JACK O’CONNOR HAD his eyes on the action in Austin Stack Park yesterday, but an ear was likely being kept out for the exchanges in Croke Park.
O’Connor observed his Kerry team fashion a late win over Clare in the McGrath Cup, the success unable to halt their exit from Munster pre-season fare.
On the scale of their 2023 priorities, it is down the list. Elimination from Group A of a January provincial tournament will not be mulled over, the focus swiftly switching to the long trek up the coast to Ballybofey on 29 January.
An Allianz League opener against Donegal. The proper business of the year begins for the champions with a target on their backs.
The personnel make-up for that game will be interesting.
Which is where the Croke Park bit comes on. Kerins O’Rahillys loss ends their All-Ireland senior club involvement. The day before brought Saturday wins for Rathmore at intermediate level in Páirc Uí Rinn and for Fossa at junior level in Portlaoise.
Six players from O’Connor’s squad that lifted Sam last July are spread across the three club sides – David Moran and Jack Savage with Kerins O’Rahlllys, Shane Ryan and Paul Murphy with Rathmore, David and Paudie Clifford with Fossa.
All their exertions have stacked up over the winter, county club campaigns, moving on to Munster adventures in December and getting ready for the national assaults in January.
Rathmore and Fossa are gearing up for All-Ireland finals next Sunday, both meeting Tyrone opposition.
By next Monday, all of O’Connor’s contingent will be freely available for county calls again. The question is when he will choose to draw them into the fold again?
A break from the grind of football is badly needed by that group after a punishing schedule.
The manager is thinking that way, given his comments last week. “It could be March before we see some of those fellows.”
Will they all be back in harness then? The intrigue surrounds David Moran, 35 next June and a veteran of multiple Kerry seasons.
In December he spoke of his general thinking on whether to return.
“I met with Jack [O'Connor] a while back and I said, ‘Look, I’m going to keep playing with the club and probably take Christmas to decide or decide in the new year.’ At the moment, I’m just with the club and trying to bring that as far as I can.”
Yesterday was as far as Kerins O’Rahillys could bring it, but no one could have done more than Moran to try to extend their run to the senior final on 22 January.
He was immense, a towering figure when kickouts from either side were flung into the air around the middle. Kilmacud couldn’t get a handle on him.
“We were just working on stuff to try and disrupt Davifd and try and stand in front of him from behind or the side,” said Crokes boss Robbie Brennan.
“But he’s just….no wonder – three All-Irelands in three different decades for one of the greatest counties ever, so it’s not a surprise and we certainly didn’t win that battle, that’s for sure.”
William Harmon, the Kerins O’Rahillys supremo, was straight in his assessment.
“Tell me if there is a better midfielder in Kerry? He’s a phenomenal man, a phenomenal person, a phenomenal player. Today out there, I’m looking forward to watching back but I think some of the fielding was top of the range stuff. He deserves that because he’s put in a massive effort.”
Around the time Moran was lording the skies in Dublin, Diarmuid O’Connor was hobbling off with an ankle injury in Tralee. Fast-tracking the return of Moran, or another of the other recent club victors, will not be a requirement for the Kerry management, but the Croke Park fare provided persuasive evidence of the set of skills that Moran can instil to a Kingdom camp.
Some rest and recuperation will be the order of the day for others. Jack Savage has been commuting from Dubai for the club engagements of Strand Road. He indicated before Christmas his intention to soon rejoin the Kerry squad. Seven points were floated over yesterday, the bulk from frees and one neat effort from play on the right wing.
Paul Murphy was centre-back for Rathmore, playing once more after missing the Munster final due to his honeymoon, while Shane Ryan was stationed at corner-forward, an alternative football life to his goalkeeper existence for Kerry. They struck 1-4 between them against Wexford’s St Mogue’s.
The Clifford show for Fossa saw Paudie patrol at centre-back and David lurk inside at full-forward. Meath’s Castletown shipped 0-9 against the brothers, the latest team to suffer at the hands of the pair that have been fixtures on the All-Star team for the past two years.
That quartet fell into their respective club groups, straight off the back of divisional team East Kerry landing the Bishop Moynihan Cup last October for their senior exploits in the Kingdom.
Since the All-Ireland final win over Galway on 24 July last, Shane Ryan and Paudie Clifford have played 15 championship matches between their clubs and division. Paul Murphy and David Clifford have played 14 – Murphy missing that Rathmore’s Munster final, Clifford absent for East Kerry’s opening senior group game.
It has been a time of relentless sporting success and plaudits, yet an element of weariness must creep in at some stage.
Which is where managing and plotting the workload of their players comes in for O’Connor and his Kerry managerial lieutenants.
After the Donegal opener, they are at home to Monaghan, away to Mayo and at home to Mayo over the course of the rest of February.
Their first game in March is a Round 5 tussle with Tyrone in Omagh. The club stars may be held in reserve until then.
What is clear is that having them fit and fresh for the main tests of 2023 is key for Kerry.
And judging on yesterday in Croke Park, a long-serving midfielder can still be a useful addition as well.
