Kerry need to step it up for tougher tests
They have some very talented young forwards such as Shane Walsh and the hard working Michael Lundy who took his goal splendidly. And in Flynn and Ó Curraoin they have a midfield pairing that will improve in the coming years, and they more than held their own yesterday — a point I will come back too. Gareth Bradshaw tried hard yesterday too, however the sum of their parts is a “middling” Division Two team.
They have hung on in that sector for the past few years, but, they are a long, long way off the standards of the top Division One sides such as Dublin, Mayo, Donegal or Kerry.
They managed to compete for a while in the second half yesterday, and brought it back to a two-point game after Lundy’s goal and a point from Walsh, however, they only rattled Kerry’s cage, and never really looked like opening it up and going in for a kill.
Kerry always looked in control and once Paul Geaney settled that mini maroon rebellion with two sweet points, and Kerry brought in the likes of Barry John Keane who kicked three — the Munster champions were always going to be in the last four.
Could you ever say they looked like they were going to lose? However, Eamonn Fitzmaurice will have plenty to ponder over the coming weeks. They looked rusty after their long break, and Galway dominated a lot of possession in the early stages. Galway had six wides before they registered a point, and a better team would have done more damage with that amount of possession.
Kerry got a lot of bodies behind the ball when they had to, however they struggled at times in their full-back line.
James Horan and the other managers left in the competition will have watched Marc Ó Sé and Aidan O’Mahony coming off, and wonder if they can be targeted.
I cannot remember the last time Marc was taken off and he found Michael Martin a handful, even if the Milltown man could not score, and shot four bad wides.
I cannot imagine Cillian O’ Connor being so wasteful if he had those possessions.
The early loss of Bryan Sheehan seemed to unsettle Kerry a bit too, even if David Moran did do some good things when introduced. I think Kerry will struggle with Mayo’s mobility and power around that middle third.
Sheehan (if fit) Moran, Anthony Maher and Johnny Buckley are all top class footballers, however, I think that the teams left in the championship will ask serious questions of their ability to track back, and cover space.
Seamus and Aidan O’Shea looked in superb fettle against Cork and they are key men that Kerry will need to stop.
A link with that mobility point and a major concern too for the Kerry management will be how Thomas Flynn was allowed 60 yards without a hand being placed on him to score Galway’s first goal.
Who was tracking him? Where was the centre of the Kerry defence as he galloped through it and why did one of the corner backs not cut in to halt his charge.
Flynn got in far too easy and the same could be said for Lundy’s goal. It was a simple lay-off by Armstrong, and Lundy was in acres of room as he rounded Brian Kelly.
Those two goals were far too handy and when the standard and intensity goes up, as it will against Mayo the next day out, and in an All-Ireland final, if Kerry are in one, then simple goals like those would cost them dearly.
Up front Kerry have a class act in James O’ Donoghue. His points and goal were beautifully taken, although he had one amazing miss for a player of his ability.
Galway were very naivé in how they marked him, or attempted to. They never “double-marked” the Legion star and their sweeper should have been instructed to try and mop in front of him rather than holding the middle.
If Mayo’s Keith Higgins was to stop O’Donoghue, where would Kerry go looking for match winning scores? Paul Geaney?
That overdependence on one forward has to be a concern going into the semi-finals and while they did hit 1-20 yesterday, the Galway full-back line was there to be exploited.
Kerry and Eamonn Fitzmaurice will know that they will have to improve a lot on yesterday’s performance to reach the third Sunday in September.
Even if they get there, I still don’t see them collecting the Sam Maguire this year.
