Clubs and county on a high
at HQ and here was his own club tasting glory. Congrats to Kilcummin on a wonderful achievement.
So after those two great victories we jumped in the car and headed for Tralee to see could our Kerry seniors put the icing on the cake. My god they didn’t disappoint, did they? As I made my way up into the terrace in Austin Stack Park it was noticeable that the place was buzzing. Between the music and the boisterous traveling Dublin fans it made for a great spectacle. The players from both sides bought into it too because they went hard at each other from the get-go. It was a game that football needed. It was a game that Kerry football craved.
Look, I’m not getting carried away here. It’s very early days and there is a long year ahead but it was very encouraging to see our lads mix it with Dublin and come out the other end with the win. Yes, it was only a one-point winning margin and Dublin were down to 14 men for the latter stages but it’s still a win that will do wonders for the confidence and self-belief of the group.
My concern leading into the game was how the Kerry management was going to approach it tactically. In fairness they got the balance spot on for the most part. Yes, we were defensively aware when we needed to be and got numbers back but we also attacked Dublin with a good running game and by kicking long when the opportunity arose. Take our goal for instance. Okay, it was a fortuitous break that fell for Stephen O’Brien to slot home but it came from strong support play and a long direct kick into the danger zone.
Dublin’s full back line - as I mentioned last week - is a weak link and Kerry went after that with good success. At the other end our backs coped okay with what is a well-oiled Dublin attack. They are a joy to watch at times. The constant rotation and movement of their forwards can be mesmerising for defenders but our lads did as well as they could. If I was to be critical I felt Paul Mannion got by Brian O Beaglaoich a bit too easy for his goal. When he received the ball down in the corner he was inevitably going to try and get on to his left side. It was a fantastic finish but could have been avoided.
There were some stand-out performances from our lads. Shane Ryan was solid and couldn’t do much about either goal. His kick outs for the most part were good. He is certainly improving with every game. I thought our backs as a whole did well with Peter Crowley and Paul Murphy showing great leadership. They are both performing very well and if Kerry are to have a good run in the summer they will need to keep it going.
Jack Barry put in a fine shift, in fact, I would say it was one if his better performances for a while. It’s no easy task staying the pace with Brian Fenton but Jack did well and should take good confidence from that. Gavin O’Brien had a decent game and certainly brings an aerial presence to the middle sector. He’s physically very strong and I like what I’ve seen from him so far.
Dara Moynihan was the pick of the bunch for me and deserving of the man of the match award. He just doesn’t stop. Whether it’s driving forward in attack or ferocious tackling as the first line of defence he is there. He looks to me like a young man who is taking his opportunity with both hands.
Paul Geaney’s form is a slight concern at the moment. His handling in particular let him down on Saturday night but it’s nothing to worry about. The cream always rises to the top and Paul will come good.
Right now Kerry are looking good. A place in the latter stages of the league is in their own hands. The early signs are positive but as Peter Keane pointed out after the game...there is nothing won in February!