The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Kingdom have real chance again
Kerry will be third favourites for the league title, but they’ve got every chance of reaching the final
IN the aftermath of a defeat you tend to end up looking at things in a glass half full kind of way and, being honest, it’s probably a trap we fell into ourselves after last year’s National Hurling League.
After Kerry lost out to Westmeath – beaten fair and square and probably a little more comprehensively than the scoreboard suggested – in the Division 2A final in Cusack Park in Ennis, we fretted that Kerry might have missed their best chance to return to the top table for a couple of years.
By definition a final is the best chance you’re going to get, but we were probably a little hasty in our more pessimistic forward looking analysis. It’s by no means a given that Kerry can get back to that point again, but equally it’s by no means a given that they can’t or that they won’t.
As a matter of fact the closer to this year’s campaign we get the more quietly optimistic we’ve become. Kerry have a chance, a real chance of making a National League final in six or seven weeks time.
Fintan O’Connor’s men aren’t favoured to do so, Antrim and a rejuvenated Offaly are the favourites at this stage, but it doesn’t take much of a stretch of the imagination to envisage the Kingdom crashing the party.
The main reason why is the fixtures list – it’s been fairly kind to the Kingdom, with both of the big guns coming calling to Austin Stack Park. In what’s likely to be a three horse race for the top two places, the Kingdom have both their main rivals on their home patch. That’s not nothing.
Of course, that advantage might count for little if Kerry can’t get the better of the other three sides in the group. All three are counties Kerry have been comfortably better than for the last three or four seasons, all three are counties operating at a level below the Kingdom in championship hurling and, yet, with all three on the road it’d be foolish to take anything for granted.
Yes Kerry hammered both Mayo and Meath last year, but did so in Austin Stack Park and Fitzgerald Stadium (in the snow no less) respectively. Mayo were at a particularly low ebb this time last year and have been boosted in the meantime by Tooreen’s brilliant run to the All Ireland club intermediate semi-final.
It’s important to remember too that when Kerry played Meath in Killarney there was very little at stake. Kerry were already qualified for the league final and Meath were already safe from relegation... so how much should we read into that? Very little we’d suggest.
Since then the Royals have secured their return ticket to the Joe McDonagh Cup – they saw off Down in the final of the Christy Ring Cup in a landslide victory, 4-19 to 2-15 – and shouldn’t be wanting for confidence.
Heading to Castlebar and heading to Trim or Navan, Kerry will be fancied and will have to fancy themselves, but to suggest those are gimme games really is a step too far for the reasons we’ve already outline. They will be competitive games and if
Kerry aren’t fully tuned in and on their game they’ll get turned over and talk about league finals will begin to look fanciful.
Really that’s the interesting thing about this competition. It’s full on right from the off. Right from this weekend’s visit to MacHale Park, Kerry are going to be under pressure to deliver. There’s no easing your way intoitwiththisgroupand,you know what, that’s just what these hurlers want and need.
Even the trip to Aughrim to face Wicklow should give Kerry plenty to think about. As Fintan O’Connor says elsewhere on these pages, logistically it’s a tough enough place to get to from North Kerry and Wicklow can be sticky enough on their home patch.
It’s important to remember too that the Garden County come into this campaign with a bit of momentum behind them having been promoted from Division 2B last year – they saw off Derry in the final – but didn’t make the kind of impact in the Christy Ring as they would have liked.
From this remove it seems as though – even with all the caveats – that those are winnable games leaving the two games in Austin Stack Park as make or break. The vibes out of Offaly
are, for the first time in a while, fairly good and their win the Kehoe Cup final will be a real confidence booster ahead of the league.
The Faithful have Meath at home first day out and if they win that will carry with them meaningful momentum to Austin Stack Park a week later. With Kilkenny great Michael Fennelly at the wheel, there’s an obvious feel-good factor and a feeling that things can only get better.
Still it wasn’t that long ago that Kerry turned them over in Stack Park and relegated them to the Christy Ring Cup and Kerry probably should have been a bit more comfortable in that game than they ultimately were.
There’s no reason to think Kerry can’t do a number on Offaly for the second time in twelve months, but even if Offaly do get the better of Kerry in a week and-a-half’s time they’ll probably have one last chance on the final day of the group phase to secure their passage to the final with the visit of Antrim.
If we’re fearful of an Offaly revival then we have to be fearful of Antrim too, given that just a point separated them in the Kehoe Cup final the other week – 1-16 to 1-15 – and given the fact Antrim were big winners over
Kerry in the Joe Mac first round last year.
There were extenuating circumstances around that game in Dunloy – the club football month cutting into preparation time principally – but when Kerry and Antrim face off there’s rarely that much in it.
At this stage we’d probably put Kerry’s chances of reaching the Division 2A final at no better than fifty / fifty. They’ll need to hold up their end of the bargain away from home and secure at least one win over their rivals when they come calling.
It’s important to consider too that Kerry should probably be a bit stronger for this campaign than they were for the Joe McDonagh Cup. Four big players have returned to the fold – Fionnán Mackessy, Eric Leen, Brandon Barrett and Shane Nolan – who will strengthen the Kingdom all over the pitch.
As well as that Kerry boss Fintan O’Connor will look to continue his policy of blooding young players with guys such as Causeway’s Evan Murphy – brother of captain Bryan – joining the panel and providing extra defensive cover.
Unfortunately there have also been some departures. Jack Goulding is working in London. Patrick Kelly has retired and Jason Diggins looks set to miss the opening couple of rounds of the league through injury although he will be back before long.
Kerry have some very fine hurlers all over the pitch. They’ve got stability on the sideline. They’ve got players back, they’ve got up and comers. The question is can they reach the final? They can. You’ll forgive us for not considering if they can win the final until they reach it, but as we say there’s no reason to think they can’t be at this stage as long as they have the ambition (which they do), the work-rate (which they do) and a touch of luck along the way.
It wasn’t that long ago that Kerry turned Offaly over in Stack Park and relegated them to the Ring Cup