The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Both managements cautious and optimistic
NEITHER West Kerry manager Pól Ó Cuinn nor Dr Crokes selector Harry O’Neill are given to talking up their team needlessly, but neither are they prone to playing the poor mouth and trying to hood-wink anyone - least of all themselves - that they aren’t presiding over a team capable of big things. In O’Neill’s case it would be a hard sell to play down Crokes chances of winning any game, not to mind a county semi-final they’re are odds-on favourites for, but Ó Cuinn won’t try the béal bocht thing either.
“I know I’m giving you all the clichés here but we aren’t going there to make up the numbers,” the West Kerry manager says. “Without a doubt we feel we can win the game. The target is to be still in the game with ten minutes or so to go and then have a right go at it from there.
“It mightn’t be hugely relevant for Saturday but a lot of these West Kerry players have beaten Crokes at minor and under-21 level. We’re not going to go into the game ignorant about Dr Crokes and how good a team they are, but we’re not going to over analyse them either. We really do have to focus more on our own game and what we’re going to do.”
O’Neill takes a similar line when asked if complacency could be Crokes’ toughest enemy as another county final looms large and talk of a successful All-Ireland title defence begins to gather momentum.
“I hate using this cliché all the time but it literally is one game at a time for us,” he says. “We can do nothing with the favourites tag so we’ll just carry that with us, but we really have to just take every game as it comes. We can’t afford to look past West Kerry on Saturday. Why would we? We wouldn’t put much stock on the 2016 meeting, but we played An Ghaeltacht in the county league this year and it was one of the toughest games we had. West Kerry are a young, energetic and well balanced side.
“As for us, we kicked nine wides in the first half against Kenmare (quarter-final) and four more short to the goalkeeper. Some day you won’t get away with that wastefulness. There was too much sloppiness in our performance. We need to be more clinical. We’re preparing for a major challenge from a West Kerry team that is the most improved side in the county championship this year. We have to be on out game, no question.”
Ó Cuinn knows nothing other than a peak performance from his team will be good enough to dethrone Crokes. “If one wants to the county championship you’re going to have to meet and beat Dr Crokes, simple as that. It’s better for us that we’re playing them in a semi-final than a final but we still have to win the game.”