Kerry boss Jack O’Connor insists the All-Ireland champions are taking the challenge of Ulster champions Derry seriously despite talk already to turning to a potential Kerry-Dublin final.
Kerry take on the Oak Leafs in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park and the winners will already know who they face in the final with the Dubs facing Monaghan in the first semi-final on Saturday.
However O’Connor, speaking at a media briefing in the Kingdom on Monday evening, revealed that Derry are the only team they are thinking about after seeing off Tyrone in the quarter-finals.
“We’re approaching it in a very serious way in the sense that we’re expecting a huge battle here, because all the evidence would point to the fact that Derry are better than Tyrone,” O’Connor said.
“They’ve proved that by winning Ulster the last couple of years. They’ve also beaten Tyrone pretty comprehensively the last two times they met them.
“They’re on another level to Tyrone; therefore, we’re expecting a huge battle.
“Regardless of what people are talking about our eyes are fully on Derry the next day.”
O’Connor is reporting a full bill of health for the Kingdom with Killian Spillane having resumed full training since their win over the Red Hands after a hamstring injury that has kept him out of action over the last month and more. He is considered available for selection again.
The Kerry boss believes that his side will have to show some patience on Sunday if they are to get the better of Derry.
“We are not expecting a classic or anything like that. Because the way Derry has set up all the year, I couldn’t see it being an open end-to-end game or anything like that. I think we are going to have to be very patient,” he added.
“The Kerry supporters are going to have to be patient because the last thing you do with these matches is be cavalier with the ball and just be giving it back to the opposition.
“If you do, you mightn't see it again for a few minutes. We will have to think our way through the game and be really patient. We will have to be efficient.
“Derry are a team that pride themselves on their tackling and counter-attacking, and we are going to have to be good defensively because they are well capable of working scores.
“They have some really good forwards and some really good individual players.”
O’Connor has only faced Derry once in the Championship that being their 2004 All-Ireland semi-final win in his very first year as manager. He played down any notion that the relatively good record for Kerry at minor and schools level has some benefit to his side in advance of Sunday.
“Ah no, minor is minor. This is a different ball game altogether.
“So I wouldn’t think that would have any bearing on it.
“In my own time with the minors in 2015 we came across Derry in an All-Ireland semi-final as well.
“Conor Glass and Shane McGuigan were playing, and even at that stage Glass was standing out as potentially a huge player for the future and that’s the way it turned out.
“I think he was getting Aussie rules trials at the time and that was as a Minor. I mean Shane McGuigan has turned out now to be a huge senior player as well.
“I wouldn’t be taking too much notice of the minor results to be honest with you. It’s a different kettle of fish.”
