Fintan O’Connor urges Kerry hurlers to grasp 'unbelievable opportunity'

Kerry manager Fintan O'Connor during the Allianz Hurling League Division 2A final against Antrim. Picture: Matt Browne/Sportsfile

Kerry hurling manager Fintan O’Connor wants his players to grab the “unbelievable opportunity” in front of them as the Kingdom stand just two victories from involvement in the 2021 All-Ireland SHC.

O’Connor’s charges are away to Antrim in Round 3 of the Joe McDonagh Cup this Saturday and should Kerry come out on top at Corrigan Park, Belfast, they’ll progress to the second-tier final with a game to spare.

GAA regulations concerning the Joe McDonagh Cup, pre-pandemic, stated that if Kerry were crowned second-tier champions, they would then have to play a promotion/relegation clash against the bottom-placed team in the Munster SHC round-robin.

Such a play-off fixture did not exist for any of the Leinster counties in the Joe McDonagh Cup or indeed Antrim.

But when Croke Park unveiled their restructured 2020 championships at the end of June, it was stated that the “issue of what happens for [the] 2021 MacCarthy Championship should Kerry win the McDonagh Cup will be dealt with in final competition regulations”.

The subsequent final decision removed the play-off clause and it was music to Fintan O’Connor’s ears when Kerry County Board secretary Peter Twiss informed him that Joe McDonagh Cup success for Kerry in 2020 would mean involvement in the Leinster SHC — rather than Munster —  and the All-Ireland SHC next year.

O’Connor is not sure if this is a once-off tweaking of the rulebook and so wants his players to capitalise on the “unbelievable opportunity” which has come about as a result of Covid disrupting the initial 2020 GAA calendar.

Kerry, having won their opening two games against Meath and Westmeath, currently sit top of the Joe McDonagh Cup round-robin table. Victory over Antrim would be sufficient to book them a spot in the December 13 decider ahead of their final outing at home to Carlow next weekend.

“I was aware of [the rule change] before we started playing. They couldn't leave it that if anyone else won, they'd be in Leinster, and if Kerry won, they'd be nowhere,” O’Connor began.

“I would have impressed on the players that this was there for them. It is an unbelievable opportunity for us.

Playing the bottom team in Munster is not as big an opportunity as going straight into a competition. It is an ill-wind. Covid is after giving us something that we wouldn't normally have a chance to do.

“I hope [this isn’t a once-off]. I would have always felt that it was strange that one team be treated differently to the others.” 

On first securing final involvement, which Kerry did not manage in either 2018 or 2019, O’Connor said: “It is in our own hands.”

“If we are good enough to get to the final, we have to win one of our last two games. If we are not good enough, we won't win one of the two games and it'll end up being Carlow and Antrim in the final. We played Antrim in the league final and earlier in the league. They beat us both times. We have a fair mountain to climb on Saturday.”

Kerry players will drive separately to and from Antrim this weekend, overnighting in Newry on Friday.