The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Double-header boost for ladies
MUNSTER LADIES SFC
WHEN Kerry were beaten by Waterford in the first round of the Munster Championship last May, it sent shock waves around the county. To put it quite simply, Kerry are not supposed to lose to the Déise at any level in Gaelic football, so the loss appeared to come out of the blue.
The reality was that Waterford were growing and improving as a team. They targeted Kerry’s kick outs that day and put the Kingdom defence under all sorts of trouble. Sixteen turnovers on restarts alone told its own story on a day that everything went wrong for Kerry.
Waterford went on to reach the All Ireland quarter-final and troubled Dublin in the first half before eventually going down on a 2-15 to 1-7 scoreline.
Kerry proved that they weren’t a bad side either when they claimed the Munster Championship title after a 2-15 to 2-13 victory over Cork. Kerry were thankful to two late goals from Sarah Houlihan and Anna Galvin that day as they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Victory over Armagh (3-14 to 2-10) in the All Ireland quarter-final propelled Kerry into a semi final against Dublin, but the journey ended there as the Dubs ruthlessly exposed Kerry’s inefficiencies with a 5-10 to 0-11 hammering.
Both Kerry and Waterford have had contrasting league campaigns this season. Kerry lost six out of their seven games and will face Division 2 football in 2017/18 after finishing bottom of Division 1.
Kerry did claim victory over Mayo in Brosna, but the result was reversed after an administrative error was revealed. Kerry struggled for players during the campaign, and with the unavailability of some of their younger players for various reasons, as well as emigration and injury, they lacked quality in some of the vital positions on the team.
The loss of manager Graham Shine after the penultimate game against Westmeath was also a body blow to the morale of the team. Shine resigned over business and family reasons and Ciaran McCabe took charge for the final game against Dublin.
The result mattered little as Kerry were already relegated, but in fairness to the Kingdom they gave a good account of themselves before bowing to Dublin’s superior quality.
Eddie Sheehy of Na Gaeil has taken on the management role since then on an interim basis and is seen as a steady pair of hands. Sheehy has been around the Kerry ladies club scene for a number of years and is well respected in the game. Like all Kerry managers he will be judged on results though, so there will be pressure to get a result against Waterford on Sunday.
Waterford enjoyed an excellent National Football league campaign and won six out of their seven games before falling to Cavan by 1-8 to 0-8 in the semi-final. They have quality players in their ranks and the likes of Maria Delahunty, Aine Wall, Geraldine Power, Katie Murray, and Eimear Fennell will have to be held.
There is no doubt that the Deise will try to target Kerry’s restarts once again. It has worked before so they will see that as a weakness in Kerry’s game. Waterford tend to try to play the game at a high octane level with runners coming from deep and this tactic has troubled Kerry in the past. They will come into the game with confidence and the wide pitch at Fitzgerald Stadium will suit their style of football.
Eddie Sheehy is only in the Kerry hot seat for a few weeks, but he has already left his mark. His new management team consists of Colm Horgan of ISG, Mike Barrett of Na Gaeil and well known basketball coach Liam Culloty, also of Na Gaeil.
Joby Costello is the goalkeeping coach, while Aoife Newell of Corofin in Galway will continue in her strength and conditioning role. Sheehy has also appointed Janice McHugh to take care of the admin work while Patricia Lynch will work on the stats side of things.
The Kerry squad has a familiar look about with vastly experienced players like Lorraine Scanlon, Sarah Houlihan, Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh, Eilis Lynch, Aislinn Desmond and Amanda Brosnan available for selection.
They held a training session last Sunday in Fitzgerald Stadium in preparation for the big game and reports coming from the camp indicate that there is a good buzz in the squad. The team will train again on Wednesday and Friday and thankfully Sheehy has an injury free squad to choose from.
A good start is vital for Kerry in front of their home crowd. They have been marred with fundamental mistakes in possession and sloppy turnovers in the past, and it is important that they do the basics well.
Waterford will play with a defensive orientated game and will hope to hit Kerry on the break. They have the pace to hurt Kerry in transition and the kingdom will have to ensure that they stop the ball up high and early.
Kerry get a hesitant vote to win, but they will be put to the pin of their collar as Waterford will travel with confidence.