Kerry still have head for heights

WHEN a player and a team have been there and done that, sometimes they need an angle to really get themselves up for a big match. Usually for Kerry, Croke Park in August is the catalyst for a mental and physical shifting up through the gears.

However times have changed. Cork were coming to town as All-Ireland champions and favourites yesterday. It was the first time any of these Kerry players faced their fiercest rivals in championship in such a scenario. Big crowd, big game, sun shining and written off. It was just the motivation many of these men needed.

All week long, the battle in the middle third was flagged as being game defining. While Cork won it statistically, winning significantly more primary possession, in reality Kerry did more than enough to keep their forward unit supplied.

The Anthony Maher-Bryan Sheehan axis was balanced and it worked. As a pairing and individually, they had their best championship games for Kerry. As well as his aerial prowess, Maher, in particular, got through a massive amount of work on the ground including one huge hit and turnover on Graham Canty early on that ignited Kerry’s first-half purple patch.

Aidan Walsh was off colour and was shunted to the half-forward line for the second half where his influence waned further.

As part of that move Pearse O’Neill went to midfield. He improved things dramatically for Cork there. Alan O’Connor also thundered into the game and they ran at Kerry causing them all kinds of problems and were a huge factor in Cork’s second-half resurgence.

It was interesting early on that Cork moved away from their natural game and looked to surprise Kerry by kicking a lot of direct ball into their full-forward line. When the supply dried up, they looked surprisingly rudderless until Conor Counihan got them in at the break.

They were in all kinds of trouble at the back as the Kerry forwards bewildered them with their movement and accurate deliveries. Eoin Cotter replaced Jamie O’Sullivan at half-time but it could have been any one of four defenders who went off. Kieran Donaghy had Canty in bother and got two points off him. Darran O’Sullivan was giving Paudie Kissane a torrid time. Kieran O’Leary’s clever movement and intelligent decision made up a crucial part of the jigsaw.

However, the man that caused Cork most problems was Declan O’Sullivan. There is a perception that John Miskella has mastered O’Sullivan in the past. There may have been occasions where Miskella was playing behind a winning midfield and was able to play his very effective offensive game.

In these games, because of his work rate and honesty, O’Sullivan would have spent sizeable chunks of time and energy chasing Miskella rather than vice versa. However yesterday O’Sullivan got ball in advanced positions and destroyed the Cork defence as Miskella, Canty (he kicked three off him) and in the second-half Miskella again failed to contain him.

The ploy of rotating Declan and Donaghy worked very well. When Donaghy came out he won fantastic ball at crucial stages.

Tellingly Kerry’s match ups were much better. In particular Killian Young snuffed out Paddy Kelly. Kelly’s importance to Cork cannot be overestimated and Young’s claustrophobic marking ensured the Ballincollig man operated on the fringes of the game.

I argued on these pages on Saturday that the team that lost could gain more for the road ahead. Conor Counihan and his backroom team will relish an extra game prior to the All-Ireland quarter-finals now. They need it. They were stunned by the pace that Kerry played the game at in the first half. Counihan will be very disappointed with some of Cork’s defending and may have to consider freshening up that area.

This was also a problem in the league final. The Kerry half-forward line contributed 1-7 from play which clearly shows that, while the Cork half-backs are excellent going forward, they can struggle on the back foot.

Most worryingly for Cork, Ciarán Sheehan will be a huge loss if his injury is as serious as it appears.

On the positive side Counihan will be very pleased with their second-half response. In particular he will be pleased with the way O’Neill and O’Connor reacted. He will realise they could have got a draw out of the game as missed frees and the width of an upright cost them.

Also the numerous stoppages in the second half meant Cork’s momentum was staccato. They have plenty to work on and they have the time to do it. Expect a different Cork in a few weeks’ time.

Jack O’Connor will be content with his Munster championship campaign. His team are on the right track. There is room for improvement but that is fine as it’s too early to be going too well. The return of Paul Galvin and Tomás Ó Sé further strengthens his hand.

There’s an expression that the French use to describe the attributes a prospective Tour de France winner needs: La tete et les jambes. The head and the legs.

Kerry definitely still have the head and they will be happy to continue to work on the legs for Croke Park.