Peter’s playing a blinder
WHETHER working with a script from a Shakespeare classic or a John B Keane epic, Peter Keane would be a dab hand on the stage or screen and, on a good day, he’d be a shoo-in for an IFTA. Mikey Fassbender, watch your back.
The St Mary’s legend is certainly playing a best male in a lead performance role in his amusing to watch dealings with the media and his ability to dampen any hint of hysteria or hype with a simple turn of phrase or a bewildering tale is uncanny.
Those that remember that amusing knack Mick O’Dwyer had of talking up the opposition should watch the Killorglin businessman in action – it must be a great south Kerry trait. In any game, Kerry’s backs will always be to the wall.
Keane gives away little or nothing – more the latter – at pre-match press briefings or when facing the cameras after the games. His mantra is along the lines of ‘Yerra, we’ll take every game as it comes, any game could go either way and, shure, look what happened to us last year’. And he’s striking to it.
You will never – ever – see Peter Keane nodding in agreement that, all things considered, any upcoming fixture, be in against champions or minnows, is a game that Kerry should be winning. He’s far and away too wary for that.
Before last Saturday night’s game he effortlessly batted away a suggestion that Kerry should be winning comfortably by telling an obscure yarn about a chef and a drowning man shouting for help. It left his audience scratching their heads – but the moment had passed and it was time to move on.
Again, after the game, Peter was anxious to point out that he wasn’t best pleased with some wayward shooting by his players at Fitzgerald Stadium – despite the fact that they had notched three goals and 22 points and thumped Clare by 17 points.
It was a case of steady on lads. Sure we’re facing the Munster championship next – and they’ll be at home. That trip to Tipp is laden with championship landmines.
And even if they are in Division 4, shure didn’t they beat Cork last year and didn’t Cork beat us. We’re up against it, lads.
Seán is a really class act
SEÁN O’Shea is fast becoming the complete package. Singled out as one to watch since he played under age, the enormously driven Kenmare attacker had added considerable bulk to his great footballing brain and can now take his place alongside the star performers currently operating at the very top level in the game.
Seán was at his devastating best against Clare, causing consternation when repeatedly, cleverly, craftily switching to and fro between the centre half forward position and the full forward berth, getting in some crunching tackles and waving the baton when Kerry attacked as a unit.
Oh, and he chipped in with a goal and seven points for good measure. Not bad, eh?
They physicality of the Kerry players is a standout feature this season. O’Shea is a strapping young man. David Clifford, Jason Foley and Diarmuid O’Connor have all really bulked up and Pat Spillane is already on the record about how the physique of his two nephews, Adrian and Killian, has changed so dramatically over the past few seasons.
And just experience a full-on tackle from the likes of Gavin White, Tom O’Sullivan, Mike Breen or Paul Murphy and you’ll know all about it.
Jason McGahan’s strength and conditioning plan is paying handsome dividends. And if the Dubs had a clear edge on a young and maturing Kerry in the physical side of their encounters in recent seasons, that’s certainly no longer the case. There’s no men against boys anymore. It’s a man’s game now.
The numbers are adding up
Peter Keane stressed time and again in the press briefing before the Clare game that he and his selection team were determined to opt for strength in numbers in this year’s championships and a quick glance at the squad will confirm that they have succeeded in that particular task.
“Obviously you’re always looking to have depth and to increase the depth as much as you can,” he said in the days leading up to Saturday.
“We’ve used 28 or 29 players in four games over a five-week period. We got to the point that we weren’t afraid of whoever we were going to throw in and they just went on and got on with it,” Keane added.
To get an accurate snapshot of strength in depth no available, just look at the quality on the bench and pinpoint one player that wouldn’t command a place on the starting line-up in any other country in the county: Paul Murphy, Jack Barry, Killian Spillane, Tadhg Morley, Tony Brosnan, Shane Ryan, Tommy Walsh, Micheál Burns, Jack Sherwood, Adrian Spillane, Graham O’Sullivan.
That’s not even factoring in the likes of David Shaw, Paul O’Shea, Pa Kilkenny, Ronan Buckley, Joe O’Connor who can all raise a hand and make a case for inclusion.
And then there’s this O’Donoghue lad with Killarney Legion who is also supposed to be pretty handy.
It’s not that Keane has the players at his disposal – it’s that they’re working cohesively as a unit, playing for each other, working for each other and everybody knows exactly what’s expected of them. Sort of a winning formula, if you wish.
