A PLAYER WHO earned his stripes by perfectly judging the flight of a ball and the arc of his kicks, it’s no surprise that Colm Cooper has got the timing of his comeback spot on.
As the clock ticks down on the final days of his hard-earned sabbatical from the Kerry senior footballers, “The Gooch” looks refreshed and ready to pull on the green and gold once again.
Last weekend, he lined out alongside his Dr Crokes clubmates for a league game, scoring 0-8 and creating at least that amount of chances again; promising signs ahead of his expected return to inter-county training this week and with the Division 1 semi-finals just around the corner.
Bringing a player of Cooper’s class back into the set-up is a massive lift, no doubt, but while he has been away, manager Jack O’Connor has found plenty of able deputies to slot into the Kerry attack. In six league games so far, seven different players have been handed a start in the full-forward line.
Some, like Declan and Darran O’Sullivan, will probably revert to more familiar roles in the half-forwards once the championship rolls around but others like Patrick Curtin will have their eyes set on a coveted starting place come the Munster opener against Tipperary.
Curtin has caught the eye with 1-6 from four starts at corner-forward, but it’s the Moyvane man’s versatility which has most impressed Kingdom legend Seamus Moynihan.
“He’s playing very well and he’s a good team player. He came on as a sub against Dublin and set up Darran O’Sullivan for the goal with a lovely handpass across the square, which is a good sign of a fella. He’s bringing other players into it.
Last Sunday we saw a different side of him — he was winning great ball, turning on a half-penny and putting the ball over the bar. He’s offering a lot which is great. It’s exciting.Obviously you’ve the likes of the Gooch to come back, but he’s playing very well and he’s there on merit at the minute. Long may it continue. If he can keep scoring four points every day, I think Jack will be very happy.
Trading places
Despite the plaudits, Curtin will do well to avoid being squeezed out onto the bench by Cooper, Kieran Donaghy, Barry John Keane and James O’Donoghue; his task will become even more trying once Kieran O’Leary returns to full fitness.
That type of dog-eat-dog competition for places is exactly what Kerry need if they are to push on and challenge for serious honours come the summer, Moynihan says.
“You’re going in to the training ground and you have to give 140% in order to get that jersey, and that’s what you want.
“You want competition from numbers 15 back to 25 as well, because they way the game has gone and the way the championship has gone with the qualifiers and the back door, you need a very solid panel and you need seven or eight or nine guys that are biting at the bit and ready to jump at any stage.
The Kerry panel may have been a little bit weakened in the last few years, but thankfully they’ve turned a corner and I think they’re building that again.
