2024 First Quarter Review

[legendz]

The Munster Cup run has been great. Clubs have different priorities etc. Kerry have applied themselves right in the MCS, getting past top fellow First Division rivals.
Cork City was always going to be a tough opener but Kerry competed really well. The losses to Treaty and Bray were frustrating. A throw back to last year's frustrations. A very harsh and incorrect sending off against Bray. At least a point, if not 3, were left behind against Treaty. Ballooning a last minute penalty over the bar summing up that particular evening.
The run of five draws then turning a corner. Becoming hard to beat. The 3-0 home win over Longford then being the icing on the cake. A fully deserved win.
Kerry are 5th in the goals against column. If the Bray game was excluded, top 3. There has been a big improvement in defence. It was a major focus during the off season. There have been a few shaky moments in the opening games but it has improved immensely in recent games.
Kerry are joint 8th in the goals scored column. Generally been scoring 1 goal or none. They have had to get the defensive setup right first to be fair. Now that there should be more confidence in the defensive structure, hopefully the 3 goals against Longford is the start of more to come.
The coaching staff have assembled a good squad. Tuta has improved in some earlier games. The Starting XI against Longford was a settled lineup with a good blend of experience and the addition of the two loannees from Galway. Very little has been said of the loss of Gaxha. Everyone has just gotten on with it.
Of the opposition, Cork seem to be a step above everyone. Finn Harps and UCD are hard to beat. I don't think there is a whole lot between the rest.
Cork City, Finn Harps, UCD and Kerry are unbeaten in their last 5 league games. Wexford are unbeaten in their last 4. How this form progresses over the second quarter will be interesting. The form of that 5 in recent games is a good indication of good consistency.

[culloty82]

The importance of a solid pre-season can't be understated - as you say, the MSC games were huge in terms of building the squad's confidence, and the Cork match was the only one where we were totally outplayed, as points were certainly there for the taking against both Bray and Treaty. All the new signings have slotted in seamlessly, with Tuta and Spain bolstering the defence, Daire McCarthy performing brilliantly in the holding role for a 19-year-old, and Healy alternating with Teahan in linking up play. Equally important is that the local lads have all taken on the experience from last season, showing a lot more composure on the ball, and very much comfortable in possession. Also, with all due respect to Billy, it seems he's much more effective as a sporting director than on the sideline, could have been daunting for Conor and James to take over the coaching reins, but they certainly haven't put a foot wrong so far.

[Zico]

A very satisfying first round of fixtures that keeps the team well on track for 30+ points and 9th place (or better) finish. Teams will get stronger as new squads for a lot of teams start to gel, however we have gotten to here with Kavanagh, Dolia not playing yet and Gleason only played in first 3 games (arguably our most improved player too). When the 3 of them come back over the next few weeks the competition for places will really heat up - even to make match day squads. We will have real options of the bench to freshen things up when needed.

Hopefully as the weather improves and the team continues to pick up points we will see crowds getting back closer to 1,000 (I expect City game to sellout in a few weeks). Realistically only city look much better than us, we should have taken points off Bray and Treaty and obviously picked up results off everyone else.

Would be great to still be within touching distance of play off spots come half way point. With transfer window opening it would be a nice dilemma for the club to have - bring in 1-2 more players to push us on?? Either way I agree with the point earlier of a blend of local lads and outsiders - at least 6 Kerry born players have started in everyone of opening round fixtures. That model is now working well.

[culloty82]

Further to that dilemma - Leo has hardly played any minutes since joining Galway, but if you bring him back on loan in the summer, Galway would undoubtedly look for one of their lads back in return, so would hardly be worth the disruption to how well the squad has gelled!

[legendz]

A solid preseason was very important. Lessons were learned from last year. They had a clear picture of what had to be out right. Kerry were very competitive last summer. I'd be hopeful, as we've seen in recent weeks, that it's Kerry who will be among the teams getting better as the season progresses.
The two Galway lads will benefit from a year with Kerry. I'd say they won't be going anywhere, even if Gaxha was allowed to return. I'm not seeing a standout reason for squad changes but Gaxha would provide some competition for places for sure!

[kingdomkerry]

A few good results on the trot now will help build up the interest. We should be aiming to sell out MP on a regular basis and hope the demand leads to better facilities. Extension of stand, fan zone, regular buses.

Bars still not showing KFC games. I was in Killarney and Ireland U20 rugby was on ?