South look to ‘special’ talent

WHEN manager James O’Sullivan speaks of the “special” type of player that has brought South Kerry to the brink of successive Kerry SFC titles, he isn’t necessarily referring to the silken skills of Maurice Fitzgerald.

“When you are playing for a divisional side, your head is as important as your feet. Some of our lads are serving three masters - club, division and county - and you don’t pick them on football alone. It takes a special kind of player.”

Perhaps that is part of the reason South Kerry struggled to re-establish itself as a potent Championship force. Talent was never an issue, but knitting the diverse strands clearly was.

Before last season’s championship success, the division had not won a county championship since 1982, and only contested one final in 20 years.

Tomorrow, they will bid to retain the title they won so emphatically last year against Laune Rangers (Killarney, 3pm). They might have been facing the same opposition, but for last Sunday’s display from a Dr Crokes side liberally sprinkled with teenagers.

South Kerry know the value of youth. They’ve won three Kerry Under 21 titles in a row under the stewardship of Renard’s Pat McCrohan.

Tomorrow’s selected 15 underlines the strength of the champions - six starters have won All-Ireland senior football medals with Kerry.

“Three of our starters on Sunday - Ray Keane, Colm O’Connor and Denis O’Sullivan - weren’t even on the panel for last year’s final, so having experience around them is vital,” said O’Sullivan, of the St Mary’s club.

“I could not overstate the importance of Killian Burns to us this year.”

The South Kerry manager added: “I am expecting to win the final. If we play to our potential, we have enough quality around the field, but getting good possession into our forwards is paramount. It’s the same for both sides. Whichever midfield gets on top have the forwards to make possession pay.”