Kennelly’s admission ‘disappoints’ Canty

CORK captain Graham Canty has criticised Tadhg Kennelly for his premeditated crunching tackle on Nicholas Murphy in the opening seconds of the All-Ireland final.

Kennelly revealed in his autobiography Unfinished Business that he: “positioned myself on the line ready to race in when the referee put the ball in the air. My eyes were almost rolling around in the back of my head. I was like a raging bull.”

He added he “timed it right” and caught Murphy “perfectly on the chin”.

Kerry went onto win the All-Ireland but Kennelly’s comments have taken the gloss off the victory in many quarters.

Though Cork GAA officials have remained tightlipped on the matter, Canty, who marked Kennelly in the decider expressed his annoyance at the Listowel man’s comments.

“I was disappointed with Tadhg’s comments,” said Canty.

“I would know Tadhg fairly well with the Compromise Rules, I played with him for a number of years and was disappointed with his comments.”

However, the Cork legend insisted that the incident wouldn’t lead to repercussions when one of gaelic football’s great rivalries resumes in 2010.

“It is nothing you would be thinking about next year” he vowed.

“It (the rivalry) has been there long before I arrived on the scene and will be there long after I leave. That’s the way it will be and a couple of disappointing comments out of Tadhg isn’t going to change that.”

Canty is also confident about the future of the Munster championship despite evidence that provincial championship success can impact negatively on a team’s chances of All-Ireland glory. Cork are proof of that theory losing the All-Ireland to a side which they defeated after a Munster semi-final.

But the Bantry Blues man isn’t for changing the system.

“I don’t think there’s a huge advantage either way, in winning the provincial or losing it, in the quest for All-Ireland glory. Everyone inside in Munster – Cork, Kerry, Limerick – will want to win Munster.

“We want to win Munster and go forward for the All-Ireland that way.

“My own view would be to keep the provincial final. That has served the GAA well over the last number of years, and I wouldn’t be in favour of getting rid of it.”

Rewarding the winners with a bye into the All-Ireland semi-final is something that could be explored but as Canty points out, it would lead to a lengthy lay-off for the provincial champions.

Meanwhile, Cork’s players are to meet shortly to draw the curtain down on 2009 and look ahead to next season.

Canty insists that there will be no scars after yet another loss to Kerry in Croke Park and he expects long-serving players such as Anthony Lynch, Murphy and John Miskella to return for another crack at the Sam Maguire.

The Bantry defender is adamant that the Rebels are capable of winning a first All-Ireland since 1990 next term, although he admits readily that he has that same feeling every year.

“I believe we are good enough to win an All-Ireland but I believed that the last two or three years especially. We haven’t won it. Just because you think you are good enough and you think you might deserve it doesn’t mean you are going to get there.

“I think this team can continue to improve, we have a couple of good lads coming through Another year in them will make a big difference. Time will tell.

“We had opportunities in the All-Ireland final in 2007, we had opportunities this year in the final. They don’t come around every day of the week and you have to learn to take those opportunities.”