Gooch doesn’t believe in luck but Kerry fortunes on the up

With a smile and a laugh, Colm Cooper puts one theory to bed quickly — him wearing the number 14 jersey has nothing to do with a ‘piseog’.

History shows no player wearing the number 13 jersey has ever captained an All-Ireland winning team, the Kerryman becoming the latest to try his hand at breaking that record last season.

With Cooper lining out in his customary top of the right spot on Saturday, the conspiratorial among us might think there was superstition in the Kerry ranks. But not so, insists Cooper. “No, no it’s not so.”

Ah, but what about number 14 emblazoned across his back, “It seems strange, doesn’t it? No, it doesn’t, I don’t even think about it. I get on with it.

“It’s not a case of changing too much. I went in full-forward against Westmeath and I tried a little bit again [against Tyrone].”

Cooper believes Saturday’s winning performance was exactly the type he had warned Kerry were threatening to produce despite their recent difficulties.

“I said that six, 10 weeks ago, even before the Cork game. I knew that our season was heating up a little bit.

“It probably took a little bit longer than we thought but to do it at home in front of our own fans against a team like Tyrone, you couldn’t ask for a better script.”

Cooper admitted the players were energised by being pitted against a team that had inflicted so much pain on them during the Noughties.

“It focused minds because of the history between the teams and the battles we’ve had. It definitely got guys going. The atmosphere in training during the week was good.”

Cooper, usually a cool customer, even celebrated a score at the end when it became apparent victory was Kerry’s.

“Yeah I got a bit excited. Like I say, it was just a high-octane game, the intensity, and I was just nearly out on my feet so I was just delighted that the ball went dead and the fact that it went over the bar.

“There was just a lot at stake in this game. If we lost, we were gone, and just to get through to the next round is great.”

Cooper felt the tight win over Westmeath helped to rid the rust that had built up following the Munster semi-final defeat to Cork.

“Sometimes going weeks and weeks without a game, it’s very hard to keep form, sharpness and today we just stepped it up maybe two or three gears from last week and we tackled ferociously all over the field and were probably unlucky not to be further ahead at half-time. Everyone across every line upped it a gear or two and we needed that.”

He also said the team wanted to give their following something to shout about.

“To hear the atmosphere when we came out on the field and as the game went on and on, it was great.

“We felt we owed our supporters a big performance as well and to do it in Killarney, it was just the icing on the cake.”

The prospect of Clare in Limerick next Saturday is completely different to the visit of Tyrone but Cooper insists it will be no comedown for Kerry.

“There’ll be a lot of energy that will be needed again after today. It was really warm out there, a high intensity game so it’ll be Tuesday or Wednesday before we’ll be able to do any meaningful session.

“I’m sure Jack [O’Connor] is very clever, he won’t kill us this week and it’s all about rehab now between here and then and hopefully Darran [O’Sullivan, hamstring] might get another week to try and kick on and we’ll just see where it takes us then.”