‘Scattered’ build-up does not make it easy, says Kerry boss

Munster U21 Football Championship: The casualty list is nowhere near as extensive as it was this time last year, but Jack O’Connor says preparations have been no less challenging.

Ahead of their opening 2016 Munster U21 football championship game, Kerry boss O’Connor found himself without nine players who’d have been in contention for a start. Their campaign begins this evening at home to Clare and, while Brian Begley is the only injury absentee, their build-up hasn’t exactly been fluent. “Scattered” is O’Connor’s description.

The majority of his panel are in third-level education and attempting to bring players based in Dublin, Cork, and Limerick together during the week has proven difficult. A solid block of training was achieved in the Christmas break, but since the colleges reopened in early January, Kerry managed just two mid-week sessions.