Kerry missing key forwards as League gets underway

ALL-IRELAND champions Kerry will begin the defence of their National League title without four leading attackers, including captain, Declan O’Sullivan, who undergoes an operation next week to repair cartilage damage to his knee.

Kerry manager Jack O’Connor might have anticipated that setback, but will also be without Dara Ó Cinnéide, John Crowley and Mike Frank Russell for the opening Allianz League tie against Cork at Pairc Ui Rinn next Friday.

Ó Cinnéide and Crowley are unlikely to play any meaningful role in the opening League games, while Russell is only expected to miss the Cork game because of a minor facial operation.

However, defender, Mike McCarthy’s knee problem has flared up again, and he is also likely to miss the opening televised League encounter under lights.

The coach, keenly aware of the so-called second season syndrome, will finalise a 24-man League panel next week, but already midfielders Seamus Scanlon and Donal Daly find themselves surplus to requirements. That’s a clear vote of confidence in Kieran Donaghy and Mike Quirke, who lined out at centre-field for the Kingdom in their pre-Christmas defeat against the TG4 Underdogs. Additionally, Darragh Ó Sé is champing at the bit for a return to competitive action, following the foot injury which kept him out of the All-Ireland final last September.

O’Connor is attempting to organise a challenge game for this weekend to put a bit of shape on the champions’ hurried League preparations. Five of his All-Ireland winners only arrived back from the All-Star trip to Hong Kong yesterday, and the coach admitted that it could be early next week before he has a clearer idea of the panel.

“We were expecting the news on Declan O’Sullivan. He will go for a cartilage operation next week, so that rules him out for the short to medium term. Mike Frank will only be out short term, but with Dara and John out of commission for the time being, the opportunity is there for others to make their mark.

“We have over 30 players in training at the moment, and we’ll have to whittle that down to 24 next week. But with so many absentees, it might not be as difficult as in other circumstances,” said O’Connor.

Meanwhile, twelve months ago, Limerick GAA clubs voted overwhelmingly to dispense with the long-held tradition that the captaincy of both the county hurling and football teams come from the reigning county champions. The change in format left the way open for Garryspillane’s TJ Ryan to take on the hurling captaincy last season.

Now the clubs have performed a u-turn. At this week’s county board meeting, a motion from reigning county football champions Dromcollogher Broadford that the honour be restored to the respective champions was passed. However, with Ollie Moran and Muiris Gavin having already been installed as captains of the hurling and football teams for the new season, the rule change will not come into effect until 2006.

Former London and Clare football star Paul Hehir is to declare for Leinster champions Westmeath.

The 6’5’’ midfield powerhouse, whose brother Senan has also played for London and Clare, is expected to take up a job in Mullingar in the coming weeks with civil engineering firm Scanmoor, which is owned by local man Jim Moore.