Operation shutdown
THERE’S enough scoring power in the Kerry forward line to make any defence tremble, but one man seems to fill the Kingdom’s opponents with particular fear. John Maughan and company aren’t alone in trying to work out how to stop Colm Cooper.
One of the coaches who faced that quandary this year is in an unusual position; having plotted to hold Cooper in July while managing Limerick, Kerry native Liam Kearns will be cheering on his county men tomorrow. His perspective on the threat Cooper poses is pragmatic: “Your first option when planning to hold Colm is to hope the man who’s picking him up will handle him, one-to-one, but if he’s beating his man you’ve got to consider other options.”
