By Cian O'Connell

Kerry have always proven to be the masters of adaptation. While Kerry are now gunning for a three in a row in the Electric Ireland Football Championship before the 2014 triumph they went 20 years without a national crown at this level.

It couldn’t exactly be deemed a crisis, but there was still enough vision and expertise within the Green and Gold brigade to seek a solution.

Even though 13 All Ireland minor titles have been won up to now by Kerry it will never define a year down south, but the benefits that can be accrued from stitching a talented young outfit together matters deeply.

The honest toil is now being reflected on the football pitches of the country as Kerry Colleges such as Pobalscoil Corca Dhuibhne and St Brendan’s, Killarney are becoming accustomed to winning Corn Ui Mhuiri and Hogan Cup trophies once more.

Exciting footballers are being crafted and everybody is taking notice. “Maybe at the very start when other counties were beginning to put development squads together Kerry were a bit behind, but it is something that people realised pretty quickly,” five time All Ireland winner Declan O’Sullivan, who has recently been involved with minor and under 21 teams, explains.

“Seven, eight, even 10 years ago a big, big effort was being made. People did realise we were behind and one of things that was done was to ensure young players were given proper coaching. It is so important to give young players the right guidance both from a football and conditioning point of view.”

Garry McGrath guided a gifted St Brendan’s side to Hogan Cup glory in April.  Eleven from that splendid Sem side are currently involved in the Kerry minor panel. “To be fair to the County Board, they have emphasised underage development and the work with Kerry development squads has been very important,” McGrath says.

“As a result of the work that is being carried out the club structure improved and that had a knock on effect too for the schools. Here in St Brendan’s we have worked closely with the East Kerry Games Development Officer Vince Cooper.

“He does Trojan work in the primary schools, and in St Brendan’s we are lucky that we have teachers, who are willing to take teams. That is vital for us.”

Fourteen Munster minor titles have been registered since 1994, but the strike rate in the All Ireland series wasn't what they craved. Kerry’s last under 21 crown in Munster occurred back in 2008, which is the next itch that they want scratched.

O’Sullivan stresses the relevance and value of the standard of training that is taking place. “Donal Daly is the Head of Coaching and then you have guys like Mike Quirke and Sean O’Sullivan heavily involved. Obviously they bring huge experience and it is important because it was recognised that there was a deficiency there.

“To be honest I think everyone knows how crucial this time is for Kerry. At the moment everybody is buying into it, but it comes from the County Board, who put the coaches out into the various districts and it is beginning to bear fruit.

“It has meant that most people have access to good quality coaching, youngsters are getting the same level and quality which is vital.”

How the Kerry set-ups have dovetailed with the Colleges is another key factor according to O’Sullivan. “The last few minor managers have worked well with both schools in Dingle and Killarney. There has been a sensible approach to ensure that the players aren’t overloaded or burnt out and that is a very good thing.”

McGrath was thrilled that so many of his Brendan’s panel found the correct mix between sport and study. “We were fortunate that we had a great crop,” the well regarded McGrath reflects. “A lot of them achieved very good Leaving Certificate results too, getting the right balance is extremely important. They are a very close group and it is nice to see so many of them achieve.”

That is what Kerry will continue to strive to do; the future glimmers with promise.