Why Munster’s a title worth winning
Sure, those dedicated pilgrims gathering and watering ahead of the game this weekend in Jimmy O’Brien’s pub will be a little bit giddy after the promise of a decent league campaign.
And there will be a moment before throw-in at Fitzgerald Stadium and Páirc Uí Chaoimh tomorrow when the supporters of Kerry and Cork feel a shiver of anticipation as the summer road opens up before them with the promise of a golden autumn but once that brief tingle that accompanies the beginning of every championship season passes it will be down to business as usual.
In truth, there is more chance of something unexpected happening during a broadcast of the Angelus than there is of an upset in Cork or Kerry.
For the supporters of Tipperary and Clare, hardy outsiders in their own counties, there will be another chance to watch their footballers measure themselves against the best.
The consensus afterwards will inevitably be that neither Cork nor Kerry learnt very much. Bigger tests down the road and all that.
As we look beyond tomorrow, the pundits seem to have agreed a neat list of truisms regarding both counties’ prospects of September glory. Kerry have the forwards to beat anyone, but a separate minibus will have to be hired to bring their defence to games from the nursing home. Their midfield seems uncertain as it tries to settle in front of an audience that still speak in hushed tones of the departed.
And Cork? Well Cork have the strongest panel of footballers ever assembled by Gael. No, you ain’t seen strength in depth until you’ve buried your eyes deep in the marvel that is the Cork football panel.
These truisms may be challenged in Munster but they will only be truly tested in Croke Park in August and beyond.
The challenge for Kerry tomorrow is to show all those who show up, especially the opposition, that there are no signs of weakness at this early stage. The curiosity factor will be in Eoin Brosnan’s performance in his first championship outing at centre-back, in club-mate Kieran O Leary’s form at corner-forward but mostly in the minty fresh midfield pairing of Anthony Maher and Bryan Sheehan.
After watching Kerry’s final league outing against Down in Killarney, I assumed, as many did, that Brosnan would be the default midfielder for the championship after an outstanding afternoon’s work on James Colgan and Kalum King. That he isn’t is probably down to the need to accommodate Sheehan (equally impressive as a half-forward against Down) and to the need to find out if Maher can muscle his way into championship 2011.
Either way, Brosnan offers a calm, intelligent physical presence at centre-back but by the time Munster final comes around, he is unlikely to be asked to track Patrick Kelly and he needs to prepare himself for that.
The aforementioned Kelly is one of the main reasons Cork supporters will part with the shekels and show up in Páirc Uí Chaoimh tomorrow. His second-half performance in last month’s league final was as good as we have seen from any forward these last 12 months and Cork’s continued success this year will hinge on the likes of Kelly, Ciarán Sheehan, Daniel Goulding and Donncha O’Connor continuing on their upward curve and becoming the star attractions of the game over the next 12 months.
John Galvin’s recent injury in a challenge game for Limerick means that, barring a surprise as great as hearing a free form jazz interval during the Angelus this evening, it is unlikely that anyone other than Cork and Kerry will be in Fitzgerald Stadium for the Munster final in July.
Whatever the scoreline that day it will come with a caveat. Players will do the respectful thing and say that ‘Cork against Kerry is Cork against Kerry’ but ever since the GAA opened the doors of its Second Chance Saloon for business we have had to ask ourselves questions that were previously unthinkable. Questions like, did Kerry really want to beat Cork or did Cork really want to beat Kerry?
Although Kerry’s experience against Down last year might give them pause for thought, you feel that both sides could benefit from another Munster crown in 2011.
Kerry would certainly see the value in sowing the seeds of doubt in Cork minds before a potential winner-takes-all showdown on the main stage. They might also benefit from proving early on that even if they are a team in flux, the normal rules of transition do not apply in the Kingdom.
Like all teams shaking off the hangover of success in a bid for greatness the All-Ireland and National League champions will be seeking to maintain momentum in 2011 by setting themselves targets.
A first victory over Kerry in Killarney for 16 years would be a serious milestone in the evolution of this team.
All this talk in late May of a Sunday in early July is jumping the gun, maybe, but until such a time as the Tipperarys and Clares start to do what some of their underage teams have been doing with a degree of consistency, the que sera, sera approach will always prevail.
And, like Prometheus’ liver, the underlings will prepare to be eaten alive only to regenerate again for the next time!
- Aguisín: This time last year in Semple Stadium, Kerry’s championship bow was over-shadowed by the debate surrounding the hand-pass. Interestingly, the debate would remain dormant until Kerry’s eventual exit against Down. I really hope that the wise guys don’t try and use the big guns’ entrance into the arena in Cork or Killarney tomorrow to hammer home some obscure message like they did last year. I was encouraged by Maurice Deegan’s performance in Ballybofey — sensible and firm without any over-zealous flashing of cards. Let us hope Maurice Condon and Eddie Kinsella follow suit.
