The Joys of Kerry

[ONeill]

Saw this in the Gaelic Life a week ago and thought it was a decent piece by Brolly.

IT was the most powerful image of the weekend. The sunken, haunted eyes staring out at us. The voice, when it finally came, barely audible, quivering with emotion. No, it wasn't a Libyan father on Al Jazeera TV, devastated at the loss of his family in an American airstrike. It was Mickey Moran, celebrating Leitrim's victory in the Connacht Championship.

I was at a night in the Europa once and May McFetridge was doing her thing. Circling the tables with the mike, she spied an eminent QC whose face was wrinkled in distaste at her lowbrow humour. "Are you enjoying yourself sir?" she asked him, thrusting the microphone into his face. "Yes" he replied. "Well do me a favour love and ask your brain to let your face know."

With Donegal's half-built footballing Death Star temporarily back in orbit for further work, Leitrim led a return to football last weekend, letting the remaining air out of Sligo's tyres with a feisty and full blooded effort.

Their goal was a thing of beauty, a pass that Maurice Fitzgerald would have been proud of bewildering the Sligo corner back and stranding the keeper. It was a barnstorming effort. Mickey deserves credit for the bravery of his selection, choosing seven debutants, and also for the happy, adventurous approach of the group. They got stuck in from the whistle, played with freedom and won more comprehensively than the scoreline suggests.

Afterwards, the manager dedicated the performance to Philly McGuinness. If Philly was looking down on his old team-mates, he must have been very proud. A delightful occasion! 

Meanwhile, the Kingdom took the winter covers of their howitzers, oiled them up and did a bit of practice shooting. Tipperary are a decent team, who would give most northern teams a torrid Championship hour. The green and gold simply strolled through them, despite having to play with fourteen men for two thirds of the game.

"Why is it they never take any opposition for granted?" Kevin McStay asked me as we watched them. It is a very good question. Fermanagh stunned Derry a few years ago in the Championship and nearly won an Ulster. If instead they had met the Kingdom in the early rounds, they would have been hockeyed. I think the answer to the question is that they let their football do the talking. What I mean by that is that they are such skilled, knowledgeable footballers that they do not have to be highly motivated to win most games. They do not kick wides. They do not give bad passes.

On Sunday, they attacked with such precision that Tipperary couldn't get a hand on them. They spreadeagled the opposition time and again with the perfect pass at the right time to the right man.

Donncha Walsh scored a point in that opening period that exemplifies their art. After two diagonal footpasses in different directions, he took possession on the left wing. He wanted to handpass it inside to Gooch, but saw it was too tight and decided to kick for a point with his favoured left. The defender got across to cover it, so he simply swivelled and kicked it over with his right.

When Tomas O'Se was sent off, they went on a Go Slow. I say a Go Slow, but by the standards of say Donegal or Armagh it wasn't a go slow at all. They became more defensive, held possession, killed any prospect of Tipperary gaining momentum, but crucially, continued to score at regular intervals, counter-attacking with panache. At half-time, the score was 0-9 to 0-5. Kerry had not registered a single wide. At full-time, bearing in mind Kerry were a man down, the scoreline was 2-15 to 0-11. The second half scoreline was therefore 2-6 to 0-6. In that period they had two wides.

A good counterpoint was the Derry Fermanagh game. Fermanagh are in the worst possible situation and arrived in Celtic Park hoping only to keep the score down. The game was over early on, yet Fermanagh dominated the second half, outscoring and outplaying us. John Brennan fumed afterwards, correctly pointing out that in every game there are two games. Kerry would have massacred Fermanagh's sacrificial lambs, confirming their deepest fears that this company is not for them. Derry meanwhile gave them hope for another day. It is why the smaller teams in Munster have no chance, but the smaller teams here do.   

I watched TG4's excellent documentary on Darragh O'Se last week and basked in it. The soft voices, the perfect Irish, the beauty of the football. But most importantly, the respect and reverence for the game.

"Darragh doesn't take himself at all seriously," said his great friend Dara O'Cinneide, "but he takes his football very very seriously."

I had forgotten what a fine high fetcher he was. Six feet tall, here he was soaring over the six feet six Cork giant Nicholas Murphy, the size 5 sticking to those evostick hands.

Moments that will live forever;

Mikey Sheehy daintily picking his way through ten Cork defenders in a Munster final to sidestep the ball past the keeper, leaving Cork manager Billy Morgan with his face buried in the turf.
The Bomber Liston solo dummying the fine Dublin full back Gerry Hargan with his right, before sweeping a forty yard point with his left.
Jack O'Se climbing invisible steps through the air to clasp the ball with those useless old cotton gloves, then driving forward to blast a twenty five yard rasper to the net to win an All-Ireland final against Offaly.
Colm Cooper weaving his way through the Mayo defence to score his first All-Ireland final goal, leaving two defenders and the keeper sprawled on the turf wondering where the ball was. Seamus Moynihan's twinkling feet carrying him out of a packed defence.
Donaghy plucking a skyscraper ball from the heavens.

Kerry play. They express themselves. They do it with style and a flourish.
Happy football.
Makes life worth living.

[seafoid]

They are excellent but to be honest I am sick of Kerry winning .

[Farrandeelin]

They are excellent but to be honest I am sick of Kerry winning .

You're not the only one. I hope Cork win Munster in which promises to be a cracking game.

[Chris agus Snoop]

All things change.

[CorkMan]

Sorry,I clicked in to this thead expecting to find the butt of a joke

[Mike Sheehy]

Cork football sold its soul to win an AI. They have become just another team of atheletes who value beep tests over natural talent. It will be an interesting clash of styles in Killarney thats for sure.

[Offalylad]

Same can be said about Kildare and their efforts to win Sam. Has to be said that Cork do have some nice footballers. Kelly, Kerrigan, O'Connor, O'Neill....

[ross matt]

Well according to Liam Hayes on Newstalk (Off the ball) last night Dublin have the best footballers in the country. Very fluid on the ball. Better than Cork and Kerry. In fact he goes on to say Kerry have only two A forwards.... the gooch & Declan Sull. The rest are B forwards (including Donaghy & Galvin !) .

Needless to say there was a quick and substantial switchboard response.

[5 Sams]

Well according to Liam Hayes on Newstalk (Off the ball) last night Dublin have the best footballers in the country. Very fluid on the ball. Better than Cork and Kerry. In fact he goes on to say Kerry have only two A forwards.... the gooch & Declan Sull. The rest are B forwards (including Donaghy & Galvin !) .

Needless to say there was a quick and substantial switchboard response.

Liam's been banging that drum for quite a while....his old Sunday Tribune articles caused quite a stir when he wrote about "how average a team Kerry were".

[Farrandeelin]

Kerry may be shown up defensively by Cork.