The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Momentum shows no sign of slowing
Jason O’Connor sees no end to Kerry’s dominance of the All-Ireland MFC once the appetite of the players remains sharp
IT was noticeable last Sunday that there was a few extra spectators in for a Minor game than there usually would be. Was it to see a certain David Clifford or a Minor set-up that has been lauded in recent years for not only its success but also its style of play?
Whatever the reason it might have been a factor in affecting Kerry at times in the first period as they were not as crisp and accurate as you might expect them to be with extra eyes and opinions on the young player’s shoulders. Indeed, more regular observers of the side would say that despite the final scoreline Kerry could have been capable of winning by much more had they found the same swagger they appeared to have in the victory over Cork back in May.
Those who came to see team captain Clifford saw a solid, if not spectacular, performance by the Fossa player. Some of the chances he put wide in the first half maybe not a bad thing in reminding everyone that he still is not the finished article just a couple of weeks shy of his 18th birthday. What was maybe more eye-catching was the display of Kilgarvan’s Donal O’Sullivan who appears to be achieving a level of consistency that any promising player would be proud of. Unlucky to get injured towards the end of the Cork win and to miss out on the Munster U-17 Final win over the same opposition, the Kilgarvan player continues to showcase the Kenmare District club’s promising under- age devel- opment of players despite the club being more associated with hurling. Fiachra Clifford continues to stand out as well, not just in scoring but also in his work off the ball in creating opportunities for his team-mates to finish. Barry Mahony and Diarmuid O’Connor appear to have developed a decent understanding at midfield but one noticeable feature of Kerry’s starting defence last Sunday was that it was made up of six players from East Kerry clubs, five of which won the Hogan Cup with St Brendan’s College this year. Again no bad thing in one way as Sean O’Leary, Chris O’Donoghue, Cian Gammell, Michael Potts and Niall Donohoe have an understanding of each other from their school days playing together that can work well at inter-county level when the pressure comes on. Scartaglin’s Eddie Horan is not out of place at centre-back either as he gave another assured display last Sunday buoyed on by strong U-17 displays as well.
If Kerry Minor teams reflect the general state of the game in the county then nine of last Sunday’s starting 15 coming from East Kerry clubs speaks volumes about the strength of the game there in much the same way previous Minor sides might have had a strong West, South or North Kerry flavour. Kerry’s 21st consecutive win at Minor level keeps the county un-
beaten since the 2013 All-Ireland quarter-final with Tyrone, something that is feeling like distant history with the success that has come since. Each new minor side is not only trying to match the feats of those gone before but on this evidence are possibly bettering those standards.
The county’s domination of the underage ranks has come so quick and suddenly from the two decade wait for Tommy Markham that it has caught other counties cold in much the same way the Kingdom were when there was a heavy period of success for Ulster sides. The year is not over by any means but it does seem that Kerry’s biggest challenge to winning yet another All-Ireland Minor title might come from their own ambitions as opposed to a challenge from another county. Provided that the hunger, ambition and levels of competitiveness within the camp are kept at their optimum then it will take a Herculean effort from any county to stop Kerry from claiming another All-Ireland at this level.
The County Minor Championship will occupy the minds of all concerned over the coming weeks however. Again, no harm in that as it keeps all the players sharp and will remind them that they are not invincible when they come up against players anxious to make their own statement about their abilities with the Minor management looking on. That’s maybe one of the things Kerry do right as opposed to other counties, in not wrapping minor players in cotton wool at unnecessary times of the year and keeping the sharpness levels up by all concerned.
We await to see what comes out of Leinster for the last eight encounter in a month’s time. However, observers around the country will have duly noted that Kerry appear to mean business again at this level and are again the team to beat by any county with aspirations of All-Ireland Minor success.