'The new rules are simpler to coach' says Kerry U20 manager Tomás Ó Sé 

SIMPLER TO COACH: Kerry U20 manager Tomás Ó Sé believes new rules are simpler to coach. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Gaelic football’s new clothes erode sideline control. That erosion is even more pronounced in the levels below senior. Kerry U20 manager Tomás Ó Sé has no fight to pick with this new reality.

Into his third season as Kingdom U20 boss, their Munster round-robin campaign throws in on Tuesday week away to the Phase 1 winner.

U20 fare, he stressed, had never been corrupted to the same extent as the senior game in recent years. And so these new enhancements will serve to better again an U20 product that was already “easy on the eye”.

“The players are enjoying the rules, they're enjoying the tap and go. The short kick-out is taken out of the equation, the backpass to the goalkeeper too. It is all excellent. It suits a team that wants to play fast football,” Ó Sé began.

“There is a lot less control at U20 level than there would be at senior level. Seniors are able to slow the ball down that little bit quicker and get set that little bit quicker than 20s, so I've seen U20 matches where it has been up, down, up, down, and you are getting frustrated with the lack of control you have on a game. That's just what the rules lend itself to. It is not great when you are on the receiving end of that, but overall it is exciting.” 

Given their provincial campaign has yet to commence, Ó Sé, unlike some senior managers, had no qualms with the timing of the latest set of Football Review Committee tweaks.

“I know the senior lads have complained, but I think for us we weren’t in championship, we weren’t in competitive football, so we’re focusing really on the main rule changes.

“You can see tweaks happening already with the three up, where senior teams have a lot of work [done]. We were getting caught an awful lot with it, so lads were forced to communicate that bit better and certain teams are well versed in how to create a situation where you’ll get caught.

“The new rules are simpler to coach. The level of preparation-time with U20s would be less than with a senior team, but coaches are enjoying it, players are enjoying it, and spectators will enjoy it more. Give it a year and I guarantee you'll have a better game.” 

Ó Sé confirmed that Kerry's leading U20 marksman Cormac Dillon will miss the start of the championship because of a hamstring injury, with no return date yet set for the Duagh forward.

With 1-34, Dillon was Kerry’s top-scorer during a 2024 campaign that ended in All-Ireland final defeat to Tyrone. It was a final defeat where he kicked 0-8 (0-3 frees, 0-1 mark).

“He’ll be out for the start of the championship and he’s a huge loss at any level. He’s a top, top forward. Just a hamstring and hopefully he’ll be ready at some stage. When that is we don’t know, he’s going to be scanned again soon enough so hopefully we’ll have good news on it.

“We don’t know, but we’d be hopeful he’d play some part for us, because he is a key player for us really and vital to everything we do.”