that right just three weeks later and to come out the right side in similar enough circumstances – Dublin coming back strongly, Kerry having dominated the third quar ter – is wor th its weight in gold. It doesn’t necessarily follow that Kerry will be able to beat Dublin in the Championship having beaten them in the League, but still it’s a hell of a lot better a position to be in than if they’d lost... again.

Paul Brennan (PB): Players and teams are in it to win titles and medals, and for the core of players winning a senior national title for the first time there’s no value one can put on that. The pity is that this silly ‘it’s only the League’ attitude precludes most counties from celebrating what is a big achievement. Beating Dublin was important, but these Kerry players have always believed they could beat this Dublin team anyway. It’s worth noting that three of Kerry’s last five All-Ireland titles have come in a NFL winning season.

Timmy Sheehan (TS): Both were equally impor tant. Dublin’s recent dominance must have instilled doubts in the minds of the Kerry players and in spor t it’s vital to have the proper mindset. Cer tainly, one’s mindset plays a key role in determining one’s reaction. It’s easy to have a positive mindset when everything is going well. But, when one can turn adversity into an advantage it sometimes tends to endure and transfers into success in the long term. Turning recent results around between the sides is something which could help Kerry to prosper throughout the championship campaign. In terms of silverware it’s the only and ultimate reward for amateur players, so it’s always hugely impor tant. The National League ranks just behind the All Ireland in terms of profile and impor tance.

Jason O’Connor (JOC): Getting a win against Dublin, two events in the build-up to the match made it so. Firstly Colm Cooper’s announcement of his inter-county retirement and secondly Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s decision to address the comments made about Kerry’s style of play by a number of pundits. The win gave hope about September in the first post-Cooper summer and also illustrated a team could beat Dublin with a positive and attacking gameplan such as the one deployed in the League Final. I never remember a National League winning team being paraded around the county afterwards!

Seán O’Sullivan (SOS): Winning the league was much more impor tant for this group than beating Dublin. Yes it was a bonus that we claimed a national title by beating the top team in the country but for a lot of these players it was their first taste of success with the senior side and that’s crucial.

WHAT three Kerry players impressed most during the League?

DS: There was a bit of a Tralee resurgence during this year’s league. The whole country is talking about David Moran and rightly so, he had an absolutely fantastic campaign, but two other Tralee men really stepped up to the mark. The first of those is corner-back Ronan Shanahan. The Austin Stacks man was, for me, the find of the league from a Kerry point of view. It’s hard to recall a day when he gave anything below a seven out of ten performance. He took to inter-county football like a duck to water and didn’t once look overawed by the whole thing. You could say the same for Jack Barry. He’s offered a real muscular, energetic presence to the middle third of the pitch for Kerry. That he was twice able to mark Brian Fenton out of it – in Stack Park and Croke Park – says it all. He’s likely made that number 9 shir t his own for the summer. PB: David Moran has emerged as a real leader of the team, and it’s a fact now that Kerry need him to dominate in order for the team to dominate. Alongside Moran, Jack Barry has been the find of the season. Midfielders don’t actually grow on trees in Kerry, and with Mark O’Connor’s untimely loss to the AFL and continuing doubts over Anthony Maher’s long-term fitness issues, the ‘discovery’ of Barry has been a masterstroke by the management. With a new breed of mobile midfielder being de rigueur in the modern game, Barry looks more than capable of being that player for Kerry. Ronan Shanahan deserves a hat tip for his performances at corner back, but Tadhg Morley has emerged as the fulcrum of the defence having played every single minute of the League, most of it as centre-back. A brilliant reader of the game, and cool under fire, Morley can be to Kerry what Cian O’Sullivan is to Dublin.

TS: David Moran, Paul Geaney, and Tadgh Morley, three players in pivotal positions who produced some really commanding performances, and, some big plays at pivotal moments in games. Moran and Geaney, both All Stars are established figures, but Morley’s emergence has been a big plus. Players who stood up and were counted when the need was greatest.

