Maher hoping layoff won’t cost Kilcummin in Munster final

Going on the evidence from their Munster quarter and semi-final victories, Kilcummin’s intermediate footballers would appear to have managed the new club calendar in Kerry to perfection.

But manager Willie Maher is still to be convinced.

He believes Sunday’s provincial decider against Fermoy (Mallow, 1.30pm) is their litmus test.

Then they’ll know for certain how well they dealt with the six-month gap between their county final win and Munster campaign.

Kerry was one of 13 counties to take advantage of April’s new status as a club-only month, with fixture-makers in the Kingdom deciding, for the first time, to complete the county junior and intermediate football championships before inter-county matters again took precedence.

Where the 2017 Kerry IFC final was played on October 29, the 2018 edition was wrapped up and a new champion crowned by May 6.

Kilcummin had Division 2 county league to contend with from there until August 19, but between their final league fixture and Munster quarter-final on November 3, Maher’s charges were largely reliant on the odd challenge game to keep them ticking over.

By way of comparison, Fermoy played four county championship games during this two-and-a-half month window where Kilcummin were standing idle.

The logic of the Kerry County Board in running off the junior and intermediate championships in April and May was that the top players from these clubs were then free to line out for their division when the Kerry SFC cranked into gear in late August.

Kilcummin had eight players — Brendan Kealy, Sean O’Leary, Philip Casey, Shane McSweeney, Kevin O’Gorman, Kevin McCarthy (all starters), Noel Duggan, and Matt Keane — involved with an East Kerry set-up that reached the semi-final stage.

“It has been a strange year,” Maher admits.

Once you won the county, you were gearing up to play in Munster, but that was six months away. That was a drawback.

"Then we had a lot of players involved with East Kerry in the senior championship. Some people will say they were playing a high level of football, but from a club point of view, it was hard to marry both.

"We were trying to get ready for the Munster championship and yet, eight of them were in with East Kerry.

"Our numbers were down and it is not easy to keep the level of intensity up at training when you are missing so many players.

"Rather than being a plus, I would put it down as a negative.”

Relegated from senior in 2017, Kilcummin made a swift return to the top table.

Their focus now is ensuring yet another Kerry club secures the Munster intermediate title.

Outside of Clyda Rovers in 2013, a Kerry club has won this competition every year going right the way back to 2006.

“We seem to be improving with every game. Hopefully, we can step it up again on Sunday.

"We will have to if we are going to get over the line against Fermoy.”