Kelly: Leinster round-robin series much higher up priority list

Kerry hurling manager Eamonn Kelly is targeting entry to the Leinster round-robin series,believing Munster championship fare is still beyond the county’s current crop.

Having lost out unexpectedly to Down in last year’s Christy Ring decider with the last puck, the Kingdom are favourites for the 2014 instalment. And justifiably so in the wake of their Division 2A success this spring.

The prize for annexing hurling’s second-tier competition is a play-off clash with the fourth placed team from the Leinster round-robin series, a preliminary group comprising of Laois, Antrim, Westmeath, Carlow and London.

Kelly believes his side would fit seamlessly into this round-robin structure and though rumours abound that entry to the Munster championship is a possibility, the Tipperary native said the latter option doesn’t figure on their agenda.

“The players would see it as more important to get into that play-off group in Leinster,” he asserted.

Promotion, he continued, is their sole objective, largely stemming from a successful league campaign in which the Division 2A title was secured, but ascension to the higher ranks was not granted by the powers-that-be.

Kerry were forced into a promotion/relegation fixture against Offaly, one they came up short in by 14-points. Kelly, though, claimed no grievances were held by the his camp. “The Leinster round-robin series is much higher up the priority list than Division 1B hurling,” he insisted. “In that you are playing teams like Laois, Carlow and Antrim. If you were put into Division 1B you would be playing Waterford, Wexford and Limerick. I am not sure if we are ready for that step. We would be happier to try and win the Christy Ring and make the step into the Leinster round-robin series than go into Division 1B of the league.

“We have heard of different eventualities if we win, but right now we will take it one game at a time and if we reach that stage then we will assess the situation.”

Returning to their league endeavours and the manager expressed delight at their run of six victories. “We surpassed our own expectations. We weren’t expecting to win the league at the start of the year. We were delighted. Even to get the Offaly game, we were delighted to get a game like that regardless of the result.

“We were very happy after our league campaign and we now have a huge task ahead of us. We wore the underdogs tag for the clash with Offaly, but we now have the tag of favourites for the Christy Ring. People expect us to win it out and that is difficult.”

Derry represent hurdle number one and the northerners travel to Tralee this afternoon shouldering little or no expectation. “We played Derry in our first league game, now we won it (4-24 to 3-9) but they were missing five players due to a club situation.

“I thought they had a very good team and they won’t fear us coming to Tralee. It is our job as management to ensure there isn’t a laissez-faire attitude on the part of the players.

“We can’t have them thinking we beat them once surely we can beat them again. Derry will approach this game in the same manner that we did the league final against Carlow, with nothing to lose.”