The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Minor face Farney army in All-Ireland semi-final
ALL-IRELAND MINOR FC SEMI-FINAL
FOR the first time since 2012 a Kerry Minor team will head to an All-Ireland semi-final without the seniors to follow them afterwards at GAA headquarters this Sunday as the Minors face Monaghan. Indeed the vast majority of support will likely to be for the Farney County with their All-Ireland semi-final with Tyrone at senior level to follow. The 2016 and 2017 Minor sides proved well able to cope without the seniors there in the All-Ireland Finals of the last two years but they face a tough assignment in a Monaghan side managed by one of the county’s most prominent characters in Seamus ‘Banty’ McEnaney.
‘Banty’ came very close to getting the better of the Kingdom at senior level in the last decade most notably in 2007 and 2008 but in helping Monaghan to an Ulster Minor title he now gets a chance to end Kerry’s 28 match winning run at Minor level since 2014. Loughlinn Power, Sean Jones, Andrew Moore and John Wilson are likely to provide Monaghan with their physical strength on Sunday as they have nearly double (seven) the amount of games this Kingdom have had in their campaign so far. Kerry need to raise their game from the Roscommon performance for the game’s grandest stage on Sunday regardless of support or amount of games played. Knockout competitions generally dictates the result is most important but the latter stages require a performance to go with it to achieve those aims.
The job might have been more or less done at half-time in Limerick but areas for improvement were very evident in the second period. That said Paul Walsh continues to be the standout performer so far in the campaign as Killian Falvey and Ruaidhrí Ó Beaglaíoch’s goals were reminders of their prominence in Pobalscoil Corcha Dhuibhne’s run to the Hogan Cup Semi-Final earlier in the year. Paul O’Shea looks comfortable in the role of captain as the half-back line of Colm Moriarty, Dan McCarthy and Dan Murphy have produced some very steady performances in the four games thus far.
Cork has been the true point of reference for this side’s mettle when properly tested. It produced all the right answers late on when the Rebels looked like forcing extra-time with an equalising goal until Jack O’Connor’s late winner. The drawn out nature of the competition makes a more forensic look more difficult as much as the drop in age but the County Minor Championship has filled the void perfectly in keeping the players sharp with a pretty big test coming now in their first competitive outing in Croke Park.
It’s hard to say precisely how much having players who played there beforehand helped Kerry Minor sides since 2014 get through examinations there but there can be no doubt they looked well able for the tests they encountered as part of the present winning run. Marc Kelliher has proven capable between the posts for the Kingdom and a strong defensive performance would go a long way towards sending Kerry into a fifth consecutive All-Ireland Final at this level with the proven record of the Kerry forwards in getting scores in their games thus far.
Patience might well be required if Monaghan set up in a defensive way but Peter Keane has set-up Kerry sides to be able to cope with most eventualities over his three years in charge. Senor managerial speculators might pay a bit more attention to Sunday’s curtain-raiser but Keane was firm on Monday in saying the Minors are his only focus for the time being. Indeed with a chance to add a further milestone for the county’s Minor success story it’s hard to blame him as he takes a Kerry Minor side to Croke Park for the sixth time in his three years.
A lot on Saturday might depend on who handles the occasion better, it’s just another outing to GAA Headquarters for Kerry but for Monaghan it is a significant milestone to have both Minor and Senior sides in Croke Park on the same day. If the Kingdom can deal with the strong Monaghan support and play to their potential, another All-Ireland Final is a strong possibility but it will require a combination of nerve and skill to get the better of the Farneymen particularly if their physical strength becomes a factor.