Sport
Scotts Lakers coach hails main sponsors for support
As the 2021/22 National League season finally gets up and running, Adam Moynihan speaks to Lakers head coach Jarlath Lee about the new season, his new signings, and the team’s mains sponsors: Scotts Hotel, Killarney Credit Union and the Killarney Advertiser.
AM: Jarlath, you must be delighted to get going.
JL: It was about time! No, there’s a good vibe around the team at the moment. We’re all happy and excited to be playing. Unfortunately the juveniles aren’t back yet, but the seniors are quite happy.
How is your rotation coming together?
It’s getting there. Football is an issue. Mark O’Shea (Dr Crokes) has been back with us the last week and a half or so. He trains with us but he hasn’t been able to play matches. The Gneeveguilla boys are only back this week because they were concentrating on the football. It has been hard to get a proper rotation set just yet.
You’re two games into the season now. Have you learned much about your team and the competition in the opening few weeks?
It’s all about learning. We’re always learning and we’re slowly getting our unity together. I would have like that to have happened a bit quicker but I do reckon we will be challenging. We will be in the top four regardless. Ben is the best point guard in the league without a shadow of a doubt, and Emilian is one of the best scorers in the league without a shadow of a doubt. The young guys just need to build their confidence up and when that happens, it’s going to be good. It’s going to be exciting. For the people that will be coming to the home games, I just want to encourage them to be loud. We need an atmosphere there. Encourage the young guys on the court.
Are those young players enjoying being involved with a National League team?
They’re loving it. They’re all getting a couple of minutes. Senan O’Leary and Jamie O’Sullivan are starting at the moment, so they’re getting their chance. Senan’s confidence is getting better bit by bit. He’s averaging eight points a game. Jamie has been consistent all the way through. And we’ve got even younger players than those two. Jack O’Sullivan is an awesome player. He’s only 16 but he’s way above the rim already. And Luke Crowley as well. You’ll see them all over the course of the season.
The Killarney Sports & Leisure Centre is tied up until the end of the month so Sunday's game against Portlaoise will be played in Castleisland. Is that going to affect the team?
The young players would have played there before but the new guys, Ben Miller, Emilian Grudov and Rui Saravia, haven’t. Will it affect them? No, it shouldn’t. They’re professionals to a certain extent. We’re looking forward to it because we threw away the Limerick game. It was just bad decisions at the end of the game that cost us. We had it won at half-time. And last week (against Fr Mathews), we just didn’t perform on the offensive end. You don’t go from scoring over 100 points the week before to just over 50-something the following week… We’re well able to score. We’ll be fine.
How are those foreign imports settling in?
They’re loving Killarney anyway. They really like it. Ben came back, he wanted to commit to a full year which was great. He knew the team already from last year. Emilian is very young but he’s a phenomenal scorer. In pre-season he scored 26 against Neptune and 31 or 32 against Killorglin, two Super League teams. The new guy, Rui, is a 10 (points) and 10 (rebounds) guy. He’s more of a defensive player. And Dainius Varanauskas, the old dog, is back with the team.
How’s Dainius getting on?
He’s getting there. He’s putting in the work, training twice a day. He just wants to help out. He’s not bothered about minutes, he’s not complaining. He’s just there, talking to the young guys, which is brilliant. It’s great to have him back.
And your own son, Jordan, is involved in a coaching capacity. What is he bringing to the table?
Jordan’s first love is basketball and he loves being around the game. His main thing is strength and conditioning so he has done individual workout programmes for the players. He also brings the team down to the lake for recovery sessions and does yoga sessions. He brings a different sort of approach.
Away from the court, your main sponsors (Scotts, Killarney Credit Union and the Killarney Advertiser) are back on board again this season. How important is it to have their support?
Without the sponsors, it doesn’t happen. It’s great that Scotts and Maurice O’Donoghue are with us as sponsors and hopefully they’ll continue to support us going forward. Even going back to Maurice O’Donoghue Sr and the Gleneagle Hotel, the O’Donoghues have given the club great support. Margaret loves basketball, she’ll be at all the games. The whole family loves basketball. Their kids and their nieces and nephews are all involved. And we have other new sponsors involved too. O’Sullivan Bike Hire have provided bikes to the players to get around town. It’s fantastic to have them all on board.
Lakers fans can now buy their season tickets with a ‘single’ costing €50. A ‘patron’ option (two adults) is available for €100, which include a mention in the gameday programmes. The ‘family’ season ticket (two adults and two under 16s) is €120. This entitles fans to entry to every home league and cup game. Visit the St Paul’s Killarney Facebook page for details on how you can get your hands on these tickets through Eventbrite. Alternatively, you can contact any club officer.
Sport
Jack O’Connor’s Kerry squad is looking deeper and stronger (but the proof will be in the eating)
As we reach the midway point of the 2025 season, Adam Moynihan takes a close look at Kerry’s strength in depth
As the Kerry players, management team and backroom staff huddled together for a photo with the Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh Cup in front of the Hogan Stand, one of the photographers raised his fist in the air, trying to illicit something resembling a celebratory scene. No joy.
