The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Causeway fancied to break through
COUNTY SHC SEMI-FINAL
SIX weeks is a hell of a long time to wait for a game.
It is under any circumstances. It’s not fair on a set of players or their management team. It means that whatever momentum had been built up in the earlier part of the campaign has well and truly dissipated by now.
Six weeks is an especially long time to wait for a game when your direct opponent has had a championship game in the meantime. Causeway did everything that was asked of them, they won their games and won them well and now they’re – in effect – being penalised for it.
It just had to be a disadvantage to them that Lixnaw’s wait for a game was a fortnight shorter. It just has to be a huge benefit to Lixnaw that they had that game with St Brendans the other week.
The manner of that victory over St Brendans is bound to stand to them too. A come from behind victory like that and the way Fergus Fitzmaurice’s men surged in the second half will fill them with confidence.
It will have done much to help them get over their defeat at the hands of Causeway in the second round. That day Causeway ran out nine point victors and looked good value for it. The one thing we can be near certain of is that this weekend’s game will not be a nine point game.
It’s highly unlikely that a somewhat rusty Causeway will be able to do the same again to a Lixnaw side whose confidence is surging. As a matter of fact Lixnaw will be viewing this as the perfect opportunity to pull off an upset.
Despite their long wait, Causeway still have to be considered the favourites for this game. The way Maurice Leahy had them hurling before the break was really encouraging and, crucially, when they were asked questions in their game with St Brendans they delivered the answers.
There seems to be a doggedness to this Causeway side. In circumstances where they’ve wilted in the past – suddenly under a pressure late on in a game they should have had wrapped up – they finished strongly. As well as everything else they’ve got real character.
Causeway have always had the quality – although maybe not always in abundance up front – they just needed that little bit of fight and spite. They have that now and they’re going to need it against Lixnaw.
For all the absentees they’ve had to cope with this summer, Lixnaw look to be developing a really nice side at the moment. It’s no slight against them that they needed John Griffin to come on against St Brendans to rescue matters.
A young team will always need a leader of the calibre of the man they call ‘Tweek’. Fitness permitting we’d expect him to start this weekend, perhaps alongside Pat Corridan who lined out at midfield the last day.
That battle around the middle third should be fascinating. Jason Leahy and Brandon Barrett have been manning the number eight and nine jerseys for Causeway and should continue. Add in Tommy Barrett at centre-back and Bryan Murphy at centre-forward and they’ve got plenty of quality in that middle third.
It says a lot about the quality of Causeway’s defence that they can afford to second Murphy – one of the best defenders in the county – to the forwards. Add Keith Carmody and Colum Harty to the mix up front along with Stephen Murphy and Gavin Dooley and it’s clear they now have the firepower they need.
Lixnaw too have plenty quality up front between the Conway brothers, Ricky Heffernan, James Flaherty and Jeremy McKenna. Lixnaw’s defence is strong too, but perhaps not quite as strong as Causeway’s in the continued absence of Maurice Corridan.
We really do expect this to be a close run thing. We expect Lixnaw to be sharper to begin with at least, but Causeway are men on a mission this year. As long as they remain competitive to begin with they have the quality – to start and on the bench – to round out a victory for their first final appearance in twelve years.