Conor Jordan will enjoy facing native Kerry with Clare, says Ger O’Keeffe

Jordan qualifies for the Banner through his father and former Clare footballer George

Clare's Conor Jordan. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Conor Jordan will enjoy facing his fellow Kerrymen when he lines out for Clare in Saturday’s Munster SFC quarter-final in Killarney, according to his Austin Stacks club-mate Ger O’Keeffe.

All-Ireland winning defender O’Keeffe expects Jordan, who qualifies for the Banner through his father and former Clare footballer George, will thrive on the opportunity to come up against his former U21 team-mates like Gavin Crowley, Tadhg Morley, and Adrian Spillane.

Roscommon’s Listowel footballer Conor Cox wasn’t slow in exchanging words with Kerry defenders after he scored points in Dr Hyde Park last month, and it will be a similarly personal experience for Jordan when he togs out in Fitzgerald Stadium.

“He probably still knows some of the fellas who came through the U21 grade when he did,” says O’Keeffe of the 2014 team under Darragh Ó Sé. 

“He’ll enjoy, he’ll relish this game having spent all of his life in Kerry, playing under-age and senior with the Stacks. I’d say he’s really looking forward to it.”

O’Keeffe says he can understand the reasoning behind Jordan’s decision.

“He’s a good solid player, very dependable,” he said. “In Kerry, because they have so much talent, the chances were he was never going to get the recognition he probably deserved, and now he’s gone, hopefully it will help him to blossom.

Conor Jordan, Kerry, catches a high ball during the 2013 Munster Minor Football final against Tipperary at Fitzgerald Stadium. Picture: Barry Cregg / SPORTSFILE

“In Kerry, if you’re on the fringes, it’s very hard to get an opportunity to get game-time under your belt, and of course game-time is critical for the development of players. He’s a young guy who is committed and has good application and trains hard. He’s dependable, a good marker, good on the ball, and he has vision. He plays hard and is a quality player, and I’m delighted for him.

“If you have a chance of a starting jersey, you’ll go out with a spring in your step whereas the chances can be limited in Kerry.

“There is nothing wrong with him doing this.”

O’Keeffe is not sure if Cox’s “parentage rule” transfer has set an example for others to leave the county but he likes the idea that more Kerry players are getting the chance to play senior inter-county football.

Representing the county of his father who was also a defender for St Senan’s, Kilkee, he also knows Jordan’s motivation in making the switch was genuine.

“Every fella now who trains in a Kerry panel or an extended one knows what it’s like to be part of a set-up that is playing top-quality football,” he said. 

“Conor Cox got that opportunity for a while and then probably felt he had a better chance to develop by going to a different county because the facility was there with his lineage.

“Conor Jordan is the same, and he probably had a chat with people about what his chances were in getting onto a Kerry team. Nobody wants to be on the bench, everybody wants to play and the family probably saw this opportunity. I hope he plays well now and does himself justice.”