Cooper backing for boss O’Shea

THERE’S ‘no reason’ why Pat O’Shea should not be in charge of Kerry next year, according to Colm Cooper, who insisted yesterday there is ‘too much quality’ in the squad not to be able to come back and regain the All-Ireland football title.

“Pat will be hurt by our defeat the same as everybody else. Give it a couple of weeks and he’ll have a look at whether he is going to be in charge next year or not. I don’t know, but I’m sure Pat will agree that there is plenty of encouragement for Kerry next year.

“It’s not like guys have disappeared off the scene. I think most people would like him to stay on. I’d say that if he wants the job next year he’s probably first in line. There’s no reason why he should not be in charge.’’

Back in Dublin yesterday for the official launch of the 2008-09 club championships — and with Dr Crokes playing Mid-Kerry in the Kerry quarter-final in Killorglin next Sunday — Cooper believes that a return to club action will help players to get over the disappointment of losing to Tyrone.

“It’s never easy after losing an All-Ireland final. Of course there is disappointment there and that will be there for a little while. Guys were back playing with their clubs yesterday and I played a game. It’s like falling off a bike. You get back on and try and get back into a winning mentality.’’

At the same time, he conceded that it had been tough to endure defeat, particularly the way it happened. “We had chances. Tyrone went up a point when Declan (O’Sullivan) had the chance for a goal. Had that gone in, things may have been different. But there were a lot of ifs and buts. At the end of the day, Tyrone got the scores when it was 14-all and it went to 18/14 in the blink of an eye. You just have to take your hat off them.

“But we have enough players to come back and win next year especially when you consider the four or five guys who hadn’t played championship before this year. That’s encouraging and hopefully the older guys might look at that and be encouraged to stay on.

“It was a challenging year, but if you are going to be back-to-back winners and talk about going for three-in-row you are going to have to face these challenges. We coped pretty well. If Declan’s ball had gone in we’d be talking about Kerry being a three-in-a-row team. I don’t think we are that far off.’’

MEANWHILE, Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh has added to the chorus calling for Davy Fitzgerald to stay on as Waterford manager, despite the county’s traumatic All-Ireland final defeat to Kilkenny.

Fitzgerald was linked to the role of director of hurling in Dublin soon after that loss but Waterford officials have intimated they and the players are keen for the Banner legend to stay on.

“There is no talk of it yet. The final is still fresh in the mind. It is still only three or four weeks since the final and the county board and Davy will sort it out between themselves in the next few weeks.”

Asked directly if he would be in favour of Fitzgerald staying, Walsh said he would and added: “He did a good job and got us to the All-Ireland final but it is between himself and the county board.” The Waterford panel have yet to meet collectively to dissect the events of four weekends’ ago but Walsh has rejected the notion that the pain of that 23-point defeat will leave a lasting scar on the county team in the years to come.

“The weeks leading up to it and the last few years have brought the county on.

“Waterford hurling has brought huge pride to the county and, please God, it will start to bring on the underage game in the county.

“We need to start winning underage games. There are good structures there at the moment and we have players coming through. They will be blooded next year and hopefully they will be up to the mark.”