The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Minors drive forfive: Kerry start title defences next week
Jason O’Connor looks ahead to the Munster Minor Football Championship with Kerry bidding for an unprecedented fifth All-Ireland title in-a-row
THE name might still be the same but underneath the surface it is all change for the Kerry Minor football set-up with the switch of age to under-17 from the traditional under-18 age. It means a lot of changes elsewhere, less emphasis on the U-18½ Post-Primary Schools grade (O’Sullivan Cup and Corn Ui Mhuiri) now with the U-16½ grade (Dunloe and Frewen Cup) more relevant to the new Minor grade, and also the local U-16 fixture programme is probably going to be more affected by the change than the adult programme with a clear spilt between underage and adult now.
The thing that is the same – and it’s a bug bearer for many – is the format of the provincial Championship. That means the losers of the Munster semi-finals are finished for the year while a loser in the First Round might end up in an All-Ireland Minor quarter-final with two games lost!
The format probably comes into greater focus when you consider the fact the Munster Minor Hurling Championship has adopted the Round Robin format that will be used for the Senior Hurling Championship. Cork had submitted a proposal to change the Minor Football Championship to a similar Round Robin format but it was deemed too late by the Munster Council at the time it was submitted.
Minor team Liaison Officer Christy Killeen says it’s a matter that there are mixed views on at County Committee level.
“If a Round Robin was to be introduced for the Munster Minor Football it would have a big impact on our local fixture programme which is tight enough as it is and has a greater number of games than other counties would have. We would also have concerns about player welfare at the new U-17 age and for anyone who has exams in having to play extra games. At the same time I think it is inevitable the format will change when
Round Robins are being introduced elsewhere in the other provinces, but it is something that will have to be well thought out with local fixture planning in mind,” Killeen said about any changes to the format that might occur in the future.
As the draw stands we could be faced with a situation where Kerry and Cork will meet in a Munster Minor semi-final if they win their opening matches for the third time in four years where the entire campaign on the line for the provinces traditional football powerhouses that night in Tralee.
Another change this year sees the team captain being picked by the Minor management team in consultation with the County Management Committee as for this year special consideration will be given to East Kerry players being last year’s County Minor Championship winners. From 2019 onwards the decision will be solely made by the management in consultation with the County Management Committee. It is expected that this year’s captain will be announced over the weekend prior to the team for next Wednesday’s trip to Thurles to take on Tipperary being announced.
Some of the players expected to feature have shown form at Post-Primary level most notably Pobalscoil Corcha Dhuibhne’s
Conor Flannery, Colm Moriarty, Sean Óg Ó Mórain, Cillian Falvey, Rory Begley and Dylan Geaney. Some players between the Sem’s Senior and U-16½ are due to feature as well including Paul O’Shea, Darragh Lyne, Michael Lenihan, Patrick Darcy and captain of the side that lost last weekend’s Paul McGirr Cup Final Kieran O’Donoghue.
Inbhear Sceine Kenmare’s Colin Crowley along with Dan and James McCarthy will also be expected to play their part in the panel. Marc Kelliher and Keith
O’Leary are expected to contest the goalkeeping position while some other players to look out for include Eoin Fitzgerald, Dara O’Rahilly, Joe Lenihan, Jack O’Connor of Beaufort, Paul Walsh, Shane Doona, David Dineen and Listowel Emmets’ Jamie McVeigh.
In hindsight it looks a great decision to have last year’s Minor management headed up by Peter Keane also over the special once-off U-17 competition ran last year to make up for the U-18 who would have missed out on the age grade change this year. Kerry lost the All-Ireland semi-final of that
event to Roscommon and Killeen agrees that despite the Tommy Markham Cup coming to Kerry for the last four consecutive years, this really is a different ball game at Minor level now.
“I think the biggest mistake people could make is to judge their expectations of this year on the basis of success when Minor was U-18. At U-17 level the players are still developing as people as much as they are as players and they need some special nurturing because this is the first time they will have played for Kerry outside of the Development Squad system,” the Minor Liaison Officer said.
The planning process started in early November for this year with Killeen believing challenge games with the Kerry Schools over the Christmas period serving as a good exercise for both set-ups.
“I think one thing that must be pointed out is the great relationship between the Minors and the Schools in terms of player availability and communication especially ensuring their welfare is what it should be for the player above anything else.”
“Overall we are adopting a ‘wait and see’ approach this year to decide if the change to U-17 is the right thing or not especially with the impact it will have on local fixtures here throughout
the year.”