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You are > Home > Kerry pass first test but big Cork battle lies ahead
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Thursday, May 20, 2010
Kerry pass first test but big Cork battle lies ahead
IT says a lot when the big talking point of Sunday’s championship opener in Thurles centred around the new hand-pass rule, more so than the action on the field.
But that’s not Kerry’s fault or Tipperary’s, but the fault of the powers-that-be who brought this rule to pass. This rule should be sorted out as quickly as possible as it is taking away from the game.
It’s no wonder that the various managers across the country were up in arms after the action on Sunday.
The game itself in Semple Stadium went as I had predicted, and it was a good game for Kerry to get under their belt before the big Munster semi-final against Cork in just over two week’s time.
It was a good 70 minutes to get into the system on a big, open field like Semple Stadium, and it’s a match that can only benefit Kerry as the championship progresses.
But I think that the Tipperary management played into Kerry’s hands by their over-elaboration of the short hand-passing game that John Evans seems to have brought to the Premier County.
In some quarters this is judged as being progress but for me it’s not.
Perhaps, it’s a case of me being in a time warp but I am a great believer in the traditional game and it proves to be the game that gets results.
Retaining possession with negative hand-passing backwards and sideways will, in my view, leave one clutching at straws.
Look back at any team that has won the All-Ireland over the last 10 years – and this includes Tyrone – and their main tool of attacks has been the fast, long ball into their inside line.
Again, maybe I am one of the dinosaurs of the game but I am not a big fan of the short hand-passing game, as was on display in Thurles.
Looking at the Kerry team, I think that was our best starting 15 that took to the field. And while the forward unit seems to be working, the same can’t be said about the backs.
Maybe the Kerry management feels that the best form of defence is attack, which is fine if you have a strong midfield, but I don’t think this is the case with Kerry this year.
Look at Tipperary’s first goal on Sunday. Kerry were wide open down the middle. The same thing happened against Cork in the AllIreland final last year and while we came back then, and on Sunday, it won’t happen all the time.
A back’s first job is to defend and this should be enshrined into the head of the Kerry half back line. It’s fine to say ‘kill the ball if you go forward’ but that should never be the way at the expense of good defensive play. The careless approach will not do this year.
Based on the performance against Tipperary, it’s hard to get an accurate overview of how the team will perform throughout the year. We need to see Kerry in action in a more high-octane game, like against Cork, to properly judge this Kerry team and their hopes for the season ahead.
What I can say is that I believe that we saw Kerry’s best starting 15 on Sunday. Young Brendan Kealy will learn from the few mistakes that he made throughout the game, in terms of a few poor kick-outs and Barry Grogan’s punched goal that had a suspicion of a square ball about it.
The backs will have to work more as a unit and in doing that I believe that Kerry will have to devise a midfield strategy that will protect the centre of the defence.
For me, the main worry this year is Kerry’s midfield. It’s an area that concerns me and the game against Cork in early June is one that will tell a lot.
Looking at the forwards, it’s all plus points as they looked sharp and fresh on Sunday.
It’s imperative that Kieran Donaghy stays fit because he showed his worth, yet again, with an impressive all-round display, while Colm Cooper looked hungry for the ball, and both Declan O’Sullivan and Paul Galvin looked in great shape also.
A Bryan Sheehan that can contribute from play as well as from the placed ball will be a big asset to Kerry, and that’s just what we saw from the Kerry captain on Sunday as he put in a very good shift.
Donnacha Walsh was another who really caught the eye and then there was Barry John Keane who scored 0-2 when he was sprung from the bench in the final quarter.
I have to say that I was a little disappointed that Kieran O’Leary wasn’t given a run out because we know what Darran O’Sullivan brings to the table.
But there is plenty of football to be played this year and now all attention will turn to the Munster semi-final with Cork in Killarney where we can test the theory that the Rebels are favourites for the All-Ireland.
It’s no doubt that the Munster championship is on the Kerry radar this year because the straight route to Croke Park is the one that I feel that we need to take.
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