The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
‘We’re after picking up a lot of players this year’
THE IT Tralee hurlers will have a strong squad of players at their disposal ahead of their assault on the Ryan Cup, which gets underway next week against Athlone IT on home soil.
“We’re after picking up a lot of players this year,” manager Tadhg Flynn told The Kerryman this week.
“Squad players, a couple of players have come in. With college teams, squads would vary from year to year. This year a good bunch of freshers seem to have come into Tralee IT.
“What we have done is that we’ve got people in through the carpentry course. Last year we got noone. This year we’re after picking up three. We’re lucky in that regard, we picked up three or four there and three or four freshers as well.
“Like the likes of Michael Slattery from Abbeydorney, who’s a former Kerry minor footballer. He’d add serious pace to the full-forward line and Michael Leane has come in as well so he adds more pace as well.”
Encouragingly and interestingly there’s a strong Kerry hue to the IT’s line-up.
“Kerry county players we would have Jason Diggins [Causeway] has joined the squad, Fionán Mackessey [St Brendans], Michael Slattery [Abbeydorney], Gavin Dooley [Causeway], Adam O’Sullivan [Crotta O’Neills], Shane Nolan [Crotta O’Neills] is with us and Michael Leane from Ballyheigue is with us,” Flynn continued.
“Not on the Kerry panel, but with us is Cathal Kearney [Ballyduff], Ronan Donovan from Abbeydorney, Jason Wallace from Lixnaw has also joined the squad in the last week or so.
“Outside the county we would have Darragh Kennedy who plays with the Limerick senior footballers, but he played hurling all the way up along with the Limerick Under 21s.
“We have Josh Adams a Limerick Under 21 full-back from Ballybrown. Then you Jack Sheridan he joined us with a FÁS scheme he’s from Kildare, he actually got two goals in the Christy Ring Final for Kildare, he joined in with us.”
Kerry star Shane Nolan is sure to be the main man up front for the IT, but with young players of the quality of Michael Slattery and Gavin Dooley also featuring up front the college should have plenty of firepower at its disposal.
No doubt a run to the finals weekend at the end of February would be of benefit to the development of these young Kerry hurlers. Their progress is sure to be monitored closely by Fintan O’Connor and the Kerry senior hurling management team – starting next week against Athlone.