ALL-IRELAND FOOTBALL FINAL COUNTDOWN: Seán Moranon how, despite the controversies and perceived defensive frailties, Kerry are where their coach wants them: in yet another All-Ireland final
AS A coach of great experience, Kerry manager Pat O'Shea couldn't have expected his tenure would continue as serenely as in his first year. Coming into a side that were champions and had won two All-Irelands in the previous three years, he was on - if not quite a hiding - a major disappointment to nothing.
A games development officer with the Munster Council and published coach, O'Shea, like his predecessor, Jack O'Connor, hadn't a Broadway intercounty career behind him, although his scores from corner forward had been instrumental in Dr Crokes of Killarney winning the 1992 All-Ireland club title.
In the end it all worked out perfectly: Munster and All-Ireland titles both on the sideboard and the three-in-a-row now firmly in the county's sights.
Yet this season has been as turbulent as 2007 was smooth. Unusually for Kerry, they have picked up a reputation for blowing huge leads in big matches: Derry in the NFL final and three times against Cork between provincial final and replayed All-Ireland semi-finals.
During his first year O'Shea spoke out about his unhappiness at the team's propensity for red cards after the 2007 league match against Fermanagh. This summer aggravating fitful form has been a poor disciplinary record. Captain Paul Galvin was suspended for a highly publicised three months, Darragh Ó Sé has been sent off twice in two of the Cork matches and suspended for the third.
Yet at the end of the summer both Galvin and Ó Sé are available again and Kerry are one match away from notching up a fifth three-in-a-row sequence. In those circumstances it's not surprising O'Shea is dismissive of any specific anxieties.
"The motivation for us is that we're in an All-Ireland final and the All-Ireland final needs to be won. We need to come with our A game and we need to perform and if we do we give ourselves a great chance."
Standing in Kerry's way is the one opposition about whom the champions might harbour insecurities: Tyrone, winners of the two other championship matches between the counties this decade. O'Shea is the third different manager to take Kerry into a big match with Mickey Harte's side.
The 2003 defeat spelled the end of Páidí Ó Sé's management tenure, while successor O'Connor believed Kerry had learned enough to exorcise that memory in the 2005 final.
"The 2003 game was probably the first time we had experienced up close and personal Tyrone's style of play," recalls O'Shea, who was a spectator at the two matches. "You couldn't but be blown away because it was stifling and intense and even the spectators felt suffocated on the day, it was that intense.
"In 2005 we probably felt we were ready but were beaten by a better team. A lot of our lads played well that day but it probably came down to Peter Canavan's goal and the way that they finished the game. They deserved it and we accepted that after the match."
There has, however, been a substantial change in the two teams over the past three years with Kerry opening up new options in attack and Tyrone introducing new players.
"They're obviously a very difficult team to break down and that's why they're so successful," says O'Shea, "but while we're mindful of that fact we'd like to concentrate on what we do well and we won't be changing our game too much because what has served us in the past couple of years has served us well as well."
This year the team hasn't been as well served at the back. Losing big leads has gone hand in hand with problems - especially in coping with high ball - in the full back line, to the extent that All-Ireland winning centrefielder Tommy Griffin has been drafted in at full back.
Insisting he's happy with the defence O'Shea accentuates the positive by pointing out the team has shown great resilience in resisting comebacks from Monaghan, Galway and Cork. He also spreads the responsibility farther than the last line of defence.
"Relinquishing a nine-point lead is something you don't want to do," he says, "but the positive thing is we were in those leads and weren't chasing the game ourselves. At different times we showed real character when the games were on the line.
"In the replay after Cork had wiped out the nine points, other teams would have folded up and gone home and, to be fair, our lads - less experienced guys - didn't.
"Collectively, we have to ask ourselves the question where are teams hurting us and they're probably hurting us farther back the field.
"Maybe the full backs are coming in for criticism that should be directed a little farther up and I'm sure Tyrone will probably look at that because their half back line is one of the starting points of their attack."
Overall with one match to go, how has he found the experience of a difficult campaign defending the Sam Maguire?
"Genuinely I have enjoyed it. It has been a roller coaster and we have had to go through some of the pain but if we hadn't experienced it earlier in the year we'd be experiencing it right now - which would be watching two other teams playing in an All-Ireland final.
"It was difficult: controversies, sendings-off, second-half conditions against Galway but it was a hugely entertaining year - something I wouldn't swap for the world. I'm looking forward to Sunday because getting involved with Kerry I wanted to be involved in big games."
