Mixed start to new hurling regime

IT was always likely to be a difficult couple of weeks for new Kerry senior hurling manager Fintan O’Connor having taken on his new role at such short notice. The Tipperary native wasn’t exactly eased into his new role as the Kerry senior hurling manager.

As a matter of fact Kerry’s first game in the Munster Senior Hurling League came just a week into January and less than a month after he had assumed the reins of the Kingdom.

Added to that their opponents in the first round game were Cork. In Cork. Mallow to be precise.

This was pretty much as close to a baptism of fire as a manager could possibly expect and, yet, when the team took to the field in the Mallow GAA Complex on the second Sunday of the month they didn’t look in any way under prepared or out of their depth.

As a matter of fact – for the second year in-a-row – they gave Kieran Kingston’s Rebels plenty to think about.

After a hugely impressive first half performance Kerry were just a single point off the Rebels at the break – trailing 1-12 to 0-14. One would have then expected Cork to burn off Kerry in the third quarter, but that didn’t happen either.

In fact the Kingdom soon drew level with a Shane Nolan effort from play and the Crotta O’Neills man soon fired his county into an unexpected second half lead when he converted a free on thirty eight minutes.

That was the high water mark for the Kingdom pretty much as Cork took that as their signal to punch back at the Kingdom. Still with forty four minutes on the clock the Kerry were still within a point of their hosts – 1-15 to 0-17 – following a point by the ever-impressive Paudie O’Connor.

Cork went on to outscore the Kingdom by thirteen points to one over the final fifteen minutes of the game as we began to get our first impression of just how good Cork might eventually turn out to be in 2017.

All in all, however, it was a hugely encouraging start for the new management team and, indeed, they continued along in a positive manner in their second game when they welcomed Clare to Austin Stack Park.

Kerry again started the game strongly and more than held their own against Clare, who to be fair looked the superior force. By halftime Kerry were four points down – 0-11 to 1-12 – and by the end twelve – 1-15 to 2-24 – which probably was an accurate reflection on the game, but Kerry showed enough to give hope for the forthcoming National League campaign.

It was in their third game in the competition – against Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds – that the wheels came off the wagon of their Munster SHL campaign. John Bruder’s side ripped Kerry apart quite comprehensively to run out 4-28 to 0-16 winners.

Then in the final round Kerry travelled to Waterford and lost out to the Deise in another heavy defeat 4-21 to 0-15.

A mixed bag then but more positives than negatives for the new man.