Fitzmaurice’s Kingdom conundrums
And yet there are plenty of peculiarities behind Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s side and their 100% run to this stage. For instance, they have lost the second half of their last two games by five and four points respectively.
But those Jekyll and Hyde symptoms are just one aspect of this Kerry team.
“I think the genuine supporters would see what Jack [O’Connor] tried to do from 2009 on and what we are doing now in trying to keep the team as competitive as possible and at the same time renewing it as well,” — so said Fitzmaurice last Friday. May they have been a precursor to his decision to name, barring the Ó Sé brothers, such a youthful defence on Sunday? Okay, his hand was forced on Killian Young, who would’ve started, but there appears to be a lot of respect shown to Dublin’s pace threat. Naming a back line who have never played with each other before bar training and including four players under the age of 25 against an attack that have created goal opportunities with ease this summer is taking a gamble. But considering how much has been wrung out of the Noughties veterans it was never a case of if but when youth en masse was going to be given its head.
In Fitzmaurice, an on-the-record loather of dummy sides, naming his team early and given Jim Gavin’s faith in a winning one, we can already start pondering who will be taking up who. In the Kerry half at least, their positioning should run true to where they have been named. Marc Ó Sé is well acquainted with Bernard Brogan, Mark Griffin should take up whoever’s selected at full-forward, be it Eoghan O’Gara or Dean Rock. Shane Enright will present a dogged defence to Paul Mannion. Tomás Ó Sé won’t be fazed by Diarmuid Connolly and Peter Crowley looks a good match on Ciarán Kilkenny. But the prospect of Fionn Fitzgerald, an excellent man-marker, on Paul Flynn is an unusual one given the physical presence of the Dublin forward.
In yesterday’s newspaper, Fitzmaurice gave an entirely plausible deconstruction of the theory Kerry have been making a habit of fading out in the second half of games. The problem can be sourced back to the Munster final two years ago when Jack O’Connor’s side sprung out of the traps only to nearly be caught by Cork on the line. With different personnel, Kerry did the same this year. The most famous zone-out came in the 2011 All-Ireland final to Sunday’s opposition, but since then there have been notable repeats as witnessed against Tyrone in the league along with Cork and Cavan in the championship.
With Aidan O’Mahony, Eoin Brosnan and Kieran Donaghy being held in reserve, not to mention Bryan Sheehan and David Moran who fared well against Cavan, Kerry have fashioned a quality bench they were so lacking in the 2011 All-Ireland final. Paul Geaney, Kieran O’Leary and Paddy Curtin provide other options in attack but it’s the seasoned campaigners who will be needed if the game is in the balance. In what should be an intense and frenetic affair, Tomás Ó Sé and Paul Galvin mightn’t last the full 70 minutes. Replacing vets with vets mightn’t be a bad idea.
Perhaps the most obvious area where Kerry could boss Dublin on Sunday is around the centre. The sight of Anthony Buckley and Johnny Buckley out the field as Kerry push up on his kick-outs would be a formidable vista for Stephen Cluxton. Each are more than capable of winning 50-50 ball and if the dublin keeper is forced to kick long they could clean up, especially if Michael Darragh Macauley remains Dublin’s only out-and-out midfielder.
Denis Bastick is Dublin’s alternative but Kerry have a couple in Moran and Sheehan. Fitzmaurice always said the retirement of Darragh Ó Sé was no crisis. He was proven right.
The Kildare man has been involved with an All-Ireland team in each of the last four years and the Kerry coach/selector is now just 70 minutes away from another appearance.
Bridging the three four-week breaks between Kerry’s Munster semi-final win over Waterford and this Sunday will have tested the UL lecturer. However, there is nothing but praise from players during his previous stints with Mayo last year and Tipperary’s hurlers before that.
As Tipperary captain Shane McGrath said of him last year: “We’d have fierce respect for him because he had everyone — not just the lads in the team — right for when it mattered.”
Robbing Peter to pay Paul or merely getting the most skilful footballer in the country on more ball than he would otherwise receive in the full-forward line?
Opinion is divided on Cooper’s redesignation from corner to centre-forward but then Pat O’Shea used him there a few times during his term.
Anyone who saw Cooper play for Dr Crokes at No11 last winter would realise his worth in playmaking. The man is a born finisher but he is also a natural footballer.
Quite simply, the more his DNA is on the ball the better it is for Kerry.
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