Ladies not ‘looking past’ Tipp insists Darragh Long
MUNSTER LADIES SFC (Round 1)
Kerry v Tipperary
Saturday, April 20 Fitzgerald Stadium, 1.45pm
DUSTING themselves down after the recent league final defeat to Armagh, Kerry are determined to hit the ground running when they entertain Tipperary in their Munster ladies football SFC opener at Fitzgerald Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
That reversal to the Orchard County at Croke Park a fortnight ago has given the Kingdom management plenty of food for thought, following an impressive overall campaign in which they dished out regular playing opportunities to several members of the extended squad.
With a belief that there is greater strength-in-depth within the fold, even without the hugely influential Siofra O’Shea, who is continuing her rehabilitation from a cruciate knee ligament injury, joint-manager Darragh Long has also pinpointed several learnings from the Armagh loss.
“Kick the ball over the bar, simple as that. We left a lot of scores after us the last day in Croke Park, especially in the first 15 or 20 minutes. Against a top team, you can’t afford to have such a low conversion rate,” he stressed.
“There are other things as well. We need to be more consistent when we play, and I suppose we need to earn the right to impose our game-plan on teams as well. Nothing is ever given at this level of sport.
“Maybe that’s a good learning for us over a couple of games in the league, where we thought we just needed to rock up and play our style of game. Teams don’t allow you to do that, and we can’t be naïve enough to think that they will allow us to do that.
“At the end of the day, we’re a very, very good team, competing at a very high level for the last couple of years. We’re a target for a lot of teams, and we just have to be prepared to go out there, be consistent in our play, and earn the right to win every game that we compete in.”
With no injuries picked up in Dublin, Kerry will, pretty much, have a full squad to select from on Saturday, and following last year’s 2-8 to 1-5 victory over the Premier county in Bansha, Long is fully aware that they cannot under-estimate this weekend’s opposition.
“This is one competition that myself and Declan [Quill] haven’t won since we’ve taken over, and it’s something that we would love to bring back to Kerry. We’ll be going all guns blazing to try and win the Munster championship, but we’re looking no farther ahead than Tipperary,” he added.
“They had a relatively decent league campaign in Division 2. Yes, they didn’t come out of there, but they’ve been building quietly, and any team with the likes of Maria Curley, Anna Rose Kennedy, Aishling Moloney, Lauren Fitzpatrick, are a team to be reckoned with, and not one to be looking past.”
Playing as the curtain-raiser to the men’s
Kerry v Cork provincial semi-final is obviously a huge incentive for the ladies to immediately get back on the horse and restart a winning run. The Kingdom faithful will also be able to play their parts on Saturday afternoon. “Any time that the ladies get a chance to open up for the men is something that we have to jump at. It’s what we want to promote the game. The Kerry supporters have got behind our team over the last couple of years, and have seen how good that we can play, and how entertaining a game it is.
“To be going out in Fitzgerald Stadium, which is one of the best sods in the country, on Saturday, is going to be brilliant. The forecast is good, which makes it even better. We’re just hoping that the Kerry crowd get there a bit early, and cheer on the girls.”
Verdict: Kerry