UNDAUNTED BY any potential imagery of the last-chance saloon, Kerry manager Jack O’Connor stands at the bar counter and looks around. “I suppose you’ll be writing our obituary.”
Not where anyone can see it.
Despite an emphatic defeat by Cork in the Munster semi-final replay, O’Connor isn’t quite in the graveyard yet.
Three years ago he guided a team in crisis after a similar defeat in Páirc Uí Chaoimh to an All-Ireland title. But it’s not a trick you want to have to repeat.
He is happier with the display but mindful that Cork are looking less and less like the Munster specialists who could be relied on to lose touch when the action switches to Croke Park in August.
Time will tell.
One thing Kerry’s predicament has in common with 2006 is that the key to a solution lies again with Kieran Donaghy. The rookie centrefielder, whose evolution into a classic target-man full forward, transformed Kerry and football in general, is now a much-missed heavy hitter.
O’Connor says he expects Donaghy back in a month, the exact time span that separates the team from the qualifiers.
The other twin peak of the attack, Tommy Walsh, played on Saturday despite an ankle injury. Last week it scanned clear but the player clearly wasn’t right and had to be replaced.
There are other players who need to regain full fitness, find form or, in Paul Galvin’s case, serve suspension: a busy few weeks for any manager, even one who has won two All-Irelands.
O’Connor’s Cork counterpart Conor Counihan has to observe protocol. His team, progressing nicely into a powerful blend of experience and serious young talent, were impressive and the Munster final will be against a Division Four team – albeit one that nearly turned Cork over 12 months ago.
But caution is the keynote.
“The reality is that we let them back into a game we were dominating,” he said. “That was a feature with us before and something we had to address. We have a lot of work to do coming out of this game.
“We needed to win convincingly today, but once again we are only in a Munster final and that is going to be a serious battle. The dominance in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s of two and three teams is gone. It’s so wide open now that it’s going to be a serious challenge for us. Hopefully we can rise to that challenge.”
One of the middle-generation players, full back Michael Shields, tried his hand at AFL football with Carlton and returned last year a more explosive player. He emphasises the developing challenge of Cork’s panel.
“There’s a few of us there who played in the All-Ireland under-21 in 2006 and a couple more from this year. I’d say the average age is 24 or 25, and we’re confident that we can win an All-Ireland. But first of all we’ve to face Limerick. They’re a good side with a good manager in Mickey Ned O’Sullivan.
“Kerry are no bad team. They’ve won plenty of All-Irelands and they’re the team that knocked us out last year, so that has to be a big boost for us.”
Is this the sort of experience that would have helped to lure him home from Australia?
“Definitely.”
Kerry captain Marc Ó Sé is practical but concerned. Another injury problem for the team, he also knows enough about the qualifier route not to be beguiled by any assumptions that they can repeat the journey of 2006.
“The bottom line is we weren’t at the races today. We’ve a lot of work to do and it remains to be seen if we can lift it. Cork played a running game and we found it hard to get to terms with it. They had three or four fellas behind the ball the whole time.
“We didn’t stop them when they were coming out of defence and we didn’t seem to be getting the ball quickly enough into our forward line, and when we did get in we weren’t getting any real result. We are in the qualifiers now, we have to get back training, everyone to a man, if we want to turn this around. It will take one ferocious effort.”
