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Lost in Castlebar: Kerry are miles off where they need to be (but that’s okay)

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2 years ago

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Kerry manager Jack O'Connor at MacHale Park in Castlebar. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.

by Adam Moynihan

My visit to MacHale Park was ill-fated from the start.

When I arrived at the gate at the corner of the stand and the scoreboard end, I was welcomed in and directed to the media tower way over on the other side of the pitch. It was my first time working on a match at this venue but 'media tower' sounded about right. I am a member of the media after all (the mainstream media if some of the replies to my recent tweet about Tommy Robinson are to be believed).

After eventually reaching the tower and climbing the steps into a dark hallway, I opened up door No. 1. It was TG4's commentary gantry. Doors No. 2 and 3 were both radio booths. I don't know if the steward at the gate had me pegged as a Gaeilgeoir or as someone who has a face for radio but either way I wasn’t where I was meant to be.

I wandered back over to the entrance to figure out what was going on. A lost Kerryman dazed and confused in MacHale Park. Sadly, this would become the theme of the evening.

This time the doorman sent me down underneath the stand where I was greeted by another steward who was manning an elevator. "Are you press?" I am, I said, as I flashed my GAA-issued press ID card like an FBI agent arriving at the scene of a crime.

"That's no good to you here," the steward replied in lilting Mayo tones. "Have you any cash?" Some local wit (which was greatly appreciated my end). He opened the doors and brought me up to the press box with plenty of time to spare.

Around an hour later I would have gladly slipped him a 50 to let me the hell out of there.

Kerry were completely outran, outfought and outmanoeuvred on the night by a rampant Mayo platoon who had no interest in taking prisoners. Kevin McStay’s side looked championship-ready. Jack O’Connor’s side looked ready for bed.

Two avoidable goals added exclamation points to the half-time scoreline but even if you took the goals out of it (to paraphrase the last Kerry manager), the gulf between the teams was alarming. The defenders in navy blue were stuck to the ground and the hosts took full advantage with the swashbuckling Aidan O’Shea and incessant Jordan Flynn to the fore.

At the other end, Kerry’s forwards struggled to create separation from their markers when making runs for the ball. When they did find some space, and when the pass was right (which happened far less often than it should have), they failed to make inroads against a physically imposing Mayo defence. This resulted in low-percentage shots from unkind angles. Their execution rate of 27% was a clear reflection of this.

Mayo led by 11 at the break and the game was already over. The introduction of David Clifford and Seánie O’Shea helped the visitors to win the second half but that came as no consolation at all, really.

It was a very disappointing result and performance and you felt for the travelling Kerry support, but in fairness we were warned that this might happen. Jack O’Connor told us that Kerry would have to train through the league and that the players’ conditioning would not be right. If you were to compare how Kerry moved around on Saturday night versus how they were moving this time last year, it would be like looking at two different teams. Not least because several automatic starters weren’t on the pitch.

To be frank, Kerry are miles off where they need to be if they want to win another All-Ireland, but that’s okay for now. Of all the All-Ireland titles that Kerry have to their name, none of them were ever won in February.

As for the immediate future, the manager has spoken of his desire to reach six points, a magical number that has guaranteed Division 1 survival in all but one of the last 15 seasons. That means they will need to win two of their remaining four fixtures. Next up is Armagh at home on Saturday (5pm) followed by Tyrone away, Roscommon at home and Galway away.

Armagh’s form to date has been all over the place. After beating Monaghan in Round 1, they had a comeback draw against Mayo in Round 2 and then they lost to surprise package Roscommon on Sunday last. They have been too erratic for anyone to predict what kind of challenge they will offer up this weekend but they are unlikely to give anything away easily.

It’s difficult to feel confident for Kerry given how far off the pace they were in Castlebar but you would expect Clifford and O’Shea to start, and that’s something. You would also expect a positive reaction from the players who manage to hold on to their starting positions, particularly in the familiar surrounds of Austin Stack Park.

I know I’m a soft Killarney boy but I’ll hardly get lost in Tralee, and this Kerry team shouldn’t be getting lost around there either.

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Numbers Game: How Kerry can reach league final – or get relegated for first time in 24 years

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2 days ago

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22 March 2025

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by Adam Moynihan

Men’s NFL Division 1

Galway v Kerry

Sunday 3.45pm

Salthill

Live on TG4 YouTube

Kerry travel to Galway on Sunday knowing that defeat could well consign them to relegation for the first time since 2001. Win and they could be Croker-bound. It’s that tight heading into the final day of Division 1 of the National Football League. Anything could happen.

