Backroom team get tactics spot on
AFTER watching Kerry struggle to beat Antrim in the last round of the qualifiers, I had doubts that the Kingdom management and players could turn their season around in just eight days.
Yesterday Kerry turned up in Croke Park for an All-Ireland quarter-final with all the answers and their team passed their toughest examination with flying colours to confound all the pre-match predictions.
Great credit must go to Jack O’Connor and his management team for the game plan and to the players for the manner in which they carried it out, particularly in the first half when they ended this game as a contest. Stephen Cluxton’s kickouts have been central to all of Dublin’s victories in the last number of years.
Yesterday, in the first half, Kerry turned one of Dublin’s greatest weapons completely to their own advantage, securing 13 of Cluxton’s clearances by forcing him to kick the ball to the middle of the field where Seamus Scanlon in particular and Darragh O Sé won clean catches while their colleagues hoovered up breaks.
Having completely upset the Dublin strategy, Kerry proceeded to do what they had not done in the qualifiers and registered their dominance of possession on the scoreboard. Colm Cooper was back to his imperious best and the two O’Sullivans, Darran and Declan, along with Tomás O Sé, were also on target.
Five of the six Kerry forwards were too good for their direct opponents with full forward Tommy Walsh making way for Tadhg Kennelly before the interval.
Illustrating Kerry’s dominance of the first half, Diarmuid Murphy only kicked out the ball five times – with his own players winning four of those, two from short kick outs ironically. The Kerry back line were comfortable through the half, all six winning their individual battles. Again credit must go to the Kerry management for their selection of Tom O’Sullivan to police Bernard Brogan and the returned Mike McCarthy on Paul Flynn.
Indeed McCarthy and Tomás O Sé attacked regularly, McCarthy setting up the goal and O Sé scoring two points in this half. O’Sullivan got in on the act with a tremendous point.
2. DUBLIN collapse in spectacular fashion.
WHEN Kerry were dominating the middle third, it was obvious that Ciarán Whelan would be called upon to try and save the day. He was introduced after 15 minutes and although he toiled manfully he was not able to turn the tide. After emptying the bench, the perceived depth in the Dublin panel this year turned out to be a mirage when their need was greatest. The story of the second half is easily told. Kerry, with the hard work completed, defended in numbers and stormed up the field when Dublin attacks broke down.
Kerry did not put the same pressure on Cluxton’s short kick outs in this half allowing him to find a blue shirt with eight out of 13 efforts but they defended with discipline and only conceded a consolation goal 14 minutes from the end. But Kerry stormed down the field to kick four points, three from play and win by an astonishing 17 points. Unfortunately for this Dublin team their defeat was a mirror image of last year’s quarter-final collapse to Tyrone.
3. YOU can’t beat a good row in the camp.
MAYBE every county will start having ‘disciplinary issues’ in the lead up to big games.
But despite all the talk of trouble down south, Jack O’Connor was vindicated in his assertions that his team were not far off a good performance and in the “big house at their favourite time of the year” his team produced big time.
With one game, they have literally resurrected their season. Only a championship win over Tyrone could better this victory for the Kerry camp.
