IT’S half-time in the Hogan Cup final and holders St Patrick’s Maghera lead Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne by five points.
The Kerry men are struggling to get to grips with Conor Glass and the St Pat’s forwards. With one switch, though, the game would turn.
Tom Ó Súilleabáin was moved from left corner-back to left corner-forward.
His display in the second half, when he took over on the left-footed frees, was instrumental in Chorca Dhuibhne becoming only the fourth school from the county ever to win the trophy.
Ó Súilleabáin has since become the artist called Tom O’Sullivan.
When Dingle won their fifth straight West Kerry SFC in horrendous conditions last November, O’Sullivan played as an extra forward when they had the wind. He kicked six of his team’s nine points that day, running the show.
The number four jersey is a means to an end. A spot in the team. You could find him anywhere.
From there, he averages more than a point per game in championship football, with 1-26 scored in 28 appearances.
But it had been a long winter for him. An Allstar in 2019 and ‘21, he was a near-certainty for the same again until Shane Walsh produced an All-Ireland final display for the ages off him.
Knowing he was their best man for the job regardless of how badly it was going, they just left O’Sullivan there. That in itself was a compliment, even if it didn’t feel like one.
He’s established himself as one of the first names on Jack O’Connor’s teamsheet.
It was long argued that the Kingdom were failing to win All-Irelands because they had no man-marking defenders. Yet since being given the bit of defensive structure through the reformation of Tadhg Morley’s role early last year, Kerry have been the best defensive team in the country.
Morley had dropped completely off Peter Keane’s radar during 2021, but when O’Connor took over, he made quickly clear that he saw Morley playing somewhere around centre-back.
“That’s probably my most natural position to be out there. There wasn’t anything specifically said about sweeping or anything like that really. He was more saying that he was thinking of me more out maybe around 6,” Morley said after last year’s success.
“We had a good discussion then about the role of a No 6 and what he was looking for in that. I tried to do that then for the sessions we had post that meeting into the League.”
What has improved Kerry immensely in the manager’s third term of office has been the emergence of Tom’s namesake Graham in the other corner-back slot.
When UCC won a Sigerson Cup in 2019, he was given the freedom to play ball in the final against a St Mary’s side under Paddy Tally’s stewardship. He was excellent that night.
But it only midway through the league last year that he actually got his first real chance with Kerry. Dan O’Donoghue’s injury opened the door and O’Sullivan pushed his way through.
Jack O’Connor said after the All-Ireland final that what had held him back was his reluctance to kick the ball.
“At the start of the year he wasn’t kicking the ball for love nor money; now he’s one of our best kick passers, left and right… Absolute revelation.”
Against Galway he kicked a point and had a direct hand in another six, as well as wrapping Rob Finnerty up in a ball.
The standards of completeness are just that bit higher with the Kerrys and Dublins, yet pinning it all together in the middle is Jason Foley, whose involvement in their attacking play is virtually non-existent. He’ll pop the odd handpass and retreat to full-back, to meet Shane McGuigan as it will be this weekend.
In his last three games, he’s marked Darren McCurry, Brian Hurley and Sam Mulroy, and kept all three scoreless from play. Indeed, of his last 11 championship games, he’s had a shutout in eight of them, conceding to only Jack Carney (0-1), James Carr (0-3) and Keelan Sexton, who’s always given him bother ever since minor and took two points from play this summer.
Foley was given the number three shirt by Keane but never seemed to be quite at home until O’Connor took over. Morley’s role has given him protection and with it, the 25-year-old has become a really solid presence for the Kingdom.
A former Irish international sprinter in his youth, he’s put on the beef that allows him to go toe-to-toe with these players.
Kerry’s defence on the whole has as much consistency about it as Derry’s does. Barring the shootout between Paul Murphy and Brian Ó Beaglaoich for the number five shirt, the rest you could pick blindfolded.
Gavin White is the pocket-rocket that has the potential to blow a game open with one searing run.
For all that you’ll have heard about Kerry’s attacking machine, it’s the Kingdom’s defence that has really made the difference.