Victory over Mayo had been secured in convincing enough fashion but winning the league has never been grounds for buoyant celebrations as far as Kerry are concerned. Retaining Division 1 status and unearthing some new talent is generally enough to tick the springtime box ahead of the serious business of the championship. Once that has been achieved, anything else is gravy.
Going by the disappointing loss to Armagh in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, the need for new blood was especially great heading into the 2025 season. The team faded badly down the stretch and into extra time against the Orchard County with overdependence on core players glaringly obvious. It wasn’t the only reason they lost but Kerry simply didn’t get enough from their supporting cast on the day.
With that in mind, Jack O’Connor knew he had to work on the depth of his squad during this league campaign, and you’d have to say he made a pretty good fist of it.
Starting in goal, the situation here is clear with Shane Murphy providing back-up to Shane Ryan.
Moving out the field, in recent years Kerry have generally gone with Jason Foley at full back, Tom O’Sullivan at left corner back, and one of Paul Murphy or Graham O’Sullivan at right corner back.
After making his debut in the league in 2024, Damien Bourke has emerged as a genuine right corner back alternative with some strong performances that have vastly enhanced his reputation. Not many Kerry players came out of the Dublin defeat with extra credit to their name but Bourke was brave and tenacious, bursting out of defence and using the ball wisely. He was replaced as a starter by the experienced Murphy in later rounds but the Tralee man capped his league with a goal off the bench against Galway in Salthill.
Dylan Casey also got extended game time in the absence of Tom O’Sullivan and he acquitted himself professionally. He has a solid head on his shoulders and you get the impression that Jack O’Connor would now be comfortable throwing him into any given situation without hesitation.
The versatile Graham O’Sullivan is also an option at corner back and it looks like he’ll need to slot in somewhere other than his natural position of half back as Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Gavin White are nailed on starters at 5 and 7. O’Sullivan lined out at half forward against Galway and Mayo, underlining his flexibility and importance to the team.
There could be a changing of the guard taking place at centre back with Mike Breen seemingly shaking off the injury woes that have held back his progress with Kerry to date. With regular number 6 Tadhg Morley unavailable for selection for most of the league, Breen slotted seamlessly into that crucial central role, and he looked really confident against Mayo on Sunday. As things stand, Morley will be doing well to displace Breen but either way Kerry should have two good centre back options heading into the summer months.
Midfield has been a head scratcher for Kerry for a number of years but in Diarmuid O’Connor and Joe O’Connor they appear to have found a winning combination. Diarmuid was playing the best football of his career up to his injury against Armagh in Round 6 so getting his shoulder right for championship is of paramount importance to Kerry’s chances.
Joe is a guaranteed starter too but his assured display at wing forward against Armagh was interesting in that it opens the door for a third midfielder to start. Seán O’Brien and Barry Dan O’Sullivan both applied themselves admirably when called upon in the league and the manager should feel like he can trust them more now than he did 12 months ago.
Joe O’Connor’s arrival as a half forward candidate has improved Kerry’s options to the extent that it’s difficult to predict how they will line out from 10 to 12 in the Munster Championship. Micheál Burns has done quite well upon his reintroduction to the team after being dropped from the panel in 2024, and Paudie Clifford is looking sharp at centre forward. Tony Brosnan and Dylan Geaney are options along this line too, although Dylan has been operating as a withdrawn inside forward to date – a role Tony is also capable of playing.
Of course, Seánie O’Shea will have to fit in somewhere in this department when he fully recuperates from his knee ligament injury, so it will be interesting to see how Jack O’Connor works this conundrum out. File under ‘good problems’.
Dara Moynihan is still recovering from a hip injury and has not yet featured in 2025. He would naturally be an option at 10 if he can get back up to speed. Meanwhile, Darragh Lyne, Ruairí Murphy and Cathal Ó Beaglaoich all featured at half forward in the league.
David Clifford and Paul Geaney will play at 13 and 14 with Dylan Geaney in pole position to start at 15 on the back of a really good run of form, perhaps excepting the league final in which he was relatively quiet. Tony Brosnan is a prime candidate to challenge Dylan for that spot; the Dr Crokes player has kicked some fantastic scores in each of his last three appearances as a substitute.
As for out-and-out inside forwards, Conor Geaney and Killian Spillane are likely to be used as impact subs.
All told Kerry do appear to have better depth than they had last year, particularly with the emergence of second season players like Bourke, O’Brien and Dylan Geaney as legitimate options, and with Breen beginning to fulfil his potential. Burns’ comeback and Joe O’Connor’s newfound ability to play the 12 position also help.
As always, though, the proof will be in the eating. We will have to wait for the suffocating heat of do-or-die championship matches to find out if this squad is as deep and dependable as it looks on paper.
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