Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Every county will have to take a pull somewhere along the way
FRUITFUL OUTING: Donal O’Sullivan of Kerry in action against Thomas McPhillips of Monaghan. Pic: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
Since Kerry have returned to training it is highly likely that Jack O'Connor has been encouraging the players getting an opportunity to take their chance. It is vital from the squad perspective that they step up and show they have the capacity to survive at this level.
It will deepen the squad and intensify competition for places, neither of which is bad. Many of the players getting their chance to shine have been around the block and are quite experienced. For them, it is about taking the next step. Barry O’Sullivan is an example of a player in this space. He was on the squad in 2018 but hadn’t been involved in the meantime. In both games so far in this league, he has been effective as a defensive midfielder, and being a link when they look to move it forward. He is strong in the air and is a decent kickout option. Similarly, Stefan Okunbor has been coming on and replacing him to see out the games in a similar role. It is working and with David Moran’s recent retirement, it's an area of the field that the management will be anxious to get right as soon as possible.
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