Weeshie's Week    Back to Weeshie's Week List

Article September Week 2 2004
The All Ireland Football Final Preview Kerry V's Mayo

Sunday March 21st of this year I stood on the side line in the Austin Stack Park Tralee interviewing Mayo manager John Maughan, he had just seen his Mayo team hammered in the league by Kerry, 1-13 to 0-8 and he was clearly shattered. One thing he remarked in this Radio Kerry interview which remained in the back of my mind was, and I quote him, 'Kerry are a better footballing side than we are, a class team, however we will go away and learn from this, we have a lot of young footballers, we've got lots of areas in need of improvement, this is like going to school, you learn the lessons and then you apply them, it's a long road and difficult to pick it up from here.'.

His planning for the championship had plainly begun that day, he kept his players in the dressing room for over thirty minutes following their poor display and now once again he has shown that results in the league are completely irrelevant, Kerry must beware, John Maughan knows what it will take to win this match, and Mayo will die in their attempt to win their fourth title, 1936-50-51 were their previous victories. Kerry learned in 1992 when Maughan prepared Clare to beat Kerry that,' you would want to be up early in the morning to be ahead of this army man'.

I had occasion to visit Mayo recently and one thing that struck me in a few pubs that I visited was the photograph of the Sam Maguire cup, so what's so strange you may ask about this, well it showed the great Mayo corner back Sean Flanagan hoisting the trophy over his head, the year was 1951 and who could have envisaged that Mayo would not win another All Ireland since then, ( Kerry have won 16 since 1951), Sean had also captained his county to victory the previous year. Such a great footballing county and all their great followers who have seen so many false dawns in Croke Park since that day 53 years ago. There is a fierce buzz building up in the West and there is a strong feeling that this bunch of players are different from all the previous failures, they believe that this side has the bottle to win big games, they came through the two encounters against Fermanagh when it appeared that they would wilt and die, that extra game in the semi final is worth twenty training sessions to them.

I have always been a great admirer of Mayo football, I was on the Kerry panel of 1969 that had to battle so hard to beat then in that years semi final, 0-14 to 1-10, however I always felt that they were footballers who liked to do a bit of showboating, sell the dummies, prance around, throw a few shapes and prepare for big games as if the next fellow was going to win the match for you. Not this year it would appear, and one thing I have noticed is, that their press day was held two weeks ago, it was out of the way, irrelevant you might add, but to me it sent out a little message, indication that they are not going to let the slightest thing distract them from their efforts to snatch the opportunity for foot balling immortality.

So can Mayo beat Kerry, it is a debatable question despite the fact that nine out of ten Kerry people I meet have Kerry first past the post, however I remember getting the same reaction from the fanatical Kerry fans during the last three years as we failed to Meath, Armagh, and Tyrone, so what's so different about this year. Well for one thing the new men in charge have freshened up the whole scene, while Padi and his men did a great job, winning those two titles, Jack o Connor has brought a new dimension to the preparations, the players have delivered everything that has been asked of them and I have constantly stated two factors in this column all the year about this squad. And the word squad is the first issue we should look at, there will be a lot of talk and discussion over the next week in relation as to who is on the starting 15 and on the other hand who should be on the first fifteen.

This is always cause for wonderful pub and work debate and has forever been so as far back as I can remember, when the crowds would gather in their hundreds out side the now demolished Park Place Hotel ,High St. Killarney waiting for the Monday night statement from that exemplary county secretary the late Tadge Crowley. Tadge would emerge often after midnight to proclaim to press and public alike that 'the following is the Kerry Team for next Sundays All Ireland'. Now however I believe the starting 15 is not going to win or lose a match for you every thing has altered completely in Gaelic football, it's the changes the selectors make during the course of the game that is crucial and to do this you must have men on the shore line highly capable and most importantly of all greatly experience waiting to come on and match the best, and Kerry have them.

I watched them training last week and it was great to see Seamus Moynihan so fit and eager, running like a hare, so if he is not started I put it to you, has Kerry ever in it's illustrious history had a better sub. I don't think so, and what about his Glenflesk club mate Johnny Crowley holder of two All Ireland senior medals, if, and I say if he is not started surly he will answer the call in some dramatic fashion, Tommy Griffin another All Ireland medal holder waiting for his big chance would be a regular only for an injury some time ago, he is now jumping out of his skin, Cromane's Sean O Sullivan could split a tiring defence in the twinkle of an eye, will Liam Hassett start, it makes no difference in my opinion, he will match anything Mayo put up to him.

Experienced subs. that is rare luxury indeed, and then we have Pat Flanagan the trainer, all year he has produced the players on the day in top condition, fresh and eager, full of running, slim and hard as bell metal, now he faces his greatest test, 17 games later played, won 13, drew 1, lost 3, to Longford and Tyrone in the league and a challenge to Galway, won the league, and the Munster championship on the way, he will I believe have the boys at their peak. This allied to the fact that the three men in charge Jack, Johnny and Ger have a acquired a vast wealth of experience over the years and so far every move they have made has paid off means that Kerry are not found wanting on the line.

And what about the Mayo men, in full back David Heaney they have a splendid and superb full back and he was inspirational in their win over Fermanagh, James Nallen is also a great player, playing in his fourth final, he will not be found wanting, these two are the heartbeat of this Mayo team. David Brady will probably return to mid field, on his day he is a fine fielder while his partner Fergal Kelly is raw, however he is big and physical and will cause trouble for anyone.

So, of course it's scores that count and the two Mortimer brothers have been the danger men and scorers in chief for Mayo, however it's here that I believe the game will be won and lost, because in our o Se brothers Mark and especially the brilliant Thomas, Mike McCarthy and Tom O Sullivan in particular we have men who are quit capable of blotting out the best Mayo have. Now there is a lot of talk about the brilliant blond haired pony tailed Kieran McDonald on the forty, he can spray passes around like snuff at a wake, but my contention is that if, and this is a big if, he dominates this area, it's immaterial if the men inside are held by the close marking Kerry defenders, while at the other end the Kerry forwards have proved that they do not rely on any one individual, the scoring charts prove this.

So to conclude who will win, Kerry have done everything asked of them so far, even without the incomparable Seamus Moynihan, still, there is a lingering doubt more especially now that Daragh o Shea is out, he is a massive loss. Two questions, how will we perform at mid field and, what Mayo team will turn up on the day, are they capable of raising their game a few more degrees, they will have to improve to win their first All Ireland since 1951, or will we see the Mayo of the recent past, freezing under the glare of the massive build up and the near unbearable tensions of the day, or will they dazzle as they did against Galway and Tyrone, not even John Maughan can answer this.

It's a fascinating scenario, we will await with bated breath, nevertheless I expect to see Darragh o Cinneide except the Sam Maguire from Kilcummin's Sean Kelly, a man from one small parish in East Kerry handing silver ware to a man from another small parish in West Kerry, it's a tantalising thought, a image never seen before. Best of luck to Sean Geaney and his young minors, always difficult to predict how minors will perform on the day, this side is well capable of winning if the play to their potential.

Fogra: Tune in to night Tuesday, to a cracking Terrace Talk All Ireland final special, two hours of music, football, debate, personalities, and predictions, coming from Godley's corner pub, Rock St. Tralee, 6-8pm, great stuff, not to be missed.