O’ Keeffe keen to address Kerry’s defensive dilemmas
Kerry’s thrilling Allianz League victory over All-Ireland champions, Armagh, on Sunday was a perfect pick-me-up after the loss two weeks ago to Tyrone, which all but ended their chances of making the knockout stages of the League.
However, Paidi O Sé’s side is now without a competitive fixture ahead of their Munster SFC opener against either Waterford or Tipperary on June 15th - a fact not lost on O’Keeffe.
“It’s a serious loss for us because we had earmarked a place in the semi final. We honestly thought we’d beat Tyrone at home but we were dreadful in the first half in Killarney. That was our League semi final place lost.”
Their elimination gives the selectors a chance to take stock, but O’Keeffe didn’t attempt to conceal the fact that two key issues remain for Kerry - a midfield partner for Darragh O Sé and the ongoing conundrum over the full back position.
Since last year’s All-Ireland final defeat to Armagh, Kerry have tried Barry O’Shea, Tomas O Sé, Mike McCarthy and Tom O’Sullivan in the pivotal defensive position, and appear no closer to settling on a full back to release Seamus Moynihan’s creative talents to the half back line.
However, O’Keeffe, the prince of full backs in his heyday, fears that the problems in the full-back line aren’t restricted to the wearer of the No 3 jersey.
Armagh duo Steven McDonnell and Diarmuid Marsden gave Tom O’Sullivan and Tomas O Sé a torrid afternoon in Tralee on Sunday, and while O’Keeffe lauded the invention of Armagh’s inside forwards, he warned: “When we’re confronted with a two man full-forward line, we tend to struggle quite a lot. It is a very difficult tactic to counteract, but it has hurt us in the last few games.”
O’Keeffe wasn’t slow to admit that Armagh’s two goals came as a result of “defensive blunders.”
He commented: “You can’t expect your outfield players to pressurise the kicks all the time so some good ball is going to come in.
“We have also struggled overhead quite a lot in our full back line over the past two years. The modern day full back has to have everything - strong overhead, quick and physically imposing.
“Of course, Seamus Moynihan is available but that also presents a dilemma, because he’s got such creativity in his play. We have to weigh up one against the other.
“The bottom line is that we are leaking goals and you can’t afford to do that. We’ve had too many one-on-ones with our goalkeeper, opponents sneaking in and seizing goal opportunities. ”
O’Keeffe hinted that if Moynihan - who picked up a dead leg during his 13 minutes on the field on Sunday - is freed from the full-back line, Kilcummin’s Mike McCarthy may be the preferred option. “We’re quite pleased with Mike in the No 3 position, but he’s injured at present. He’ll be back in the picture in about two weeks time.”
Though McCarthy has won an All-Star at corner back for Kerry, the selectors are spoiled for choice at No’s 2 and 4. Tomas O Sé, Marc O Sé, Tom O’Sullivan and Mossy Lyons are all established defenders.
At midfield, O’Keeffe said he was delighted with the progress that Currow’s Seamus Scanlon made on Sunday alongside Darragh O Sé. “It was a massive game for a first start for Seamus. He has worked very hard at training and though he’s a bit light, he’s very honest in his application.
“It’s fairly obvious that the full back position and the ‘second’ midfielder are two crucial issues for us, because things are beginning to move in other areas of the team.”
Keeping Darragh O Sé in cotton wool might also be a consideration, so central has the Gaeltacht star become to Kerry’s momentum. “Darragh’s an awesome player at the moment,” agreed O’Keeffe. “The dilemma is to keep him at that pitch. And with a lot of club football to be played before June 15th, that’s always going to be a concern. Seamus Moynihan turned his ankle in the first round of the Co League, so there are always likely to be problems around the corner.”
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