The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
O’Shea absence could tip U-21 final Mid’s way
COUNTY U-21 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL Mid Kerry v Kenmare District Wednesday, July 26 Austin Stack Park, Tralee at 7.30pm
IT could be the last U-21 Final as we know it tonight depending on what form next year’s competition might take however the honour of being the first ever winners of the James Coffey Cup will go to either his native district of Mid Kerry or Kenmare District in Austin Stack Park this evening.
With the competition being played off over five weeks and in a very clustered fixture environment, the fact only 15 teams entered and two walkovers were subsequently conceded would indicate that some form of a change is necessary now in its make-up.
That’s for another day however as the 2013 and 2014 winners prepare to face each other tonight with Mid Kerry looking to be in a stronger position in advance, not just panel wise but also in terms of their campaign in general. Joint manager of the side alongside Gary Murphy, Tim Coffey is happy with what he feels is a very dedicated panel amongst their ranks.
“We had a number of players just come back from holidays the night before the semi-final with East Kerry but they were totally focussed when it came to the game itself. The one noticeable thing about the panel is that they are all starting with their senior club teams at the moment and you have a strong pick in that situation,” he said. Wins over West Kerry clubs An Gaeltacht and Dingle (scoring six goals in the first match and three in the latter) sent them into that semi-final with East Kerry where they had 10 points to spare over some of the players who had defeated the district in last year’s County Minor Final.
Kenmare District’s route has been a bit shorter, a walkover from Shannon Rangers putting them straight into a Quarter-final meeting with Spa on the outskirts of Killarney. Team mentor Sean O’Shea felt that they gathered massive momentum from a one point win on the night.
“We struggled to get 15 players for the match but the one thing the win did was to raise everyone’s interest and give belief that they could achieve something if they pulled together. Preparation is difficult for any district side especially with so many club matches going on around the competition but we have found it more difficult with Kenmare Shamrocks on their own at senior level because before you could do some of your U-21 preparation in conjunction with the senior side in the past,” he said.
The toss of a coin gave them home advantage for the Semi-Final with Dr Crokes, but it looked troubling for them early on when they conceded three goals in the opening quarter. However they managed to force their way back into the game before half-time before taking over at midfield in the second period in winning out by four points.
Fate seems to have dealt them a cruel blow however before tonight with Sean O’Shea expected to be unavailable due to his presence in the Kerry Senior squad, meaning a lot will fall on Killian Spillane’s shoulders for Kenmare District. Even though Mid Kerry are at full strength and will be favourites for a lot of observers, Tim Coffey is not taking Kenmare District lightly.
“I thought they were very unlucky not to win the Minor three years ago with the panel they had. Their clubs are going very well in general and we will not underestimate them in any way on the night,” he said.
His Kenmare District counterpart is hopeful they can rise to the challenge but feels Mid Kerry have the stronger hand in advance.
“They have a huge panel and a lot of better known players but we hope the fact our lads have played together from School and know each other up along that it will stand to us on the night. The one thing we want to see is a performance and we would be confident that we will be in with a shout if we can get it,” O’Shea said.
Another factor in Mid Kerry’s favour is that they have played at tonight’s venue in their semi-final win over East Kerry although you sense their opponents will not try and let that become an issue in advance of throw-in.
With Mike Breen, Liam Carey and Caoilm Teahan spearheading their challenge, Mid Kerry look to have a big chance of another underage success this evening although Kenmare will hope their young contingent of Patrick Clifford, Patrick O’Shea and John Mark Foley can spring another strong performance in what could be a cracking contest if both teams play to form.
Both camps have highlighted the desire for the right performance in an occasion such as this but even if they are pushed to the limit by Kenmare District tonight, there is a sense that Mid Kerry might just have too much in reserve when it comes down to deciding the winner.
VERDICT: Mid Kerry