O'Sullivan says intensity is key

August 17, 2011

Kerry's Tom O'Sullivan
Kerry back Tom O'Sullivan reckons the Kingdom must match Mayo's "fierce high intensity".

The 33-year-old veteran has seen it all and done it all in intercounty football and he recognises a major challenge when he sees one. Looking forward to this weekend's All-Ireland SFC semi-final, he told the Independent:

"Mayo play at a fierce high intensity and that's what we have been trying to replicate over the last couple of weeks in training so we can keep up the intensity and play at their level. If we can't match their level on Sunday, then they are going to beat us.

"Against Cork, there were three or four Mayo lads around the one Cork fella. It looked like they had five extra players. I don't know where they were all coming from.

"Not many expected them to beat Cork. Mayo got their kick in the arse early in the year against London, and after a game like that you either recover from it or walk away from it. They obviously recovered and learned from that game. It improved them as a team. And it's only better that they are getting.

"We are where we want to be at this time of the year. We are still playing football in August.

"We were so afraid of the All-Ireland quarter-final against Limerick after what happened last year. Maybe we were looking too far ahead last year, thinking we would beat Down, so we certainly learned our lesson. Take every game as it comes. That's the proper preparation.

"The players that look ahead are the players that get caught out, and are the players that don't get to play in September."

Most Read Stories