O’Shea demands Crokes rise to replay challenge

DR CROKES coach Pat O’Shea admitted last night his club charges need to step up the tempo if they are to see off the challenge of Moorefield in today’s replayed All-Ireland Club SFC semi-final replay in Nenagh (2pm).

“I don’t think some of our lads grasped the enormity of the game last Sunday,” he mused. “There were stages in the game where we played at a pace which wasn’t acceptable.”

The key question is: did the Leinster champions make Dr Crokes look half-paced at times? Any inhibitions the Seamus “Sos” Dowling’s Kildare side had about facing the Munster champions evaporated after a storming second half fightback which earned the a 1-9 to 0-12 draw.

However O’Shea believes there were benefits too for the Kerry men. “With respect to London, it was our first really competitive game for some time. Moorefield kicked a lot of fine individual scores on the day, and had a lot of possession. But the bottom line is we created plenty of chances to win the game and didn’t take them.”

Both sides have delayed naming their starting selections, but changes will be made, whether forced or by choice. Batt Moriarty will be fit for Dr Crokes, and David Moloney may make a start this time. A key decision will be where to place Eoin Brosnan. His best work was done as a sweeping centre-back in the drawn game, though O’Shea would surely prefer a more advanced role for the Kerry player today.

Four of Moorefield’s key players were undergoing late fitness tests last night in Newbridge. Whether a smokescreen or not, manager Sos Dowling maintained that he was preparing to go into battle without at least two of the quartet.

Both midfielders, Daryl Flynn and Ross Glavin, picked up ankle injuries in the drawn game; Ian Lonergan has been nursing a hamstring while his brother James suffered some bruising late on in Limerick.

“We’re at a crossroads really because we don’t know how they will react to a bit of jogging,” said Dowling. “All we can do is wait for the fitness tests but we could be without three of them.”

Last week, Moorefield needed a late rally and Dowling put their slow start down partly to being overawed by their opponents.

“They were helped by having the extra game (quarter-final against St Brendan’s) under their belts. Most of the time, the side that comes back to equalise in the drawn game doesn’t win the replay. I don’t know why that is but we will be trying to change that.”

Verdict: Moorefield