O'Shea relishing dual role

Gaelic Football National League:If Dr Crokes manage to make the All-Ireland club final on St Patrick's Day there's a chance Pat O'Shea will arrive at training some night soon and suddenly realise he's meant to be with Kerry.

Since the start of the year O'Shea has been juggling his dual roles as club and county manager - if it's Kerry one night, it's Crokes the next - and that task becomes particularly demanding this weekend.

On Saturday afternoon he takes Dr Crokes to Nenagh for their semi-final replay against Moorefield, knowing the Killarney club are still marginal favourites to make their first All-Ireland final since 1992, when they won the title. From there he'll head straight to Cavan, where on Sunday afternoon Kerry face Fermanagh in round three of the National Football League, a game they'll want to win to keep their play-off hopes alive.

Trying to focus on two important games at the same time, admits O'Shea, hasn't been easy. Yet he's not complaining. When he took over as Kerry manager last November he knew he'd have both hands full heading into the new season, yet he embraced the challenge.

It's helped, though, that he's been in full-time coaching most of his adult life, and also well used to juggling between games, not just in football, but also hurling, basketball and seven-a-side soccer.

"Well, it has been very difficult," he says. "We were a little fortunate to come out with a draw on Sunday with Dr Crokes and that's left me preparing for two big games this week, but of course I'm hoping we get the right result this time on Saturday, and then it will continue on for another few weeks. As difficult as it is, it's not a position you can complain too much about.

"When I took the job at the end of last year there was always the small chance this would happen. But of course I'm thankful that it has. Having said that, it hasn't helped in getting focused totally on the Kerry job. It's about managing the best you can, and it has involved a lot of late nights. But then I have a lot of great people working with me in the club, and the same with the county. So it's not something to complain about."

Before he took over in Kerry there was talk that O'Shea would need to step down from his role as full-time games manager with the Munster Council, but in the end agreement was reached that he should continue. Coaching is clearly part of his make-up now. His first job out of college was as a full-time coach for the Kerry County Board, and in 1994 he was involved in a book on GAA skills drills.

"It's been two nights a week each with the club and the county," he adds, "and then a game or training at the weekend as well. The Munster Council job has been getting busy as well, with a lot of meetings going on at the moment, setting up various courses, and racing back and forth from Limerick and places like that."

He joked after Sunday's draw with Moorefield that between everything else going on this week he'd still try to get home for something to eat and to see the four kids. Yet family approval was one of his first considerations when agreeing to go with Kerry, and it will be no great concern to them if they hear O'Shea talking in his sleep this week, perhaps reeling off names of Crokes and Kerry players in succession as he attempts to finalise two different teams.

He has some injury concerns in both camps: Kerry's Seán O'Sullivan is troubled with a hip injury and unlikely to play on Sunday, and Darren O'Sullivan recently broke a hand and will be out for several more weeks. And with Crokes, defender Brendan Moriarty came out of Sunday's draw with a shoulder injury.

"That has responded well to treatment," says O'Shea. "We'll see how he gets on later in the week. But it looks like he may make it yet. A few of the Kerry lads are out too, but all that allows us to give other players the opportunity, which was always the intention during the league.

"We've given different players the chance so far and that will continue for the next few rounds of the league. We'll continue to make changes from week to week."

Despite all his commitments, O'Shea hasn't forgotten about Paul Galvin and Declan O'Sullivan, who are travelling around Australia: "We've been keeping in touch. They're due back towards the middle of next month, and will be back with us from then on. From what I've been hearing they've been keeping themselves in good shape out there."

Limerick football manager Mickey Ned O'Sullivan has passed a vote of confidence in the team which beat Fermanagh last weekend for the visit to Mayo on Sunday in Division One A of the league. Jason Stokes has recovered from injury and is included in the substitutes.

Offaly have made two changes in personnel for the Division Two A game against Longford. They continue their policy of rotating the goalkeeping position between Padraig Kelly and Kevin Meehan with Meehan starting on Sunday.

The other change in personnel on the side that overcame Carlow last time out is in attack, where Thomas Deehan comes in at right full forward. Scott Brady drops to the substitutes.

LIMERICK (SF v Mayo): S Kiely; S Gallagher, J McCarthy, P Browne; P Ahern, T Cahill, P Ranahan; J Galvin, T Carroll; G Noonan, J Ryan, J Cooke; J O'Brien, D Horan, M Reidy.

OFFALY (SF v Longford): K Meehan; E Byrne, J Quinn, N Grennan; P McConway, S Sullivan, K Slattery; C McManus, A McNamee; J Coughlan, N Coughlan, S Ryan; T Deehan, N McNamee, K Casey.