Shamrocks will need luck to see off South

COUNTY SFC ROUND 1 South Kerry v Kenmare Shamrocks Saturday, August 25 Cahersiveen at 6pm Referee: Padraig O’Sullivan

A match that pits together footballers from almost all sides of the Iveragh peninsula, the visit of Kenmare Shamrocks to Con Keating Park to face last year’s beaten county finalists could be one of the most interesting games of the weekend and first round.

Kenmare narrowly avoided relegation from Division Two of the county league and in most respects they shouldn’t really be a match for the might of South Kerry. However, this is a club versus district fixture and the latter are usually slow starters in the county championship, even South Kerry, who were beaten by a club team in the first round last year.

At least Kenmare come into this game on the back of a morale boosting 4-13 to 2-9 win over a Kilcummin team that had everything to play for last weekend, and they also have the considerable forward talent of Stephen O’Brien, Sean O’Shea and Paul O’Connor.

South Kerry’s preparations will have been hampered by county league fixtures and there will have been little time to assimilate Killian Young, Mark Griffin and Brendan O’Sullivan into their plans.

Others such as Paul O’Sullivan, Graham O’Sullivan, Dan Daly and the evergreen Bryan Sheehan will help to maintain South Kerry’s position as a very real threat to Dr Crokes title defence, and Con Keating Park won’t be a familiar place for the Kenmare players.

Verdict: South Kerry