O'Rourke: Kerry will have to 'take it in turns' to stop Jack

September 13, 2019

Dublin's Jack McCaffrey. ©INPHO/James Crombie.

Paddy O'Rourke doesn't see any one Kerry player being assigned to mark Jack McCaffrey in tomorrow's All-Ireland SFC final replay.

The flying Dublin wing back wreaked havoc by scoring 1-3 from play in the drawn game a fortnight ago, leading to speculation that Stephen O'Brien could be tasked with tracking him in the rematch. But former Meath 'keeper O'Rourke reckons the Kerry half backs, midfielders and half forwards will have to "take it in turns" to stop the Clontarf clubman.

Speaking to the AIB GAA Podcast, O'Rourke commented: “I don’t think they have one person that will go with him for 70 minutes.

If you look at his scores in the second half, Paul Murphy dropped back in front of the full-back line for Kerry. Dublin said 'Jack, push up on him so he’s not free' and he scored two points — one with left and one with the right. Kerry will have to mix it — they need lads on the park who are quick-thinking, who are going to go with him.

"Lads will have to tactically foul, as they say, to curb his influence. The goal came from him taking off and not one person crossing his run, putting a hand across his chest, pulling his jersey — just doing the dark arts that you’d expect for a team to get across the line.

"There is going to have to be a common bond there across the half-back line, midfield and half-forwards, to take it in turns to go with him and frustrate him and stop him getting on the end of those moves.


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