League victory put Kerry on right track

WINNING the Allianz League title in Croke Park exactly four months ago was the best thing that could have happened to Kerry football and new manager Jack O’Connor.

It gave promise of a good run in the championship, which has been fulfilled.

Just one week after that game, Derry’s season almost lay in ruins after a heavy defeat by Tyrone in the Ulster championship.

And it would have been, but for the second chance offered by the qualifier series, which has seen them make steady progress to win through for a meeting with the Kingdom in the second of the Bank of Ireland semi-finals tomorrow.

It marks only the fourth between the counties at this level, with Derry winning the first back in 1958 (a year after Kerry had been shocked by Waterford in Munster). Kerry triumphed in the next two clashes, in 1970 and 1976 - when Michael Sheehy scored 3-3. The Derry manager Mickey Moran played in that game, along with Kerry selector Ger O’Keeffe, while his brother Tony (the current GAC Chairman) was a substitute.

Their most recent clash was in the League in Killarney eight years ago, a game that marked Mike Frank Russell’s senior debut. But he will sit out tomorrow’s game.

Jack O’Connor says the player himself ‘would not be happy’ with his form in the last couple of games.

“We thought maybe the best thing to do was to take him out of the firing line and to bring him on in the game,” he added.

“As for Paddy Kelly, it wasn’t so much a case of dropping him, but a matter of horses for courses. There’s going to be a lot of bunching around the middle of the field and William Kirby’s strength and experience will be important.’’

Confirming that Colm Cooper will be given a run out in Dublin today to test his fitness, the Kerry manager said he was optimistic about him playing.

“He is a very important player - you have only to look at his last game - and it would be a huge blow to be without him. But we’ve been without a lot of influential players throughout the year. Seamus Moynihan and Declan O’Sullivan were missing for the games with Limerick, and Seamus is missing again.’’

Mickey Moran is genuinely sorry that Moynihan isn’t playing. He knows him well from the international series, describing him as ‘an absolute gentleman’ to work with.

“Seamus approaches the game - in terms of preparation and playing - the way that youngsters should be taught,” he said.

“Some people can be happy if players aren’t playing, but it’s not my style. I hate to see anybody being injured, especially a tremendous footballer like him. Undoubtedly Kerry will miss him, but they have played these last few games without him. They have a strong panel and that’s what it is all about.’’

Kerry supporters will be expecting their team to win, although they wouldn’t be confident in Cooper’s absence. They have seen them perform unimpressively against Clare, easily account for a poor Cork side and struggle in both games with Limerick. Indeed, but for the controversial penalty Cooper was awarded late in the first-half of the replay, they might not have been in a position to mount a strong rally.

Equally, the quarter-final could have been a different story if Dublin had scored from any of the goal chances they created in the first-half.

The lucky break after the interval presented Dara Ó Cinnéide with a goal and they then produced their best football of the game.

Derry too have shown that they are strong finishers, most recently against Westmeath when victory almost slipped through their fingers. Moran says it was the same against Limerick. They fell behind with six minutes to go but responded with three points on the trot.

“It has been a feature of our play. We finish strong. We have done well. We have won five out of five. We’re a young team in terms of experience, but we’re improving step by step,’’ he added.

The biggest step was to refocus after their May 9 defeat by Tyrone.

“The fellows came back the following Thursday and we did a lot of sorting and some deep thinking. We were at a crossroads and we could either go left or right and forget about it. Or we could go on straight ahead together. And that is what we have done.”

On the basis of their experience alone, Kerry deserve to be favourites.

But in no game so far have they shown that they are good enough to regain the title. Then again, neither have Mayo or Fermanagh.

Muldoon and Bradley will take watching, but the Kerry full-back trio have been very consistent.

Kerry to advance.