O’Connor: We have new energy and freshness

THE satisfaction was clearly evident in the Kerry camp at the final whistle in Fitzgerald Stadium yesterday.

Another provincial title was secured against their fiercest rivals, with the added bonus of having to weather a second-half storm from the All-Ireland champions before emerging with victory in a tight finish. Job well done for manager Jack O’Connor.

“They were coming down as All-Ireland champions, but we have a great record here in the stadium. We certainly didn’t want them beating us in our own backyard. I thought we prepared very well for the game. I know we were short personnel. But we felt the players we had available had prepared extremely professionally and that Cork were going to have to play awful well to beat us. That’s the way it panned out.”

In the second half, Kerry’s play grew ragged and O’Connor was aware that fortune was on his team’s side as they hung on during the finale. Yet despite having the comfort of an eight-point cushion at the break, he was always prepared for a comeback by Conor Counihan’s men.

“We were lucky enough in the end. It was a game that had draw written all over it with five minutes to go. We’d be a bit disappointed with the second half. But sure look, there was always going to be a kick in Cork. They’re not the team everyone is talking about for no reason. People might have underestimated how hard we worked in the first half to stop them penetrating so maybe we ran out of a bit of legs. But overall we played an awful lot of good football in the first half. There is an extra bit of energy and freshness in the team that wasn’t there at stages last year.”

Central to the opening-half dominance enjoyed by Kerry was the success of their attack, where Declan O’Sullivan played a shining role with O’Connor targeting Cork defenders who O’Sullivan could cause damage to.

“We just didn’t think that the marking arrangements would suit them. Miskella wouldn’t see himself as a full-back and Declan is the type of full-forward that wouldn’t suit Canty either. So we thought that would give them a bit of bother and Donaghy was a big presence in the middle of the field at stages as well.”

Kerry’s victory was achieved without the influence of Paul Galvin, who despite being an active presence in the warm-up did not see action due to a troublesome hamstring injury.

“He wasn’t that far off making it,” revealed O’Connor. “He trained last Thursday. We felt it’d be a risk to bring him in, and seeing as this wasn’t knockout we decided we wouldn’t chance it. He wasn’t in the 26.”

Kerry head to the All-Ireland series as Munster champions but that scenario was not a precursor to success last year. On that note, O’Connor urged caution.

“We had a great day above in Páirc Uí Chaoimh last year in the replay and three or four weeks later we came a cropper in Croke Park. We can’t let that happen again, and that’s a big danger.

“We played two rounds of club matches last year and a few fellas came back with knocks. We just didn’t get our training right going into the quarter-final last year. If there’s a lesson to be learned, I think that’s a critical one. There are club games next weekend and that will still give us three weeks.”

And as he left Killarney last night, O’Connor was convinced that he has not seen the back of yesterday’s opponents in 2011. “I wouldn’t be forgetting about Cork: I think they’ll have a big say in what way it goes from here on in. As regards down the line, I wouldn’t fancy getting Cork in the qualifiers.”