JOC: Jack Barry was arguably the big find in terms of a new face. He gives plenty of food for thought about the star ting midfielders for the Championship. Considering he is very much in the latter part of his inter-county career I thought Donnachadh Walsh had a good League when you consider how much younger players are going to be coming into the reckoning over the next couple of years. Also with a lot of pressure on him both from within and without, Brendan Kealy has done well to stay in the reckoning for the No. 1 spot considering how his lost his star ting place in 2016.

SOS: Ronan Shanahan and Jack Barry really stood out for me along with Paul Geaney. Shanahan and Barry have been the real finds of this league campaign for the management and will be really pushing for places come championship. Paul Geaney goes from strength to strength with every game and right now is the top forward in the country.

IS there a player or players who you feel could make an impact on the senior panel from the Under-21s?

DS: After the Munster Under 21 final you could be forgiven for getting a little bit out ahead of yourself. We succumbed to it ourselves, feeling that maybe Seán O’Shea could be in with a shout at the number 11 this summer. That’s probably not going to happen. He’s a brilliant talent, but he needs time to develop, a year training and working with Eamonn Fitzmaurice and the seniors would stand to him in a major way, however. Other than that it’s probably going to be the trio of players who are already on Fitzmaurice’s radar who are going to feature – Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Tom O’Sullivan and Jason Foley. Their stock might have been knocked a little by defeat to Galway, but it’s hard to stand out on a day when the team as a whole is under-performing. They haven’t become bad players over night and still have lots to offer. Killian Spillane showed enough to be given a role, even if on the bench, while Gavin White is another who should be involved (probably more because of what he showed with Crokes than with the Under 21s admittedly).

PB: The semi-final defeat to Galway has knocked some of the veneer of the U-21 project but those players who were on the management’s radar before that game won’t have disappeared off the screen on the back on one dud performance. Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Tom O’Sullivan should be recalled to the senior panel, and there’s places for Jason Foley, Gavin White, Matthew Flaher ty, Killian Spillane and, possibly, Matthew O’Sullivan in the wider training panel. It’s unlikely any will force their way into the team come the real business end of the All-Ireland series, but Tom O’Sullivan or Spillane could be a surprise ‘bolter’.

TS: Kerry’s defeat to Galway in the All Ireland Under 21 semi-final and the manner of it has cer tainly cast a huge doubt on the possibility of players from the squad featuring on the starting fifteen for the Seniors. A few will most likely be included in the match day panel with Tom O’Sullivan and Brian Ó Beaglaoich being two of the players who would have the strongest claims. Cer tainly, there was far too much hype and expectation attached to the team, from the outset of the season and, while the defeat to Galway posed many questions, one shouldn’t ever dismiss a players capabilities on the basis of just one poor display.

JOC: Recent events in Ennis maybe have poured cold water on the desire to promote players to the senior ranks so quickly. Brian Ó Beaglaoich still appears to be the best prospect in the immediate future, Andrew Barry and Gavin White maybe more for down the road, but it’s hard to see how any of the forwards could make a case for this coming Championship. Whether Ennis proves to be a blessing in disguise for the Under 21s heading

David Moran has emerged as a real leader of the team, and it’s a fact now that Kerry need him to dominate in order for the team to dominate

into the senior ranks remains to be seen.

SOS: The Under 21s were disappointing in the defeat to Galway but in my opinion it was just a bad day out. I still feel the likes of Jason Foley, Sean O’Shea and Killian Spillane should get time in with the senior squad. They may not make an impact this summer, but it would cer tainly help their development.

BASED on what we’ve seen in the League who are the leading contenders for the All-Ireland championship and the provinces?

