McGrath Cup triumph for Kerry

THE level of excitement didn’t comport with the time of year, the competition or even the stage of that said same competition.

Early January. The McGrath Cup. The first round. Austin Stack Park. None of it screamed a glamour tie despite the meeting of the Kingdom with, fellow All Ireland semi-finalists from 2016, Tipperary.

So what was it, what was different about this, what brought the crowd out on a desperately chilly January afternoon? The Kerry Under 21 team and Jack O’Connor that’s who.

With the Kingdom having won three All Ireland minor titles in succession the hopes and, indeed, the hype was massive about what they might do at Under 21 level in the 2017 campaign.

Having been given the chance to get an early competitive game under their belts in the first round of the McGrath Cup, O’Connor’s side laid down a marker in most impressive fashion.

They simply hammered Liam Kearns’ men on a scoreline of 3-11 to 1-3. Doing much to excite those who turned out to see them, but doing little to dampen the hype and expectation around the side.

Once Eamonn Fitzmaurice and the seniors resumed the reins the following week against the Rebels in Mallow the level of interest dimmed, but by the same token there was still much to enthuse about. Kerry’s four point victory – 1-13 to 1-9 – sent them to the final against Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds, but the younger players were again the main talking point. Some Under 21 players retained their places and impressed again, but Jack Savage was the one to really stand out with six points, five from play, on the forty.

It wasn’t all plain sailing in the final against Limerick. As a matter of fact the Treaty were probably a little disappointed not to have won the game in ordinary time. In extra-time, however, there was only ever going to be one winner and the Kingdom ran out 3-13 to 2-12 winners.

The McGrath Cup, then, was a hugely encouraging start to the sea-