Post by Mickmack on Jun 11, 2015 17:51:37 GMT
Some years ago, the late Páidi Ó Sé was asked how the modern Kerry side would have fared against the team with whom he won eight All-Ireland medals in the 1970s and 1980s.
"Honestly?" he said to the interviewer, "the game would be over in 15 minutes." No further probing was required to find out which team the Ventry man thought would win.
Another one of the legendary eight medal men from Kerry, Mikey Sheehy, now a selector alongside senior manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice, had a different take when he was asked recently about the difference between his generation and the current crop.
“The fitness levels have gone through the roof, the skill levels are roughly around the same," he said of how the game of Gaelic football has developed. "The preparation is frightening. These guys, all counties, I see some of the Kerry guys and they are as fit as any professional athletes. They are doing their S and Cs (strength and conditioning) three mornings a week, they are minding their diets. We’d never have survived.
“The crowds are bigger than ever. I enjoy it because if you come against an ultra defensive team it’s a great opportunity to try and unravel their system. It’s fascinating."
We'd never have survived? It's a stark admission from a man who was part of the team widely acclaimed as the greatest in the history of the game, Mick O'Dwyer's Kerry side that won eight All-Irelands from 1975 to 1986.
It's not the only concession Sheehy makes to the modern age. The Tralee man, who won seven All Stars during his career, quickly shot down the notion that Kerry men should have any moral qualms about the county's senior team adopting occasionally defensive tactics to fit the requirements of the game in 2015.
“The game has evolved totally," he said. "You can’t legislate for how a game is going to work out. You are going to have to plan differently for different opposition. We went out with a game plan in the All-Ireland final last year and we’d be quite happy to do it again this year if we thought we’d win it again."
Last year's All-Ireland final against Donegal, which Kerry won by three points, was widely criticised as a poor game, with most of the criticism focusing on the claim that the game was excessively negative and defensive. However, Sheehy emphasised the importance of having a gameplan "to give your full-back line protection and cut down on the space" and he paid a rich tribute to former Donegal manager Jim McGuinness for the manner in which he changed the game tactically during his time in charge of the 2012 All-Ireland champions.
"His first year, people were critical of them," he said. "He had a gameplan in place. The previous year before he took over they were hammered by Armagh in the Ulster Championship and with what he saw he put a defensive system in place which was hard to break down. But the year they won the All-Ireland, they played outstanding football, great counter-attacking and they played outstanding football in that All-Ireland final (against Mayo in 2012)."
This Sunday, Kerry begin the defence of the Munster and All-Ireland titles they won last summer when they meet an in-form Tipperary side in Thurles. This time last year, hardly anyone was tipping Kerry to win the All-Ireland but a summer of transformation saw the Kingdom returned to the summit, and Sheehy says those within the camp were not as surprised by everyone else by Kerry's success.
“We always hoped," he said. "We felt we had plenty fo talent, Colm got his injury in February, that certainly was a big knock to us but if you work hard enough, get a couple of breaks on the way which we gladly took, a little bit of luck. We were always under the radar but we were quietly confident that we would have a run."
He admits there was "a bit of panic" at the start of Fitzmaurice's first year in charge in 2013 when, after a successful McGrath Cup campaign, Kerry were hammered by Dublin in their opening round league. “I was on my way up in the air the following day with my wife and all I could think about was the game," remembered Sheehy. "There wasn’t a word. ‘What are we letting ourselves in for’. But thankfully it improved as it went on."
Kerry are a totally different beast nowadays, there is no doubt about that. The All-Ireland champions begin this year's campaign with an exceptionally strong panel, with Colm Cooper, Tommy Walsh and Paul Galvin all back fighting to win their places on a team full of players who were scarcely known beyond their own county just over a year ago.
Cooper is finally fit again after almost 18 months out injured, and a major source of intrigue within Kerry and beyond this year is whether or not the eight-time All Star can reach the heights again that have made him a legend. Sheehy urges patience.
“Everybody will say James is back after missing the League and Colm is back after missing 12 months, Kerry are going to be better," said Sheehy, referencing the return of Footballer of the Year James O'Donoghue from injury as well. "It doesn’t work that way. You still have to go out and perform. I'm sure those guys will get extra treatment from defensive systems as well. It’s up to them to go out and do it."
