Kerry must back it up
JOE McDONAGH CUP (Round 2)
Kerry v Down
Sunday, April 28
Austin Stack Park, Tralee 1pm
AND now for the hard part: backing it up.
Last Sunday was, in a lot of ways, a free hit for the Kingdom. They were further under the radar than your average Iranian attack drone. Written off is the cliché, and maybe not too far from the truth of it on this occasion.
Probably it’s not entirely fair to say they were under no pressure – internally there would have been at least some – but they were under no burden of external expectation that’s for sure.
After their stirring victory in Cusack Park that’s changed and changed utterly. All of a sudden people are expecting things of them. The Kingdom are expected – judging by the bookmakers’ odds – to see off Down this weekend.
From rank outsiders to the warmest of favourite and all in the span of a couple of days. Life comes at you fast as the kids say. Not that the Kingdom will be complaining, this is what they want, to be in the mix, in the conversation as Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers once memorably put it.
Still just as we cautioned against completely dismissing Kerry’s chances last week, we’d caution people not get too far out ahead of themselves in the other direction on the basis of one (admittedly) top-class performance. One swallow doesn’t a summer make and all that.
Of course, if the green and gold can replicate the energy, intensity, work-rate, relentless running and scoring efficiency of last Sunday they should be well capable of taking the spoils against the Mourne men.
That, though, is an untested proposition until such time as the Kingdom prove they can do it back-to-back and do it having blown cover last week in the midlands.
Without wanting to take anything from the performance in Mullingar, one did get the sense that Westmeath sauntered into the game a little bit expecting to be able pull through in the end.
Joe Fortune’s men were sloppy, inefficient, and visibly taken aback at times by the ferocity with which the Kingdom attacked the game. They looked a touch complacent – expecting more time on the ball than Kerry permitted them – which we certainly can’t expect Down to be.
Ronan Sheehan’s men have been forewarned about this Kerry side now. To be fair we suspect Sheehan and co wouldn’t have been taking a trip to Tralee for granted no matter what, considering what happened in the league.
Kerry put in one of their better performances in the league when the sides faced off in Ballycran. Stephen Molumphy’s men racing into a seven-point half-time lead, before surrendering it in the second half.
The breeze was a factor, clearly, more so though there was the fact that Kerry lacked a bit of nous and allowed Down to run through them quite easily. Even though they’ve only played a handful of games in the meantime, we suspect Kerry will be a bit more streetwise on this occasion.
Generally speaking there hasn’t always been a whole pile between these two sides in the last four or five seasons. Kerry have won in Ballycran. Down have won in Tralee.
Indeed, Down pipped the Kingdom by a point the last time they played a Joe McDonagh Cup tie on the John Joe Sheehy Road. That was the current Kerry manager’s first Joe McDonagh Cup tie so we can be fairly sure he’ll not want a repeat of that.
There should be enough wariness on both sides to make this a properly competitive affair. It’s a top-of-the-table clash too with Down top on owing to score difference after their eight-point victory over Meath last weekend.
That margin of victory might have flattered Down a little bit according to reports, the Royals giving as good as they got only for the Mourne men’s three-goal haul to see them over the line.
Goals mean prizes and points as we all know too well. A timely reminder that Down have firepower and can strike at will. Tim Prenter scored two of the goals, the ever-impressive Dáithí Sands the other.
Down had a vast array of scorers against Meath, twelve in all, which compares favourably to Kerry’s five against Westmeath a day later and, while all of Kerry’s starting half-forward line all scored, there’s still a feeling Kerry lack a little firepower compared to their rivals.
Okay, 1-20 is a very respectable return, but only 1-8 of that was from play, and only 1-5 of that 1-8 came from the Kingdom’s front six. The continuing absence of Shane Conway is being felt, along with that of Dan Goggin who’s likely out until the Laois game at the earliest.
There’s a chance too that Kerry will be without the services of Luke Crowley this weekend, considering that the Kerry Under 20 footballers are due to play a Munster final against Cork in Tralee on Wednesday evening.
It’s unlikely, we suspect, that he’ll start at the very least, which could open the door up for Brandon Barrett to make his first start of this Joe Mac campaign.
The Causeway man looked more than ready for road when he came in off the bench against Westmeath and probably should be starting anyway at this stage.
Other than that, though, we can’t imagine there will be too many changes to the Kerry starting fifteen for Sunday in Tralee. Pretty much everyone on the pitch played up to scratch last weekend.
If they do so again here, we think the bookmarkers will be proven right. That’s not to say, however, that Down won’t go down without a fight. That’s not in their make-up and, as we’ve said time and again, in the Joe Mac anyone can beat anyone else on a given day.
Kerry need to be on their guard, and once they are, they should be okay.
Verdict: Kerry