Post by kerrygold on Apr 29, 2010 7:53:04 GMT
O’Connor keeps the door ajar for O’Mahony
By Tony Leen
Thursday, April 29, 2010
AIDAN O’MAHONY’S decision to quit the Kerry panel is not a permanent one, Kingdom coach Jack O’Connor believes.
He has already informed the All-Ireland winning All Star from Rathmore that the door is open for him to return to the inter-county set-up if and when he gets his appetite for the game back.
O’Mahony became the sixth member of last September’s Kerry squad to cash in his chips this week when he informed management that he was withdrawing from the squad for "personal reasons".
O’Connor said last night: "From my perspective the door remains open. This is not a fella you can allow walk away quietly. He has plenty of ability and has been a serious player for Kerry over the last number of years. There’s a lot of pressure on inter-county players and, between everything else, Aidan was travelling from Cork a lot, so it all builds up. He needs a bit of time out," said the coach, "but I’ve already assured him that the door is open when he feels the appetite is back."
The bad facts are that it’s another senior figure no longer with the All-Ireland champions, who began their summer training on Tuesday night, but O’Connor’s problems don’t end there. David Moran is now ruled out of the Kingdom’s Munster Championship clash with Tipperary on May 16 with the thumb fracture he sustained in Portugal. Hence, any further pruning of the squad is being carried out rather judiciously at present.
Describing the Kerry panel as "fluid", O’Connor said the likes of Barry John Walsh and Paul O’Connor, among others, have returned to their clubs (Kerins O’Rahillys and Kenmare respectively) for the time being while management had a look at a number of the Kerry U21 side such as John Buckley (Dr Crokes), Paudge O’Connor (Legion) and Paul Geaney (Dingle). It should not be interpreted as "the axe for Walsh" insisted the coach.
"The panel is not closed, far from it. We left Barry John with his club for the moment where we think he’ll find a bit of form. It has allowed us look at U21s we haven’t had a chance to see at close quarters before now," said O’Connor.
Despite the number of retirements and defections of senior players, the coach believes Kerry are in better shape now than they were at the same stage last season.
"Nobody likes losing players but because we tried so many players in the league last year, we’re reaping the benefits of that this time around. (Austin Stacks’) Daniel Bohane is an example. He was unlucky not to get more game time last year, but now he has a chance."
Referring to rivals, Cork’s canter to the NFL Division One title on Sunday in Croke Park, O’Connor mused: "We don’t have the supply line that Conor Counihan has at present but we’re not beating ourselves up over that, because no-one else does either. There seems to be a conveyor belt of players coming through in Cork but for all of us, it’s about getting the balance and chemistry right. I still think we have a very good chemistry in the Kerry set-up."
The extent to which O’Mahony’s decision to pull out of the Kerry set-up was influenced by Mike McCarthy’s return to the squad recently is a moot point. Since Kerry’s last-gasp defeat in the league in Omagh – where the Rathmore man was red-carded for a rash challenge – it was evident that all was not well with O’Mahony at a personal level. He did not travel to the Algarve with the squad for their five-day warm weather camp, though it is believed management were made aware of that before they flew out. Those close to O’Mahony are not convinced that his decision to withdraw from the panel is cast in stone. Though he is a strong-headed individual, there is no sense at this stage that he has consciously retired from inter-county football.
Whatever about the 2006 All-Ireland final man of the match, his inter-county manager can ill-afford to lose any more senior players, which is why he greeted the positive news from Tomás O Sé’s knee scan with a puff of the cheeks. "Tomás should be okay for Tipperary and while Tommy Griffin has a bit of a problem, it’s not anything major. David Moran won’t be back for May 16 though, and he’s a miss."
This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, April 29, 2010
Read more: www.examiner.ie/sport/gaa/oconnor-keeps-the-door-ajar-for-omahony-118417.html#ixzz0mTQ5Haua