O’Shea hails ‘top class’ Moran’s return

BARRY O’SHEA was sympathetic to the fact that his Kerins O’Rahillys clubmate David Moran hadn’t landed an AFL contract — but he was also delighted Moran would be home to play Kilmurry-Ibrickane in the Kerry club’s first appearance in the AIB Munster club football final at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday (2pm).

“We weren’t really expecting it. There was a lot of talk about whether or not he would be back,’’ he said. “We were saying no and we weren’t telling any lies — we genuinely didn’t know. It’s a great boost to the team and everybody involved in the club to see him coming home, but it’s a disappointment for David, obviously.

“He is a top-class player. Any team would like to have a fellow like him. The fact his return is unexpected makes it even better.”

O’Shea agreed that the presence of Moran in the team will help to offset the loss of Tommy Walsh.

“There aren’t too many players like him (Walsh) around in the whole country, not to mind our club. We’ve known about it for a couple of weeks. We can’t complain; we’ll just have to get on with it and motor on.’’

O’Shea is worried about his brother Brian, forced off six minutes from the end of the semi-final game against Moyle Rovers with a dislocated elbow. He is the Tralee club’s biggest injury concern, though Giles O’Grady hasn’t trained since the semi-final (when he was unable to start) and Barry himself? Well, let him explain: “I haven’t been able to train with my knee. I haven’t trained a whole pile this year. I said to someone recently, if there is a football god, he is not from Kerins O’Rahillys because things aren’t falling our way.’’

Full-back on Kerry’s 1997 All-Ireland-winning team, O’Shea is in his 17th season playing senior football with the Strand Road club. So, it’s easy to understand that he would have regrets about the limited success they have had during his career.

“When we beat Clonakilty (in the first round of the current championship), it was our first time winning a game in Munster,’’ he pointed out. “Over the last nine or 10 years we have had a reasonably good team and we have been pretty consistent. Maybe we haven’t won what we could have, but we’re in a final. What happened in the past counts for nothing and we’ll definitely be giving it a right go.’’

If they are to be successful, he agrees they need to step up on the level of their performance against the Tipperary champions: “We really didn’t play very well that day and that was partly because they didn’t let us play. They were very committed, they were fit, and were getting stuck in.

“Conditions were very bad — of course they were the same for both teams. The most pleasing part about it was that they had a gale-force wind behind them in the second half and while they drew level with us, they couldn’t get ahead of us. We stuck to our guns and held tough and pulled through in the end.’’

What helped them, he says, is the experience that has been built up over the last decade or so, recalling that they came through a replay against South Kerry in last year’s county semi-final. “Fellows have been used to playing in tight games and they are not panicking. All that is standing to us, because we still have an awful lot of young guys, under 21 and 22. They are getting the experience through these tough battles.

“It’s very rarely you come off the field thinking you have done it all, because you know you can always play better. And there have been very few occasions this year when we played really well as a team. In the (county) club championship final against Ardfert, we clicked and played some outstanding football and the same against Clonakilty. In fact, this competition has been our best couple of games this year.

“Coming on from the semi-final, we can definitely improve. If we can get the best out of our team, we are in with a shout, but if we produce what we produced in the semi-final, I don’t think it would be enough.’’

He dismisses the tag of favouritism, arguing it’s not warranted against a team contesting the final for a fourth time (having won the title after a replay in 2004). “The only reason we’re favourites in the bookies is because it’s Kerry versus Clare,’’ he commented.

“I wouldn’t be reading a whole pile into this favouritism thing. Kilmurry-Ibrickane are the team with the experience in this competition and this isn’t just bull. It’s genuine. They have been at this stage before. We haven’t. It’s our first time and we’ll just have to see how fellows will react to it.

“The only way you can get experience at this level is by going through it — hopefully fellows will react in a positive way!’’