Kerry manager Peter Keane must make some big calls as The Kingdom set sail on their 2021 All-Ireland quest, writes Adam Moynihan

One hundred and thirty-seven minutes. A little over two hours. That’s how long Kerry’s championship lasted in 2020.

The aim will be to get a little over two months out of it this time around but, with no safety net in place, it’s impossible to look beyond the Munster quarter-final against an ever-improving and potentially dangerous Clare side. This Kerry team have been bitten once. They will be on high alert in The Park on Saturday.

Over the course of a promising league campaign which included a draw with the champions and blowout wins over Galway and Tyrone, plenty of players put their paws up for starting berths. Now, Peter Keane and his selectors have some huge calls to make, none more so than deciding who will contest the throw-in at 7pm tomorrow evening.

MORAN

In previous years, David Moran’s inclusion was a foregone conclusion so long as he was physically able, but there is a growing sense that his place is no longer set in stone. The veteran sat out the Tyrone drubbing a fortnight ago and apart from a fine first half against Galway (the first 35 minutes of the season) his form has not been great.

No one can deny Moran’s talent and the physical presence he provides, but there are concerns in some quarters about his ability to get around the pitch at his age (he is 33 on Tuesday), especially given his history of serious injuries.

As an elder statesman and one of a select few with senior All-Ireland medals to his name, he is a leader of this team. However, you have to wonder if, at times, he tries to assume a little too much responsibility, particularly in key moments. In two of the past three seasons, Moran has taken and missed Kerry's last shot in an elimination game (Monaghan in 2018 and Cork in 2020). In the drawn match against Dublin in 2019, he took the ball into contact and turned it over, which resulted in the opposition getting an equalising free at the other end.

Maybe it is unfair to highlight these individual errors – if you went through each of the aforementioned games you would see every single player making a mistake at one point or another. But it does seem as though Moran has developed a habit of trying to drag Kerry over the line almost singlehandedly. He is a terrific footballer who is capable of doing that, but at the same time he is not Kerry’s best player. In clutch moments, the ball should be in David Clifford’s hands 10 times out of 10. If that is literally impossible in a given situation, Seán O’Shea is next up. And I don’t think it’s an insult to David Moran to say that.

Do Kerry have the midfielders to win without him? That’s up for debate. Diarmuid O’Connor has made great strides this year and Kerry supporters are rightly enthused by the 22-year-old’s progress, but he isn’t the finished article just yet. Jack Barry and Adrian Spillane provide athleticism and physicality, but they can’t match Moran for sheer skill.

Peter Keane will be hoping that the Rahilly's man is saving his best for the championship. He has shone on the big stage plenty of times throughout his intercounty career.

Keane can either start with Moran and finish with Barry or Spillane, or hold him in reserve until the right moment. It’s a major decision either way and one that could potentially define Kerry’s season.

FULL BACK

Elsewhere, Tadhg Morley’s place at full back might also be under threat all of a sudden. Jason Foley was Man of the Match at No. 3 against Tyrone and Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Tom O’Sullivan did very well either side of him.

Morley was rested from the start against Roscommon and was wrongly sent off just seconds after his introduction, which ruled him out of that league semi-final two weeks ago.

It would be a very cruel way for him to lose his place if that’s the route that Keane and co. decide to go down, but Ó Beaglaoich and O’Sullivan could also feel hard done by if they’re the ones to miss out.

TONY BROSNAN

The other dilemma for Keane is in the full forward line where Killian Spillane and Tony Brosnan are the main candidates to partner in-form talisman David Clifford. Brosnan is expected to be available after recovering from a hand injury but, at the moment, Spillane seems to be the manager’s preferred option.

Brosnan’s consistently electrifying form at club level for Dr Crokes effectively forced Keane to bring him into the fold last season; for whatever reason the manager appeared to be reluctant to do so up until that point. Brosnan has fared well, perhaps without truly exploding onto the scene in the manner he would have liked. Maybe this is simply down to the fact that he is playing next to the best forward in the country. David Clifford is going to be Kerry’s first option on most attacking possessions, which means that whoever lines up alongside him is going to get fewer touches than they normally would for their club.

Brosnan shines for Crokes when he’s the main man. He gets the ball and it’s all about him. He can take on his marker, he can check back for a shot, he can play a one-two. It’s probably unreasonable to expect him to do the same thing and kick the same huge scores for Kerry when he’s seeing less of the ball. In fairness to Spillane, he thrives in this role as a second option. He is a real catch-and-shoot kicker – oftentimes he won’t even take a hop or a solo before shooting. But Brosnan is just as capable of fulfilling this role because he’s so accurate.

For the majority of counties, Spillane or Brosnan would be the main forward. To thrive for Kerry, however, they basically have to be David Clifford’s wingman.

As for the half forward line, Paudie Clifford, Seán O’Shea, Dara Moynihan and Paul Geaney should start (Kerry have effectively played with four half forwards so far this season, apart from the Tyrone game when they started five). Stephen O’Brien could be the one to miss out if Keane does opt to bring in another inside forward in the mold of Spillane or Brosnan. The Kenmare player, who was sensational in 2019 before suffering an injury setback in 2020, has struggled to find his feet of late.

Tommy Walsh remains an ever-reliable impact substitute and Micheál Burns is also capable of coming in and doing a job.

SETTLED

The half back line of Paul Murphy, Gavin Crowley and Gavin White is fairly settled at this stage with newcomer Mike Breen a viable alternative if needs be. Jack Sherwood is also likely to see minutes late on.

Between the posts, Shane Ryan looks set to return following a six-week layoff due to injury. Kieran Fitzgibbon did well enough in his stead but Ryan is sure to be Keane’s first choice for the business end of the season (if Kerry get that far). With that in mind, the more gametime the Rathmore man can get under his belt, the better.

So, big decisions for Keane, Maurice Fitzgerald, James Foley and Tommy Griffin to make ahead of Kerry’s first 2021 championship team announcement tonight.

It might “only” be Day 1 and it might “only” be Clare, but the entire group will need to be completely focused to ensure that this campaign lasts longer than a couple of hours.