East Kerry boss hopes Fossa claim intermediate glory despite knock-on loss of Cliffords

Should Fossa beat Milltown-Castlemaine, their promotion to senior would see East Kerry lose multiple talents at their current disposal. 

FAMILY DO: East Kerry captain Paudie Clifford, left, and brother David Clifford, and David's son Ogie, celerate with the Bishop Moynihan cup after the Kerry County Senior Football Championship final. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

EAST Kerry boss Jerry O’Sullivan says he hopes Fossa go on and win the county’s intermediate football championship in a fortnight – even though it will deny them key men David and Paudie Clifford in next year’s county championship.

The Cliffords are two of six Fossa players looking to follow up East Kerry’s fourth SFC title in five years with their own piece on history on November 19 against Milltown-Castlemaine.

And said O’Sullivan: “You know what? I hope Fossa go on and win it. I’d have to be parochial there and I’d love to see the Cliffords win an intermediate championship. That club, Fossa, has done extraordinary things. Those lads are on the go since last January twelve months. 

"They may have got small breaks here and there but it’s football constant, constant, constant for them, and it’d be great if that club got over the line the next day. It would be brilliant for them and brilliant for East Kerry football.” 

O’Sullivan was thrilled that his side eked out a one-point win in difficult conditions, underlining their appetite to keep this run of success going, but he was less pleased that the build-up to the decider was dominated by negative talk about the divisional sides and the championship’s structures.

"You can look at it both ways. There is a possibility of another team (Fossa) being out of our consideration in 2024 and if that happens, it happens. These things move in waves and it shifts, that's life. 

"At the moment, Tralee football is in the spotlight after a couple of big teams getting relegated. That's just a fact of life. If you want to talk about restructuring of the championship, it shouldn’t be leading up to the premier final in Kerry, I think that was unhelpful. 

"Let's have reform if they want it but don't go nuclear. Sit down and ask what is the best way forward for Kerry football and don't be listening to the keyboard warriors.” 

He added: "I remember a time Kerry had 12 senior clubs and it was very diluted. The 11th and 12th teams couldn't keep a ball kicked out to the top five teams. Is that what you want? Do you want lop-sided club championships or do you want a county championship that is exciting. Don't tell me that game wasn't exciting out there today. One point in it near the finish, down to last minute.” 

He said that driving standards in East Kerry was a lot more difficult than it might look.

“You still have to have the organisation and get everyone to row in behind you, to buy into what you are doing to go forward and win championships. It's not a case of 'ah we'll meet up there lads, we're playing championship in two weeks time.' It doesn't work that way at all. A lot of work goes into it by the board, by the management and the team. The players out there, they're the fellas that want it, want to keep winning.

“We got beaten here in the semi-final in 2018 against Dingle, a tough game, two fellas sent off. What did we do the following year? Went out and we won it. Why? because we knuckled down and we got back. That's what other teams have to do.”