Whatever way the wind blows, Kerry ‘will have to up their game’

WIND conditions in Croke Park, resulting from the horseshoe design of the stadium and the high roof, are creating an added hazard for forwards - and free-takers in particular, according to Kerry selector Ger O’Keeffe.

“If you look at last Sunday’s game and our game with Dublin, there was a swirling wind blowing all over the place. Sometimes the kicks were going with the wind, other times you’d think they were going against it,’’ he said.

“But, no matter what sort of a wind you have, it’s not good for scoring. It affects teams whether they are playing with it or against it. Players find it more difficult to kick points at the Canal End, but they’re missed at both ends. And it’s very difficult for free-takers in particular. The wind is coming down, swirling and hitting the stand. You have a wind going one way and a funnel effect.’’

O’Keeffe readily admitted that Kerry will have to achieve a greater level of consistency if they are to be sure of beating Derry in the second of the championship semi-finals on Sunday.

“If we play in the first half like we played against Dublin, it won’t be good enough at all. We could find ourselves in serious trouble at half-time,’’ he said. “We have to step up our performance. What we need is a more balanced performance for the full 70 minutes.

“We were flattered at half-time to go in on level terms, but we seemed to pick up the game much quicker than Dublin did in the second half. We got a goal and a point which put them under pressure and it seemed to deflate them. That won’t happen to Derry.

“Looking at their games, they seem to be going as strong at the finish as they are at the start. They seem to be able to deal with all kinds of conditions and all different types of teams.

“Whether they are down or up, they stick to their game plan. You don’t see them getting flustered. They crowd around the middle and try to get the ball quickly into the full-forward line, which, we have seen, is quite formidable and quite capable of taking scores.’’

Colm Cooper’s fitness won’t be known for certain until the weekend. According to O’Keeffe, the hope is that he will be fit. “A hamstring injury is something you just have to be careful with. There was no point in trying him out too early, but we’ll obviously have to have a look at him before Sunday,’’ he added.

Meanwhile, management and players have been resigned for some time to the fact that they won’t have Séamus Moynihan. So far they have coped well without him, except that his continuing loss is a blow to the panel. “The backs have been playing well. They can produce the goods on the day and have gained plenty of experience over the last number of games without him. But Séamus is a formidable player and he adds a certain dimension to our game, which will be missing,’’ O’Keeffe said.

Suitably, given a visit yesterday to Tralee races, O’Keeffe used a racing analogy to emphasise the importance of Kerry finishing well. “It’s like the horse that comes from the back of the field and touches on at the winning post. That’s what’s important at the end of the day.”