Let’s get the lay of the land before we wade into the murky waters of permutations. We currently have a three-way tie at the top of the table with Galway, Dublin and Donegal all level on eight points. Next up are Mayo on seven, followed by Kerry on six, Armagh and Tyrone on five, and already-relegated Derry on one.

PWDLPDPts
1Galway6321178
2Dublin640288
3Donegal640248
4Mayo6312-37
5Kerry6303116
6Tyrone621305
7Armagh6213-85
8Derry6015-291

In the seventh and final round of the league, Galway play Kerry, Mayo are at home to Donegal, Armagh host Derry, and Tyrone welcome Dublin to Healy Park, Omagh. All four matches are being played simultaneously at 3.45pm on Sunday.

So, who will be joining the Oak Leafers in Division 2 in 2026?

If Kerry lose they will remain on six points, which means that if Armagh and Tyrone both win, they will move onto seven points, relegating the Kingdom. However, if Kerry lose they will stay up if one or both of Armagh or Tyrone lose.

If Kerry lose and either Armagh or Tyrone draw and the other win, Kerry are safe on the head-to-head rule. If Kerry lose and both Armagh and Tyrone draw, there will be a three-way tie on six points. In this event, points difference will come into play, and Kerry will survive if they lose to Galway by less than 20.

If Kerry draw with Galway, they will almost certainly be safe. Such a result would move them up to seven points, and even if Armagh and Tyrone both win, Kerry’s superior points difference would, barring an incredible set of results, see them over the line. Kerry are currently on +11 with Armagh on -8 and Tyrone breaking even on zero. So Armagh would need to beat Derry by 20 points and Tyrone would need to beat Dublin by 12 for them both to overtake Kerry.

Now, let’s fix our gaze upwards rather than down. A place in the league final is also on the cards – if all those cards fall kindly.

If Kerry win, they will wind up on eight points, guaranteeing their status as a Division 1 team for the 24th year in a row. If they win by three points (or more), that’s where things get interesting. Such a margin of victory would see them overtake their direct opponents, Galway, on ‘points for’ (if they win by three) or ‘overall points difference’ (if they win by more than three).

It would also guarantee that they would slip in between Mayo and Donegal, with the winner of that game moving into first, and the loser missing out on the league final. (A draw would be enough for Donegal, but not enough for Mayo.)

Kerry’s fate (again, if they win) would then depend on the result in the Tyrone v Dublin game. If Dublin win, they will advance to the league final. If Dublin draw, they will advance to the league final. But if Dublin lose, they will be passed out by Kerry, and Jack O’Connor’s men will sneak into the Croke Park decider via the side entrance.

That would be a remarkable turn of events considering the team’s spotty form up to this point, but the main priority will simply be to win and ensure survival. Anything on top of that would be a hard-earned bonus.

Tyrone v Dublin will be shown on TG4 with all other Division 1 and Division 2 games available live on the TG4 YouTube channel.

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Spa GAA Club unveil hi-tech solar panels

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2 days ago

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22 March 2025

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This week has seen Spa GAA swap their traditional blue and gold colours to go green, all for the sake of climate change and the environment.

In partnership with solar energy specialist REC Ireland they have just installed a 28.5 kW Solar PV system at their club grounds in Tullig.

The system, comprising 60 PV panels and supported by 10 kW battery storage, is mounted on the south-facing roof of their multi-purpose sports hall. It represents a state-of-the-art installation and it comes on foot of the club being one of the first GAA club recipients of Kerry County Council’s Climate Action Grant Scheme, launched in 2024.

“This is a hugely positive initiative in terms of reducing our on-site carbon footprint, promoting renewable energy and reducing our dependency on oil and gas,” club chairman Tadhg Hickey said.

In a further sign of Spa’s commitment to the green agenda, the club have recently been shortlisted as the only GAA club in Kerry in the Shared Island Sports Club Electrical Vehicle charging scheme, under which funding is provided to install a network of publicly accessible chargers for communities through local sports clubs.

Along with ramping up public EV charging facilities in local communities, the scheme offers significant potential for clubs to generate income, and is another example of the positive contribution of sports clubs in their locality.

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