Striking the defensive balance key for Kerry ahead of league decider

In the court of Kerry football, they have always been clear-eyed about the difference between romance and sentiment. Yes, the sweeping, epic grandeur of the Kerry football story might catch the eye of David Lean. But up close, Kerry is a battleship that keeps on moving: faces come and go. Consider this reflection from Jack O’Connor on Mike Quirke in 2011.

"He is one of the best fielders of the ball that there is. There is no question about that. Last year against Limerick in the middle of the field Mike came in and transformed the game. That's what he was capable of in the year I was in charge of Kerins O'Rahillys and he took us to the county final on his back. He was a colossus in the middle of the field that year. He was a great leader around the squad. He will be missed."

O’Connor was paying tribute to the big Tralee man who had decided to walk away from the Kerry panel. He was 32 years old and was sitting on the bench and decided that he while it was okay to sit in reserve starting out in your career, it was different when you were coming to the end. It’s easy to imagine the O’Connor expression: frowning, peering into an imaginary seascape and nodding empathetically.

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“I discussed all of this with Jack,” Quirke told the Irish Examiner at the time. “At the end of the day we shook hands and walked away. There were no hassles.”

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Nothing personal. Both men were clear on where they stood. O’Connor went his way, which involved pressing ahead with what he thought was best for the county team. Quirke went the other way, with four All-Ireland medals to his name. That was that.

But when O’Connor returned as Kerry manager last autumn, he wasted no time on getting on the phone to his former midfielder to invite him back to the Kerry dressing room as selector. Quirke had established himself as a bright and innovative analyst of the game and had stepped up to manage Laois.

Now, the Kingdom was calling him again. And on Sunday, Kerry will attempt to defend their league title against Mayo before concentrating on what promises to be a lightning fast and riveting All-Ireland championship. Kerry haven't won the thing since 2014 – their only title in the last 12 years. But that doesn't stop them from being favourites. It comes with the territory.

Winning All-Irelands is no easy thing but they don’t hand out Kerry club championships for fun either.

Kerry club championship

"They don't at all," laughs Wayne Quillinan, the senior manager of Austin Stacks. "There are eight senior clubs down here and there is nothing between them. You could see that in last year's competition."

Last December, the Kingdom's showpiece was part-football match, part-town theatre. The all-Tralee affair pitted Austin Stacks against Kerins O'Rahilly's for a uniquely towny spectacle in which the Stacks supporters, including 92-year-old Mary Shalvey, marched to the park behind the club band. Quillinan had coached Stacks at all grades for 15 years. The 0-13 to 0-10 win marked the club's 13th title, leaving them top on the honours roll along with Dr Crokes. It was just their third title since 1994.

“Four years ago were in division two of the county league. Won that which was hugely important. Then division one. It gave the seasoned seniors a belief and confidence in what we are doing. The core of our team is about 22 down. Joe O’Connor is captain of Kerry now and Dylan Casey is in there.

“And we took over that minor team six years ago. At that level it is all about level but at 18 and 19 you are very mindful of their individual development and making the transition as seamless as you can.”

Quillinan says that while Stacks prominence obviously gave Casey and O’Connor a chance to showcase their ability, the Kerry club system is devised in a way that means talent will win out.

“There are plenty of players in the Kerry set up that not been overly successful with their clubs. In fairness to Kerry managements, they will scour and attend all championship games. And if they feel that you have the ability to play with the senior team, they will pick you.”

Stacks re-emergence was partly based around a solid defensive structure. It's a topical issue. Over the past number of years, Kerry's defence was consistently under heavy scrutiny as they tried season after season to halt the onslaught of Dublin's All-Ireland potency. Peter Keane went with a high-octane, huge persuasive attacking team in 2019 but his team were edged out after a thrilling All-Ireland final and replay against Dublin.

In 2020, they were criticised for going with an ultra-defensive set-up in the knock-out winter championship against Cork, who caught them with a famous late goal. In 2021, turnovers were central to their downfall against Tyrone and three of the six goals Kerry conceded in the championship were scored by the Ulster champions in that All-Ireland semi-final defeat.

Defensive structure

Addressing Kerry's defensive structure was an immediate task for O'Connor. The recruitment of Paddy Tally was a response to that. And throughout the league, the collective effort of Kerry against teams in possession was obvious to see. Going into the final round against Tyrone, they had conceded just one goal, to Monaghan – although they were blessed in that Saturday night gale against Dublin to finish with a clean sheet. But organisation is going to be key over the next three months if Kerry want to finish top of the pile.

“That’s it,” Quillinan says. “If you look back over the years at man markers like Marc O’Sé or Tom O’Sullivan: those kind of guys don’t come around every year. And we don’t have many out-and-out man markers, I feel, in Kerry. And then you have to go the structure. I think with Paddy Tally coming in; he has tightened things up and also the individuals there now understand their role. Whether they are defending collectively or individually it is very much a collective effort when we are playing without the ball now.

“It is good to see that; there is a shape to it. But also there is a tenacity to it as well. Like, people talk about a defensive structure but realistically when you don’t have the ball that structure starts high up the field with the forwards.

“There is a different element and a different attitude to this Kerry team under Jack this year through the league. And I like the way they are tackling back, pressing the ball, forcing turnovers. Those are the things that I am see that give me massive positivity for Kerry this year going into the championship.”

As soon as the club season stops (which is a brief window of respite) Quillinan, like everyone in the country, reverts to his role as a fervent Kerry football supporter. He could sense the change in mood as Dublin transformed into something gargantuan in the years after their 2011 breakthrough. “Frustration” is how Quillinan describes the general sensation rather than outright anxiety.

“But the big thing for us down here is like anything: stick to the process and keep trying to get the youth through and develop them.”

That’s what Quillinan has been doing within Stacks for over a decade. They are all ultimately servants to this thing. Recovering from an injury for the opening few rounds of the league, Joe O’Connor made his full debut as Kerry captain against Tyrone last week.

In his first season, he is grappling with a hugely competitive internal battle for the midfield slots along with David Moran, Jack Barry, Adrian Spillane and Diarmuid O'Connor.

It has been a useful league for Kerry: impressive but with moments of adversity and plenty of food for thought as they prepare for an unseasonably early visit to Croke Park.

Kerry teams are never judged on league seasons. But they’ve still won more than any county in the GAA’s history. Tomorrow is a chance to add to that. Then comes the real deal.