An injection of youth into an experienced panel has given the Kingdom a new lease of life, writes IAN O'RIORDAN
ONLY WHEN he listed the names of players to come back – “Tomás Ó Sé, Darran O’Sullivan, Donncha Walsh, Kieran O’Leary” – did the budding strength of Jack O’Connor’s Kerry panel become fully apparent.
The name Colm “Gooch” Cooper actually slipped his mind, although he’s hardly forgotten, and there’s also the still pending return of five-time All-Ireland- winning defender Tom O’Sullivan: “Tom is taking an extended break,” noted O’Connor, “and it might keep extending, I’m not quite sure” – and left it at that.
What is certain is that Kerry’s panel is shaping up nicely again, especially since the string of retirements or exiles at the end of the last decade. The difference is the injection of youth – as names such as Daniel Bohane, Peter Crowley, Brian McGuire, James O’Donoghue, Patrick Curtain and Barry John Keane all played standout roles in last Sunday’s six-point win over Down in Newry.
Keane wasn’t listed to start, and only got the call-up late on Friday after Darran O’Sullivan sustained a minor concussion during midweek training. Clearly intent on maximising the opportunity, Keane delivered a near virtuoso performance at centre forward, hitting four beautiful points from play – including three into the first-half wind.
Although marginally too old for the under-21 grade this year, Keane actually made his senior debut for Kerry in the 2010 championship, against Tipperary, but found his progress somewhat stalled last year when he ended up with an eight-week suspension in the early rounds of the league, following an altercation with Cork’s Noel O’Leary.
Keane then made several appearances as a substitute throughout the 2011 championship, although his late introduction in the All-Ireland final defeat to Dublin proved cruelly fateful as he was deemed guilty of the late, late free that allowed Stephen Cluxton step forth for the winner. That’s all history now, in the past, as the Kerins O’Rahilly’s clubman from Tralee looks forward to the rest of 2012, and beyond.
“I only got the late call up for Sunday, so you try and take every chance you get,” he says. “You don’t get many and you’ve to take that chance. Even when I first heard I wasn’t on the team I said I’d give as much as I can, and, luckily enough, I got a chance and said I’d really try take it.
“Because the standard inside on the panel right now is unbelievable. If you’re going bad there’s another fella who’s going to be miles ahead of you. So you’ve to keep it going. Jack (O’Connor) just tells everyone to work hard. That’s all we’ve to do as a team.”
The only difficulty for O’Connor now is deciding which players to start with, as more of the bigger names return. With only one away game remaining – against Cork on March 18th – and already well positioned for a place in the semi-finals, he can afford to continue in experimental mode, meaning the names of Keane and O’Donoghue and Curtain could become more prominent in the forward line.
“Yeah, the likes of Pa Curtain, Brian McGuire, are flying, in fairness,” says Keane. “They’ve really pushed on the older fellas. I’m still the younger fella as well, but you can see in training that they’re really giving it their all.
“The older fellas get a kick off that and the young fellas get a kick off the older fellas. So it’s trying to get some good team morale, really. And it’s nice that those of us coming through are all the same age. There are four of us who are the same age, just 21, so we’ve played with each other at minor and under-21 level and know each other well, and we’d push each other.
“But while there’s a few good news fellas in fairness the older fellas are keeping us going. If the heads go down or things go bad in training they’ll always pick you back up and tell you to keep going. That’s what they’re there for, like.”
One of those “older fellas” clearly inspiring those around him is Kieran Donaghy, who once again played in a new role at wing forward – where he constantly contested kick-outs, and also drifted deep into the defence to clear up loose ball.
“It’s enjoyable, a lot of easy ball,” is how Donaghy describes it, with just a little sarcasm. “At least there’s no one pulling and dragging out of you. But whenever I have a Kerry crest on me I don’t care what number I have on my back, even if I was a sub. It’s all about winning for Kerry.
“It’s good to show versatility as well. I’m not fooling myself either. I know how to play full forward as well, but it is good for this team that we have got options, that we have another plan and to try and vary it up a bit from game to game. But we’re building, trying to introduce young fellas into the team, and they’ve shown a great enthusiasm. It’s driving the rest of us on.”
