‘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.

“It is well known at this stage preparing an U21 team in Kerry is difficult because of the logistics and having players in six different locations,” said O’Connor. “Trying to get together is difficult, because you have to judge it against risk and reward. You have to ask is it worthwhile dragging fellas down mid-week, a three-and-a-half hour round journey, and does it negate the benefits of training? Our preparation isn’t what it could be if we were in one central location.

“We did a nice bit of preparation during Christmas and we thought we were going well in January, as you could see from our game against Tipperary in the McGrath Cup. That is eight weeks ago now. Things have been a bit scattered since. We are just hoping the momentum we had around December and January will stand to us and carry us through [against Clare].”

The decision to lighten the players’ load midweek was also influenced by the involvement of six of the U21 panel with Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s seniors and the timing of the Sigerson Cup.

“This U21 competition needed rejigging and they’ve done that. It is just played at a time of the year where there is a lot going on. The senior lads on our panel were faced with three games in six days at one stage; they were playing Donegal on Sunday, Sigerson midweek, and Mayo on Saturday. That’s not good for anybody. The fixture list leads to burnout, regardless of trainers and managers. Something had to give. Moving the U21 to summer is a better bet.”

O’Connor’s side, given it comprises of players from the three-in-a-row All-Ireland minor winning squads, is fancied to deliver the county’s first Munster title since 2008. Having overseen the 2014 and ’15 successes, he’s familiar with the players. And they with him.

“There is always pressure in Kerry. Anytime a Kerry team togs out, there is pressure on them. That is nothing new. We are just trying to prepare as best we can.

“It isn’t the case that everyone that was involved with the U21s in previous years wasn’t doing the thing as well as they could. In a county like Kerry, it is difficult. It is easier in the university cities, such as Limerick, Cork, and Dublin. The players are nearer to you. Logisticically, it is easier. Mayo overcame it last year, so it can be done, with difficulty.

“We’ve had most of these players since they were 17. The work done at development squad level is coming to fruition now. We started against Cork last year with 10 19-years-olds, which was asking a lot. We knew going into that Munster final that we’d be up against it physically, because a year at this grade makes an awful difference.”