Championship

The niggling, lingering doubt remains

July 11th, 2006
by Weeshie Fogarty

It was certainly a great weekend for the grand old men of Gaelic football as Mick O'Dwyer and Billy Morgan showed, once again, their tremendous passion and dedication to the game to which they have devoted their lives, both on and off the field. O'Dwyer saw his Laois side defeat the All-Ireland champions Tyrone and one must wonder if this will be of benefit to Kerry if they advance to the latter stages. So a Kerry v Tyrone clash is now out of the question for this year anyway.

I have said before in this column - and I say it again - that Billy Morgan is right up there with Mick O'Dwyer and Sean Boylan as one of the great legends of the GAA. The Nemo Rangers' man record is magnificent and his great motivational prowess was always going to be a huge factor in last Sunday's thrilling Munster final. There can be no doubt but Morgan's preparation and his vast experience of Kerry and Cork clashes was the deciding factor which obtained the totally unexpected draw.

It's no good saying otherwise but Kerry were raging hot favourites to retain the title and no matter what the Kerry management team drummed into their players about 15 against 15, surely the word on the ground would get to the panel, if only in a subconscious way. Human nature being what it is, in a major sporting event such as this, it is nearly impossible to shield yourself completely from the raging favourites' tag which prevailed in the county in the run up to this match. On the other hand, next Sunday will be a horse of a different colour. And, of course, Cork were on a real winner in Killarney. Nobody gave them a chance of upsetting the odds and their game against Limerick was described as one of the poorest for many a year. I must admit here that I only saw highlights on the box and could not give an honest opinion on the standards or lack of them.

Mickey Ned O'Sullivan must feel very pleased this week as his Limerick side gave Cork the fright of their lives - despite what is said about the standard of that particular game. Kerry were struggling from the start last Sunday and while their will be many and varied opinions as to just what the problem is, I believe that at the moment the side is looking a little bit tired and the forwards are not gelling together as a unit. So put these two factors together and you are struggling. And it is common knowledge that Kerry have not been impressive in their three championship outings so far. The management know this full well and they will realise that this type of form will not win an All-Ireland. There is no way we could beat either Dublin or Armagh if we progressed that far.

I notice where some Armagh players have come out openly and admitted that winning the All Ireland is their sole aim and nothing else matters. No talk about taking one match at a time or worrying about the next game. What other county are saying that their ambition is the Sam Maguire itself. The Northern challenge is gearing up once again.

Cork looked hungry and sharp, in for and winning most of the breaks around the middle of the field - a sure sign that a side is on top of their game. I watched their strenuous half-hour warm up before the throw-in and the one tactic they were concentrating on most of the time was keeping possession of the ball when players were together in small groups and hand passing around opponents. And this they used with great effect in the match itself and also when necessary the played the swarming tactic - a ploy which Kerry have found so difficult to overcome. One particular passage of play in the first half under the terrace saw Darragh O'Sé surrounded by six Cork men and he was forced eventually to pass the ball to an opponent.

Nevertheless Kerry, to their credit, used their greater experience to get back in the game and its no easy task to come back whey you are six points down and struggling to find some bit of fluency to you play. Kieran Donaghy, Aidan O'Mahony, Seamus Moynihan Mike McCarthy and Mark O'Sé were excellent and Bryan Sheehan's free kicking, despite being a little bit off with one or two, was invaluable as the players dragged themselves back into the game. It was great value for the spectators and it is what Munster finals are all about. Tough, hard fought passionate, lots of controversy, and a nail-biting climax. What more could you ask for?

How would Kerry have responded if Donnacha O'Connor's daisy cutter had found the net instead of crashing off the butt of the post? This, in my opinion, was the turning point of the match. Of course the sending off of Anthony Lynch was crucial as Kerry stormed back with three points on the trot immediately following his dismissal. He deserved the sending off but I have no doubt that it was a reaction to the pulling and dragging he was subjected to off the ball in the opening half. On the other hand, the sending off of Kieran Donaghy was and still is a mystery. He did not appear to have even committed a simple foul. Still the referee sent the Tralee man for an early shower. It smacks of levelling up the score due to the dismissal of Lynch. Donaghy has now been sent off twice this year and he will miss the replay. He is going to be a massive loss, the young Stacks' man has been having a tremendous season and Darragh O'Sé has benefit greatly from his presence at his shoulder in the middle of the field. Bryan Sheehan might now be the man to move to the middle or, indeed, Eoin Brosnan might benefit from a run there.

And talking about Darragh O'Sé, last Sunday he became the Kerry player who has played the most championship games for his county in the long and glorious history of the Kingdom. And to cap it all, he handled more ball in the game than any other player on the field. So to the replay and both sides will benefit greatly from another game and remember they will have yet another match, win or lose, so plenty of opportunities to get things right, especially for Kerry. What ever about Cork, Kerry will be anxious to show improvement. The year is moving on and the team is far from settled? Their experience should see them through and they should have learned more from the draw about the unknown Cork side. This will stand to them.

However the niggling, lingering doubt remains - is the great hunger needed to win the big games still in the bellies. Next Sunday will answer a lot of questions.



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