DS: At the star t of the league Dublin, Mayo and Kerry were the big three and in that order. After the league the big three are still the big three, albeit that Kerry have supplanted Mayo as the leading contender to take down the Dubs. Tyrone flattered to deceive and given what we saw in Fitzgerald Stadium it’s hard to see them even having what it takes to retain their Ulster crown. Donegal and Monaghan are the two sides from Ulster who made waves during the league. Monaghan are probably a little bit more developed than Donegal, but Donegal are the team with the greater potential. Other than that only Galway and Kildare (both promoted from Division 2) look really serious propositions. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Galway downed Mayo for the second year in a row, but Kildare for all their progress don’t still measure up to Dublin.

PB: Kerry will win Munster, no question. The only imponderable is who they will play in the final with little between Cork, Tipperary and even Clare based on the League. Galway are emerging as a force again in Connacht, but Mayo’s quar ter-final against Sligo could benefit them more than Galway coming into their semifinal without a game. That semi-final is in Salthill but Mayo should pick off their rivals in a close game and go on to regain the provincial title. In Leinster it is shaping up for a Dublin v Kildare final, but whoever the Dubs meet in the final they will beat with minimal fuss. Up nor th Monaghan should reach the final from their half of the draw, with Tyrone and Donegal vying for the other place. Expect a Monaghan v Donegal final and it’s really anyone’s guess who could win that arm-wrestle. In the All-Ireland series we’re tipping Kerry to beat Mayo in one semi-final and Dublin to beat whoever in the other. As for the final, Dublin will, in all likelihood, be slight favourites but as the League Final taught us, Dublin are beatable and no better team that Kerry to repeat the does again in September.

TS: A different format prevails in both the league and the championship. They are played in quite contrasting conditions with under strength sides largely on duty. Tipperary proved conclusively last season that a team’s league performances and results count for very little come summer time. Equally Monaghan who beat Kerry in this year’s league are always almost inevitably ranked as a top six side, but were beaten at home in the qualifiers last season by Longford. A livelier pace, a different focus, a more thorough preparation and a full complement of players from which to choose all come into play when the championship throws in. Dogged encounters, played under lights in February will count for very little when the sun is shining and there’s a spring in the surface come July.

JOC: Dublin will win Leinster, it will be only interesting to see if any team copy Kerry’s gameplan in the League Final and try and take them on with an attacking flair. It’s unlikely Mayo will be caught on the hop with Galway like they were last year, but Ulster still remains the most competitive with Monaghan maybe in a decent position to slip by both Donegal and Tyrone. In an overall sense, only the Ulster trio look likely in preventing a third Kerry vs. Dublin All-Ireland Final this decade.

SOS: In Munster Kerry will be favourites with Tipperary now their main rivals. In Connacht Galway have shown that they are capable of holding onto their title but Mayo still look the most likely even though their league form was patchy. Up nor th Donegal look well equipped to mix it with Tyrone and Monaghan. Dublin have no obvious challengers in Leinster unless Kildare can catch them on a really bad day. In terms of the All Ireland I still feel it will come down to Kerry or Dublin.

ON the evidence of the league do Kerry have an issue with discipline and fouling? Or is it a narrative being driven against Kerry?

DS: Yes and no. Yes there’s a narrative, but at the same time Kerry do have a little bit of problem. It’s a simple fact that Kerry foul more than their opponents quite a lot of the time, but to our mind that’s hardly evidence for cynicism. Giving away eleven or twelve or however many frees it was against Mayo in scorable positions isn’t evidence of cynicism – just the opposite. It’s not something Eamonn Fitzmaurice will be pleased about, you can be sure he and his management team will be doing all they can to tighten up on Kerry’s tackling. There was evidence that they were having some success in that in the league final in Croke Park, where Kerry’s tackling was much, much improved. The black card stats for the last couple of years do, however, indicate that Kerry are willing to employ the dark ar ts when necessary, but you’re not going to hear too many around these par ts giving out about that.

