Championship

Preview of Kerry Vs Limerick in the All Ireland Quarterfinal

July 26th, 2011
by Weeshie Fogarty

The general consensus of opinion as regards being drawn against Limerick in the quarter final next weekend is to say the very leased mixed. Some are saying that a game against a county from a different province would have been more preferable and then others believe that what might be regarded as a easier game is a far better result. However no matter what way you examine the situation it makes not one whit of a difference now and Jack o Connor will have only one thing on his mind and it will not be "what might have been". All his focus and those of his squad will centre on one thing only and that is not to be caught on the hop as what happened last year against Down. And throughout the year in interviews with press and radio with myself the Dromid man kept harping back to the lack luster preparations for that game twelve months ago. I am of the opinion that this is a very good draw for Kerry and while they will be fully expected to advance to the semi-final the game will I am convinced be approached as if it were an All Ireland final against Tyrone, Dublin or Cork. The Kerry tradition is, respect, and not fear the opposition. This mantra has served the county well over the decades.  It's an unusual state of affairs to discover that Kerry might reach the All Ireland final without playing a team from another providence having already met Limerick and Cork who should be our opponents in the semi-final.

While I like all other pundits will fully expect Kerry to win it is a game that has to be treated with the greatest respect because it is in these qualifying matches that the so called "weaker counties" have the best chance of causing a major upset. Who will ever forget 2009 in Tralee and that missed penalty by Sligo, or should I say that penalty brilliantly saved by Kerry goalie Diarmuid Murphy as the home side struggled to a 0-14 to 1-10 victory. I must admit at being delighted to see Limerick reaching this stage of the championship and have their day out in Croke Park. No county deserves a day out with the big guns more so than Maurice Horans men. During the last decade or so Limerick has suffered some terrible heartbreak on the field of play under the manageship of those two exemplary and dedicated football fanatics Liam Kerins and Mickey "Ned' o Sullivan. Some extremely dubious (to say the least) refereeing decisions and near misses, and high fielding by Dara O Se have prevented them from winning that elusive Munster championship. They have lost up to ten players from last year's panel including their legendary mid fielder John Galvin. And still they continue to surprise and their recent run is well worth noting.

Their second half display against Kerry in the recent Munster semi-final was a massive improvement from the first thirty five minutes and they will know well that if they repeat their sub standard performance from the throw in at Croke Park they will be literally blown off the pitch. So did Kerry take their foot of the pedal in that second half against Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds and then later in the Munster final against Cork in Killarney the same thing happened as Cork attacked in waves against a seemingly tiring Kerry defence. We will watch this aspect of Kerry's play carefully next week-end. This is a high scoring Limerick side. Including their championship games against Kerry, Waterford, Offally and last weekend Wexford they have amassed the grand total of 7-54 pts. Now this is great scoring in any man's language and I expect that their two dual players who have been tied up with the Limerick hurlers to return to the bench. Stephen Lucy and Mark Riordan will add great dept to the squad. However the loss of their excellent mid fielder Thomas Lee, he got a red card last Saturday will be a big blow to them.

However there are a lot of positives for Jack o Connor as he brings his troops back to headquarters and having been studying the boys in training it appears the preparations have been going very well. As always a few niggling injuries but the fact that Paul Galvin, Thomas o Se and Tommy Griffin are back in full action will add greatly to the squad. And as we have often said here an All ireland will not be won unless you have at least four top class experienced men to come on during the course of the game. Kerry in Croke Park will be a different kettle of fish for Limerick to handle than meeting them in the Gaelic Grounds or Killarney. Most of the time, not always The Kingdom raise their game considerably in the wide open spaces of headquarters and the pressure and atmosphere of the occasion brings out the very best from each and every panel member.

The selectors will be slow to change the Munster final winning starting fifteen and then again this occasion will give them a great opportunity to afford the returning men a hard run out before the hoped for semi-final against Cork. It will be absolutely vital that these men get as they say "good game time", they have missed a lot of action and their match fitness might well decide the winning or losing of this year's championship.  I expect Connor Counihan's men to beat Mayo. Corks 2-20 scoring spree against Down whatever way you look at it was very impressive. Injuries however are mounting up for them, a story for another day here. It was I must add the worse display I have ever seen from a Down side in Croke park and I have seen them all since their first in 1960. Finally this is a fighting, very spirited, experienced, ( that word again) proud Limerick side containing some excellent players and they will as in the Munster match fight to the bitter end.

The Croke Park surroundings however will prove too much for them and I expect the Kerry forwards to chalk up the necessary winning scores. I find every Kerry league or championship game intriguing and fascinating and you will always learn from what you see. The same applies here, we will learn more about our future prospects. Kerry as is their history most of the time play their best football in Croke Park. A defeat really is unthinkable.



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