2010 Kerry hurling

Two wins from two for Kerry in NHL 28th Feb '10 Kerry 1-18 Mayo 2-14 AN injury-time goal from substitute Kenny Robinson came too late for Mayo to deny Kerry a deserving victory at McHale Park, Castlebar, yesterday. Kerry were sauntering to a four-point win when Keith Higgins found Robinson on the edge of the square, but inside a minute of him finding the net the match was over with Mayo unable to launch a final attack. Mayo lead by a point at the interval 1-8 to 0-10 but the pivotal score of the second half was a goal on 40 minutes from John Mike Dooley. That lifted Kerry into a three-point lead and a superb point from Mike Conway on 70 minutes had Kerry four clear and apparently home and hosed until that late scare. scorers -- Kerry: S Brick 0-12 (0-7f), JM Dooley 1-0, M Conway, S Nolan 0-2 each, T Murnane, M Boyle 0-1 each. Mayo: R Cullinane 1-3 (0-2f), B Moran 0-4 (0-4f), K Robinson 1-0, D McDonnell 0-3 (0-2f), K Higgins 0-2, S Hoban, D McConn 0-1 each. KERRY -- JB O Halloran; C Harris, A Healy, A Keane; E Sheehy L Boyle, T Murnane; M Conway, J Griffin; D O'Connell, G O'Brien, S Brick; M Boyle, JM Dooley, S Nolan, Subs: J McCarthy for Sheehy (52); J Flaherty for Nolan ( 60). MAYO -- D O'Brien; B Higgins, K Moran, S Hoban; E Madigan, P Barrett, C Ryan; D McConn, S Hunt; K Higgins, D McDonnell, D Dowling; N Murphy, R Cullinane, M Devaney. Subs: B Moran for Murphy (55), K Feeney for Devaney (63), K Robinson for Dowling (63). Ref -- P Greene (Galway).

Winning start for Kerry in NHL 21st Feb '10Kerry got their season up and running by beating Derry at Celtic Park in front of scarcely 100 fans in a match that had 27 wides, 30 frees, 12 yellow cards and two reds. The visitors completely controlled the first half and led by 1-9 to 0-4 at the break despite missing several chances. Shane Brick hit five of their eight wides in a first half that featured a superb goal on 26 minutes from star of the show Darragh O'Connell, who also netted in the second half. The Oak Leafers fought back well with three unanswered points on the restart and an Oisin McCloskey penalty brought them right back into it at 1-10 to 1-7. However, Kerry , despite having Tom Murnane sent off for two yellow-card offences, surged clear again. Scorers -- Kerry: D O'Connell 2-3 (0-1f), JM Dooley 1-1, J Griffin, S Brick (0-1f), J Flaherty 0-2 each, T Murnane, G O'Brien, M Boyle 0-1 each. Derry : P Henry 0-5 (0-4f), R Convery 0-3 (0-1f), O McCloskey 1-0 (pen), A Grant 0-1. Kerry -- JB O'Halloran; C Hearns, A Healy, A Keane; J Godley, L Boyle, T Murnane; M Conway, J Griffin; S Nolan, G O'Brien, S Brick; M Boyle, JM Dooley, D O'Connell. Subs: J McCarthy for Godley (24), J Flaherty for Nolan (30), D Fitzelle for L Boyle (68), S Young for O'Brien (72), E Sheehy for M Boyle (72).

Meyler returns as Kerry hurling boss 18th Jan '10 John Meyler returned for his second stint as senior hurling manager in Kerry's first competitive game of the year against UL in the Waterford crystal cup at Tralee. Despite going down 3-15 to 1-15 to the Limerick side, Meyler was positive about his sides potential for the coming year. Kilmoyley's John B O'Halloran, David Fitzell and Niall Young made their senior debuts while Tom Murnane, Shane Brick, James McCarthy, Sean Maunsell, Eoin Sheehy and Shaun Young also played. The team had a nice blend of youth and experience, and Meyler certainly knows how to make the best use of the resources available.

When John Meyler took a call from his old friend Joe Walsh last summer little did he realise the journey that he was about to embark upon. Walsh, the Kerry County Board Hurling Officer and a loyal Meyler servant from his days with Kilmoyley, asked former Wexford boss to take the Kerry U-21s. It wouldn't be a long campaign – just two games – but it carried with it a chance of success. This Kerry team was one of the finest in years. One brimfilled with potential.
Having never lost touch with events in the Kingdom Meyler knew this. He knew that with the right prepartation – more specifically the right motivation – then this Kerry team had legs and would travel. They did.
Victory over pre-tournament favourites Kildare in the All Ireland semi-final put Meyler's charges in pole-position for a crack at the title against Roscommon. Again Kerry didn't disappoint. After just two games back in charge of a team wearing the green and gold John Meyler was an All Ireland winning manager. Something both he and the Kingdom faithful could get used to. And that we assumed was that. Job done. Mission accomplished. Instead of being a postscript to Meyler's Kerry career, however, it marked a new beginning.
After turning around a terrible situation at the beginning of 2009 to come within 35 minutes of hurling of reaching a Christy Ring Cup final Mossie Carroll's tenure of the Kingdom hotseat seemed secured. When he stepped down there was only one man to whom the County Board turned – Meyler. Having just won an All Ireland title with a talented bunch of young Kerry hurlers it was the only logical choice.
The only question was would he be interested in taking the reins? His last experience of inter-county management was a bruising one. Player power had forced him out of his native Wexford just twelve months previous. Working with this bunch of players had whet his appetite, however. He could see the potential. He knew that if this bunch of players were given the proper leadership then there was a Christy Ring Cup within the Kingdom's grasp. He tentatively agreed to take the reins, on one condition – the full support of the players – after his experience in Wexford an understandable precaution – it was sought and it was given.
From the panel that Meyler has put together – it's only been in training a little over a week and is still developing with a good number of players still expected to join the squad for the first time or rejoin it – it's clear that youth will be given its head. Seven or eight of that All Ireland U-21 winning panel have been brought through. Not all will make it, but there's clearly a very definite determination on part of the management team to freshen up last year's panel.
Freshen, but not rebuild. This afterall is a team that at one stage looked well on their way to the Christy Ring Cup final knocking out the reigning and subsequent champs in the process. Still it's a somewhat aging panel – two of the Kingdom's full-foward line are well north of thirty at this stage (James McCarthy and John Mike Dooley) – and there's a very definite lack of strength in depth. When Colin Harris was forced off injured in the Christy Ring Cup semi-final the Kingdom's full-back line creaked, giving away six goals in just a little over forty minutes of hurling.
Meyler will be looking to young blood in Kilmoyley's Adrian Ryle to boost his back-line, while another U-21 winner, James Godley, has already been blooded at Christy Ring Cup level. While in goal John Brendan O'Halloran is set to stake his claim to the number 1 jersey that so many think him capable of holding down. Another Kilmoyley youngster – David Fitzelle – will hope to provide cover to the Kingdom's midfield, while it's up front that Kerry will be most keenly hoping the young guns can make their mark. Abbeydorney's Darragh O'Connell has been impressing at underage and club level for years and has been making his mark at senior training in the short time that he has had. Lixnaw star James Flaherty – who has in the past trained with the seniors – is another young gun who Kerry will be looking to get more regular scores.
If Meyler can blend youth and experience, boost his strength in depth and get his forward line scoring with more regularity and with less reliance on goal slurges then who knows this could well be Kerry's year. For now all that can be said is that Kerry seem to have the right man in the right place and at the right time.

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