PB: Fitzmaurice had a just cause in highlighting what he feels is a cer tain agenda being pedalled by former players, but isn’t that what ex-players turned pundits do: bat for their own team? It’s not good if referees are swayed by a cer tain ‘narrative’ being put out through the media, but there’s little evidence that’s the case. What Kerry cannot get away from is the fact that they lead the ‘black card’ table over the last four years in the League, and that’s a concern. It’s also hard to deny that Kerry are conceding a lot of frees within scoring range, and no matter what way you parse it up, much of the defending has been untidy at best. Free takers like Dean Rock and Cillian O’Connor are going to punish teams that cough up cheap frees so whether Kerry feel more sinned against that sinning or not, they must tighten up their defensive work and not give outside commentators any excuse to drive an agenda against them.

TS: Unfor tunately systematic fouling, especially in the middle third of the pitch, has become a tactic and a feature of Gaelic football at all levels. It is now par t and parcel of the game and is being accepted as a vital element in a team’s strategy. The ‘bear hug’ tackle as it is described is being used to stop a counter attack without picking up a card, and, is not being punished sufficiently by match officials, who are extremely lenient with persistent fouling. Fifty seven frees in the recent league final is totally unacceptable and is not being addressed. Indeed it seems that it is being ignored by the powered that be. One wonders what would be the response from pundits and legislators if a similar ratio of fouling prevailed in the Premiership in soccer. edge to Kerry in terms of coping with the changing nature of the game and the emphasis on physicality. The statistics about the amount of Black Cards issued might not reflect well on the Kingdom, but as we have seen with the card since its introduction, inconsistency has been a hallmark of their issuing. While there appears to be a greater examination of Kerry’s discipline, it doesn’t appear to be as warranted as other times in the past.

SOS: I feel Kerry have really upped the ante in terms of the physical side of their game. They proved throughout the league, especially in both games against Dublin, that they are willing to get stuck in and not be dominated when it comes to the darker par ts of the contest. Of course with that comes indiscipline at times but I think its no more than any other team. I feel some of the criticism labelled at us during the league was unfair but to be expected.

BASED on what we’ve seen so far and assuming everybody is available what would be your starting fifteen to face Clare on June 11?

DS: Shane Murphy, Shane Enright, Mark Griffin, Ronan Shanahan, Peter Crowley, Tadhg Morley, Paul Murphy, David Moran, Jack Barry, Johnny Buckley, James O’Donoghue, Donnchadh Walsh, Killian Spillane, Paul Geaney, Barry John Keane PB: Brendan Kealy, Shane Enright, Mark Griffin, Paul Murphy, Peter Crowley, Tadhg Morley, Killian Young, David Moran, Jack Barry, Darran O’Sullivan, Johnny Buckley, Donnchadh Walsh, James O’Donoghue, Paul Geaney, Barry John Keane

TS: Brendan Kealy, Shane Enright, Mark Griffin, Ronan Shanahan, Peter Crowley, Tadhg Morley, Killian Young, David Moran, Jack Barry, Mikey Geaney, Paul Murphy, Donnchadh Walsh, James O’Donoghue, Paul Geaney, Stephen O’Brien

JOC: Brendan Kealy, Shane Enright, Mark Griffin, Ronan Shanahan, Peter Crowley, Tadgh Morley, Killian Young, Jack Barry, David Moran, Donnachadh Walsh, Johnny Buckley, Kevin McCar thy, James O’Donoghue, Paul Geaney, Jack Savage SOS: Brian Kelly, Ronan Shanahan, Mark Griffin, Shane Enright, Paul Murphy, Peter Crowley, Killian Young, David Moran, Jack Barry, Stephen O’Brien, Mikey Geaney, Donnchadh Walsh, James O’Donoghue, Paul Geaney, Darran O’Sullivan

It’s a simple fact that Kerry foul more than their opponents quite a lot of the time, but to our mind that’s hardly evidence for cynicism

JOC: There is a harder