O’Mahony warns Kerry hunger is back
Jack O’Connor believes the break last year has inadvertently done his players the world of good and the Rathmore half-back reckons the frustration of having to pull up a chair to watch the Cork-Down game has the Kingdom purring.
“The big thing is that lads’ hunger is back,” said O’Mahony about Kerry’s 11-point win over Limerick. “You could see it [on Saturday night]. From one to 26, there is unbelievable competition going for places at training.
“We have lads to bring on as well, and as Jack said the intensity and the hunger is there. The break did us good.
“It is hard to be sitting down in September watching the All-Ireland final; we were lucky enough [to be there] for six years. Last year is a good incentive to push on for this year.”
O’Mahony feels the Kerry-Cork rivalry has been reinvigorated by the Rebels’ All-Ireland triumph last year.
“Definitely. I think it’s always been there in recent years, whether in Killarney, Croke Park or in Cork. There will always be extra bite when it’s Kerry and Cork. No-one wants to lose and it will be the same this year.
“We’re looking forward to it and you can be guaranteed Cork will be looking forward to it as well. They are the team setting the bar now and we are really looking forward to playing them.
“We know we’re not going to get anything easy but it’s a home game and you’d want to be looking forward to that.”
While acknowledging the four-week break before the final and a similar gap between the decider and the All-Ireland quarter-final for the winners is not ideal, O’Mahony says Kerry aren’t thinking of the knock-out stages.
“Both teams will want to go through the front door and we’re not thinking about it after that.”
About the long build-up to Killarney, he remarked: “The only thing is you have club games as well and you have to give them a bit of time as well. “There is no point in clubs training six months of the year and having no game. It’s good going back for two weeks playing championship and giving them a bit of time.
“Then we’re back for two weeks ahead of the Munster championship. I don’t know what you can do about it; you can only play the games the way they are set out by the Munster Council. We’re happy to play them and we have no complaints.”
O’Mahony admits Kerry were a little taken aback by the poor challenge presented by Limerick on Saturday.
“Coming up we thought we’d get a very tough game from Limerick. Any time we’ve played them here they have always up it up to us, and it was the same in Killarney last year.
“We were a bit surprised, but a game is a game and we’re happy to take that.”
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