Jack Barry’s stock rises in his absence

SORRY to come over all Joni Mitchell on you, it’s true though, you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone. There was no great wailing or gnashing of teeth when it became clear that he wouldn’t be available for selection this season, opting to go travelling for the year instead of one more spin on the inter-county merry-go-round.

Not to speak for everyone – we wouldn’t presume – but if we were to characterise the reaction (broadly speaking) within the county it would be a shrug of the shoulders, best of luck to the guy, we move on, let’s see who’s ready to step up. Kerry being Kerry there was a presumption – spoken and unspoken – that there was plenty more fish in the sea. That nature, abhorring a vacuum, would before long find somebody to step into Jack Barry’s boots and do so seamlessly enough. But were it that simple. Barry, you see, was a misunderstood sort of a footballer, even within a county that prides itself on its knowledge of the game. Just because he wasn’t the most flashy of footballers, or even the most skilful, doesn’t mean he wasn’t invaluable to the cause. There have been a couple of times already this season when his absence was felt, the first half against Derry for example. Saturday’s game in Croke Park, though, was the most obvious manifestation of it.

And, no, not because of the narrative that developed that he’s the only man to tackle Brian Fenton. Fenton is, as we’ve said on these pages before, probably the most influential footballer (not to mention midfielder) of his generation. Fenton doing as Fenton does is one of those things you almost have to factor in, a bit like how opposition managers factor in David Clifford. The issue, then, on Saturday was more the way the defence was left badly exposed. Some of that obviously is down to the sheer relentlessness of a Dublin side on the front-foot with oodles of possession and blood in their nostrils. More of it was down to the fact Barry wasn’t there doing the things he did, for which he got very little credit. Tadhg Morley was left exposed with Seán Bugler, Ciarán Kilkenny and Brian Fenton coming at him all night long. That extra layer of stability that Barry provided – that neither Diarmuid O’Connor nor Joe O’Connor has yet mastered – was badly wanted.

It had knock on effects for the full-back line where the normally assured Jason Foley was taking on water all evening long. The Ballydonoghue man was run ragged on Con O’Callaghan, who’s up there with Fenton as one of the players of his generation, but the problems started further out the field. That’s not to, you know, excuse a poor performance from Foley. Footballers at this level tend to be ruthlessly self-critical, so he’s not going to be going around looking for excuses this week, but there are extenuating circumstances.

Look, we’re not saying that Kerry would have won the game if Jack Barry was available for selection. The gulf between the sides was yawning on this occasion, but we don’t think Kerry would have been as cruelly exposed if the Na Gaeil man was on the pitch. In time Joe O’Connor or Cillian Burke or Seán O’Brien might step up, but if this has proven anything it’s that replacing a man in his prime isn’t easily done.