​By John Harrington

Kerry captain Bryan Sheehan says the Kingdom’s veteran stars are still driven by the belief they can still win more All-Ireland titles.

Long-serving legends like Marc Ó Sé (35), Aidan O’Mahony (35), Kieran Donaghy (33), Colm Cooper (32), and Donnchadh Walsh (31) have been some of their best players so far this year. Age seems to be just a number for them, and Sheehan believes they are still going strong because their natural ability is complemented by an insatiable appetite for success.

“I just think it’s their love of the game, their pride in wearing the Kerry jersey, there’s a lot of pride in Kerry particularly about winning All-Irelands, and I think that’s what drives them,” says Sheehan. “In Kerry you are judged on winning All-Irelands and titles. When you win one for us, you want to win more. I think that’s what happens sometimes when you win one like us last year you don’t quite put in the same effort the following year.

“I think that hurt a lot of fellas last year. They didn’t perform on the day. Marc Ó Sé didn’t want to probably bow out at that. I think Aidan O’Mahony was probably the same, he didn’t want to bow out. Kieran probably finished disappointed being captain he didn’t start the All-Ireland Final. I don’t think he wanted to be that way either.

“They are proud men.  They have given everything to Kerry football and I think they wanted to make sure they went out on a high and I think that’s why they come back year after year to push the boat out and to push us. They want more success and that’s what Kerry is built on. It’s about success. I think they also see a group of players that are capable of competing for an All-Ireland.

“I think if they felt that the group wasn’t going to compete for an All-Ireland that they wouldn’t bother putting the effort in like they do. They are at this age where they have to mind their body much more than what a fella 25 or 26 is doing. You just have to take your hat off to them. Their hunger for the game, their love for the game, they are massive for us. When they leave Kerry football it will be very hard to replace them.”

The high standards being set by the Kingdom’s veterans means competition for places is particularly intense in the Kerry panel at the moment. Kieran Donaghy has been a revelation in the Kerry engine-room so far this year, so team skipper Sheehan will have his hands full trying to nail down a starting place in his favoured midfield position. David Moran, Anthony Maher, Johnny Buckley, and Tommy Walsh are also vying for a spot in the middle of the park, but Sheehan is viewing the challenge he faces as a positive.

“I think it drives fellas on because no fella can afford to take a back step or take his foot off the pedal because if you do then you’re going to be replaced and that’s the way to have it,” he said. "I think we have that all the way up through the set-up. If you take the inside full-forward line, Darran O’Sullivan has come back this year, again another fella who’s been free of injury. He put in a very good pre-season, hasn't been injured, worked very hard, and is playing fantastic football.

“He's playing very well inside there, Colm (Cooper) is coming back into it, Paul Geaney is coming back from injury, Kieran could go back in there, James O’Donoghue is coming back from injury, so how are you going to fit five or six of those names into that full-forward line. It's great for the team, it's great for the morale. Even our 26-man match panel there’s some big names missing out on making that squad as well so that’s good for us going forward.

“Look at Dublin and the success they’ve had and the depth of panel they’ve had over the last few years. Last year we weren’t good enough. This year now every fella has picked up his game and is hungry for success. I think every fella is bringing that extra bit to the table for this year.”

Sunday’s League Final offers Kerry a chance to gain revenge for last year’s All-Ireland Final defeat, but Sheehan does not believe the result will have any long-term ramifications regardless of how it goes.

“I won’t lie, but I don’t think it’s the be all or end all for us that we have to beat them, or if we don’t win Sunday that’s us gone for the Championship, or that’s a massive dent in our preparations,” he says. “It’s not. If you win it, fantastic.  Number one, you are kind of setting down a marker. Number two, on a personal level, we are keeping up this winning momentum.

“But, for me it’s a League final. There’s silverware at the end of the day. That’s what it’s about.  When you go to Croke Park you want to win games. We have always said that down in Kerry. That’s the priority. They are the significant games for Kerry, when you are in Croke Park, and we want to win. The fact it is Dublin probably does add the extra bit of spice because they beat us in last year’s All-Ireland final."

Dublin have been the dominant team of the decade and Sheehan is full of admiration for the way they play and what they have achieved. But he is confident too that Kerry have the class to compete with them.

“You have to take your hat off to them,” he said. “They have set a standard that is very hard to match. It’s not up to everyone else to see will Dublin slip up. I think it’s up to everyone else to raise their standards. What we had last year wasn’t good enough in the Championship.  I think this year in the League we have put the emphasis on trying to get a good League under us, try and find a few more players to build that panel, that squad to be able to compete with Dublin. They were able to bring in players and drive the game through the roof, and continue on and kick on again and we just felt we probably weren’t doing that.

“I think we have found a couple of players now in the league.  Fella have upped their performances as well. Our subs that have come on in the last couple of games have been fantastic. They have really added legs, they have added energy to it and I think that’s what we needed.

“Look, it would be nice to put a stop to Dublin, but at the end of the day it’s not about putting a stop to Dublin. It’s about winning a League title. There’s silverware up for grabs. Winning the Allianz League is what we are looking at, at the moment. It isn’t about beating Dublin. If it was Cork, if it was Monaghan, if it was Donegal, Roscommon, it would make no difference to us.  It’s about winning the League at the end of the day.”