Kerry finally looking forward

IT WAS introduced with the minimum fuss and fanfare, but the launch last week of a teenage development programme for Kerry football was an interesting, if somewhat belated admission that the old order changeth. Permanently.

The lack of minor and Under 21 success for the Kingdom for more than a decade has become a source of concern to some in the county, though not enough. Some believe that infrequent breakthroughs by players to the senior ranks justifies the status quo. However, even that's in danger of drying up.

Darren O'Sullivan and Bryan Sheehan are included in Jack O'Connor's squad for tomorrow's Allianz League clash with Dublin in Killarney, both being part of the Kerry Under 21's knocked out of the Munster Championship by Cork recently.

Neither has yet shown the type of form to force their way into Kerry's front-line attack this summer, but they are the pick of a thin harvest, with last year's minor Paul O'Connor of Kenmare also being touted.

The argument that Kerry badly needs another scoring forward to share the burden with Colm Cooper may be dated and obvious, but it is no less relevant for all that. There is still the case to be made that Kerry would have claimed back-to-back All-Irelands last September if they had an auxiliary score-getter.

Yesterday, Kerry coach Jack O'Connor said: "I think people have a fixation over the Colm Cooper thing. I can think of three or four top teams in this country who would be fairly manageable without their main scoring attacker - like Stephen O'Neill in Tyrone, and Armagh's Steven MacDonnell.

"We're certainly not a one-man team. Colm is a hugely important player, but we can only find out more about ourselves by learning to play without him."

Through tragic circumstances, that scenario may unfold at Fitzgerald Stadium tomorrow. Kerry's management team will leave the decision on whether to play or not up to Colm Cooper, who lost his father this week.

"Gooch has more important things to deal with than football at the moment," recognised O'Connor, "and because of that, other players face a huge challenge that they should be looking forward to. We went up to Parnell Park to play Dublin in 2004 without Gooch and all the Gaeltacht contingent, and we won there. Who'd have thought we'd win that year's All-Ireland without Darragh Ó Sé and Seamus Moynihan?"

The launch of the development programme was not the first occasion the Kerry coach spoke passionately about the need to foster a new generation of football talent in the Kingdom. He will not be the beneficiary of a system devised for 14-17 year olds, with the first roll-out planned to assist the 2007 Kerry minors.

"Tradition doesn't count as much as it used to 20 years ago. This is the first time that there has been anything like a long-term plan for Kerry football because we took things either one year at a time or one trainer at a time in the past.

"Kerry will not see the benefits of this for four or five years but we have no alternative but to think long term because the idea of one-year plans to win All-Irelands is long gone."

He added: "The majority of the present Kerry team come from a pool of players that go back about ten years. That was a time when Kerry reached four All-Ireland U-21 finals and one semi final, winning three between '95 and '99. But somewhere along the line, Kerry will have to get another successful minor team or U-21 side in order to bring players on and give them the confidence to perform at the highest level. Success comes from being together as a group, having confidence from winning as you gain results on the field of play."

Elaborating this week, O'Connor underlined the importance of tighter links between schools and clubs in the county, citing a first and second-year league in his own Coláiste na Sceilge, which is run in conjunction with local clubs in South Kerry.

"There must be greater emphasis too on coaching the coaches. We must get the kids hooked early, make the drills fun and interesting because they will play soccer. It's an easier game to play, and the youngsters have to be skilled in GAA coaching by the time they're 12."

The Kerry programme will work on skill development, movement techniques, physical development, attacking and defensive abilities, psychological development, team play, plus tactical and performance analysis.

It won't find a scoring forward this season for Jack O'Connor - but it might eradicate the problem for one of his successors.

Additional reporting: Murt Murphy.