Killarney

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by Adam Moynihan



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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 &#8216;media tower&#8217; 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&#8217;s commentary gantry. Doors No. 2 and 3 were both radio booths. I don&#8217;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. &#8220;Are you press?&#8221; I am, I said, as I flashed my GAA-issued press ID card like an FBI agent arriving at the scene of a crime.



&#8220;That&#8217;s no good to you here,&#8221; the steward replied in lilting Mayo tones. &#8220;Have you any cash?&#8221; 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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<strong>Lost in Castlebar: Kerry are miles off where they need to be (but that’s

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