"Honestly?" he said to the interviewer, "the game would be over in 15 minutes." No further probing was required to find out which team the Ventry man thought would win.
Another one of the legendary eight medal men from Kerry, Mikey Sheehy, now a selector alongside senior manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice, had a different take when he was asked recently about the difference between his generation and the current crop.
“The fitness levels have gone through the roof, the skill levels are roughly around the same," he said of how the game of Gaelic football has developed. "The preparation is frightening. These guys, all counties, I see some of the Kerry guys and they are as fit as any professional athletes. They are doing their S and Cs (strength and conditioning) three mornings a week, they are minding their diets. We’d never have survived.
“The crowds are bigger than ever. I enjoy it because if you come against an ultra defensive team it’s a great opportunity to try and unravel their system. It’s fascinating."
We'd never have survived? It's a stark admission from a man who was part of the team widely acclaimed as the greatest in the history of the game, Mick O'Dwyer's Kerry side that won eight All-Irelands from 1975 to 1986.
It's not the only concession Sheehy makes to the modern age. The Tralee man, who won seven All Stars during his career, quickly shot down the notion that Kerry men should have any moral qualms about the county's senior team adopting occasionally defensive tactics to fit the requirements of the game in 2015.
“The game has evolved totally," he said. "You can’t legislate for how a game is going to work out. You are going to have to plan differently for different opposition. We went out with a game plan in the All-Ireland final last year and we’d be quite happy to do it again this year if we thought we’d win it again."
Last year's All-Ireland final against Donegal, which Kerry won by three points, was widely criticised as a poor game, with most of the criticism focusing on the claim that the game was excessively negative and defensive. However, Sheehy emphasised the importance of having a gameplan "to give your full-back line protection and cut down on the space" and he paid a rich tribute to former Donegal manager Jim McGuinness for the manner in which he changed the game tactically during his time in charge of the 2012 All-Ireland champions.
"His first year, people were critical of them," he said. "He had a gameplan in place. The previous year before he took over they were hammered by Armagh in the Ulster Championship and with what he saw he put a defensive system in place which was hard to break down. But the year they won the All-Ireland, they played outstanding football, great counter-attacking and they played outstanding football in that All-Ireland final (against Mayo in 2012)."
This Sunday, Kerry begin the defence of the Munster and All-Ireland titles they won last summer when they meet an in-form Tipperary side in Thurles. This time last year, hardly anyone was tipping Kerry to win the All-Ireland but a summer of transformation saw the Kingdom returned to the summit, and Sheehy says those within the camp were not as surprised by everyone else by Kerry's success.
“We always hoped," he said. "We felt we had plenty fo talent, Colm got his injury in February, that certainly was a big knock to us but if you work hard enough, get a couple of breaks on the way which we gladly took, a little bit of luck. We were always under the radar but we were quietly confident that we would have a run."
He admits there was "a bit of panic" at the start of Fitzmaurice's first year in charge in 2013 when, after a successful McGrath Cup campaign, Kerry were hammered by Dublin in their opening round league. “I was on my way up in the air the following day with my wife and all I could think about was the game," remembered Sheehy. "There wasn’t a word. ‘What are we letting ourselves in for’. But thankfully it improved as it went on."
Kerry are a totally different beast nowadays, there is no doubt about that. The All-Ireland champions begin this year's campaign with an exceptionally strong panel, with Colm Cooper, Tommy Walsh and Paul Galvin all back fighting to win their places on a team full of players who were scarcely known beyond their own county just over a year ago.
Cooper is finally fit again after almost 18 months out injured, and a major source of intrigue within Kerry and beyond this year is whether or not the eight-time All Star can reach the heights again that have made him a legend. Sheehy urges patience.
“Everybody will say James is back after missing the League and Colm is back after missing 12 months, Kerry are going to be better," said Sheehy, referencing the return of Footballer of the Year James O'Donoghue from injury as well. "It doesn’t work that way. You still have to go out and perform. I'm sure those guys will get extra treatment from defensive systems as well. It’s up to them to go out and do it."