KERRY MAY HAVE reigned supreme in the last five All-Ireland minor deciders but their lack of success at another underage level is a source of irritation for one of the most celebrated names in the county.
The end of season minor victories since 2014 may have been toasted and viewed as an assurance of the type of talent that Kerry have coming through the ranks.
But Tomás Ó Sé believes it would have been more promising for the county if those successes had been replicated at U21 level in 2017 or U20 when the grade was switched for 2018.
Two years ago Kerry lost an All-Ireland semi-final to Galway before being defeated by Kildare last year. The latter defeat does carry a major caveat with attacking stars David Clifford and Sean O’Shea unavailable due to their swift promotion to the senior ranks.
Ahead of Saturday’s Munster final, where Kerry are widely expected to triumph, Ó Sé feels there are still concerns over the county’s longer-term prospects in the 2019 championship.
“I’d still have question marks over Kerry long-term to be honest with you,” says Ó Sé.
“People get excited that we’ve the talent coming through. Talent coming through for me is your U21 team winning. That’s talent coming through.
“You can’t hedge your bets on a 17-year-old because they just won’t come through. You look up, the first (Kerry) two teams that have gone through, they lost the U21 and they lost the U20.
“I’d be cranky enough as a Kerry man, I think it’s vital to win those competitions. I think the U20 or U21 is a serious competition. Had Clifford and O’Shea been playing last year, Kerry would have won one. I’d have no doubt they would have won it and that would mean so much to this team right now more so than the minors.
“They were winning no minors when we were winning All-Irelands but they were winning U21s – 1995, 1996, 1998, 2008. I think that whole competition has been diluted by the GAA by taking players out.”
Looking at the Kerry side, it is further back the pitch where Ó Sé envisages problems emerging.
“I think the modern game the way teams defend in numbers has kind of stopped inter-county teams developed a Mike McCarthy or a Tom O’Sullivan or a Marc Ó Sé, who given 45 yard space inside and they would go one on one no problem with anybody.
“I think the fact that we were putting Peter Crowley back in the full-back line and the fact that he was still our best man-marker inside and he’s naturally a half-back, he’s not a natural corner-back, just tells you that Kerry are in trouble inside in the full-back line.
“They haven’t tidied that up. I think their way of dealing with that is to put unreal pressure out the field and try to slow the amount of ball that goes in, which I think is risky because down the line you’re going to get caught.
“If you look at the Dubs, Cooper is a good man-marker, Fitzsimons is a good man-marker, Philly in his time has been a good man-marker. They’re still protected by Cian O’Sullivan even though they’re better man markers than Kerry, they’re still protected by O’Sullivan.
“Kerry don’t have a natural sweeper. In fairness to your man, Jack Sherwood did it the last day, he went off injured at half-time. He was actually doing a grand job.
“I’d be worried from 1-9 for Kerry. I think that’s a big issue for them.”
But Ó Sé still expects Kerry to get the job done on Saturday night in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and clinch a seventh successive Munster crown.
He points out that he has been impressed with some players from opponents Cork yet finds it hard to trust them to perform after their struggles in recent seasons.
“I don’t know what Cork are going to throw out. I’d say they’ve lost all form of support down there in terms of people going watching them play. It’s going on a few years now where they’re not performing and last year was diabolical really for them.
“Towards the end (of the league), something happened there, there was a decision made in that group, the way we’re playing is not working and suddenly you’re hearing whispers of them winning challenge games against the Dubs, a weakened Dublin team now, but they’re still winning, and winning to a group like that who have been battered has to grow some confidence.
“They will have got confidence against Limerick but can you trust them to fire up on Saturday night? I wouldn’t be trusting them. I’ve always said they have the potential like to be better what they’re throwing out.
“Ruairi Deane would mix it with any of the boys around the middle with Kerry right now. Any of them. (Eoghan) McSweeney at wing-forward, I saw him against Donegal inside there, I just wandered into that game. He had three points from play kicked in the first half.
“I’d be hopeful, I think it’ll be closer than last year but some of my predictions this year are going haywire altogether. I think that inevitability of people thinking same old Cork crap again, that’s there as well. The worry I’d have for Cork is if Kerry tag on scores early, they could crumble.”
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