The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Keaneblasts‘adisasterofa situation’ as Kerry go straight through to Munster junior final
MUNSTER JFC FINAL Kerry v Cork Wednesday, June 27 Austin Stack Park, 7.30pm
KERRY junior boss Jimmy Keane has labelled it “a disaster of a situation” that the Kerry junior team and the Cork junior team will meet in tonight’s [Wednesday] Munster Final without either side having kicked a ball in anger in this year’s championship.
“It’s obviously a disaster of a situation,” the two time All Ireland winning manager told The Kerryman earlier this week.
“But it’s the same for Cork so we can’t complain about it in a sense going into this game, but from our own perspective it’s a total disaster. It was a great day out always, like last year we were above in Ennis and the guys got to play before the seniors at that stage always, which was a big day out and you were playing Limerick or you were playing Clare or whoever it was.
“Two years ago Limerick, behind in Killarney, we had to get a last minute goal to beat them, so you have to question the mentality of their county boards. They were that close to beating us, so in terms of development it’s a big step backwards for those counties, but I think a lot of it is financial that they just haven’t got the funding to be putting into a team and they don’t see a future for the competition of their own team.
“That’s why, but going back to us and Cork it’s not ideal by any manner or means, but it’s a level playing field.”
The situation means that Kerry have had to rely on challenge matches against the Kerry Under 20s as their main barometer.
“We started out at the start of the year with about sixty five players on paper that could actually play for the Kerry juniors this year and then you narrow it down and you see who’s interested, available, ie who’s going to America or anything like that and who’s not injured,” he explained.
“It quickly came to about forty five players and we started off in April and we played Green against Blue, I don’t call them A versus B, but a mixture of the teams and hopped them off each other for a couple of games and then I had always hoped that the Under 20s then would be interested in challenge games with us and they tried to source a few challenge games outside the county and that fell through for them, so then they fell back and we played them three times.
“We had different teams playing them the first two times, our first team they beat us and they played very well, the second time then we had a stronger team out and we beat them, I think we showed up a few flaws with them and the third time then was the best of our two teams against their final squad and that was a great challenge game and it was a draw between us.
“They were the barometer for us to narrow down the panel really. You can play fellas down against each other for long enough, but when you actually see them against opposition that’s how you can judge them against very high opposition that the Under 20s are.”
As for the Rebels, the Brosna native is justifiably wary of what they might bring to Stack Park this evening.
“I know nothing and I know an awful lot,” he said.
“If they bring the team they had last year I know they’re a damn fine side and we were fierce lucky to get over the line against them last year. All of them are eligible, the whole lot of them, but what they’re bringing I don’t know. I haven’t seen anything to do with their side.
“I thought we had a very strong team last year, but these boys matched us in every sector and went nine points up at the start of the second half and credit to our boys any other team might have thrown in the towel, but the likes of Brendan O’Sullivan who’s part of the Kerry extended panel, he came good then in extra-time.
“His level of fitness was probably a bit higher than the rest of them and a couple of other fellas as well that got us over the line, but it was so close. To try and gauge how good a team we are compared to last year, maybe we’ve a couple of fellas with us this year who didn’t make it last year so I’m hoping that it’s a progression on their side more than that we’ve gone back.”
Verdict: Cork