Kerryman Brendan Lynch And His Lethal Left Peg Is it just this writer's imagination or are left-footed footballers much better equipped in the skill department than their right-footed counterparts? Perhaps I'm wrong, but for some reason I've always been of the firmly-held conviction that clotogs possess better balance, a more natural feel for the ball and a sharper, crisper and more concise touch. Perhaps I've had too much alcohol over the Christmas, but I've always insisted that, considering the large proportion of footballers who are predominantly right-footed, a very high percentage of players who kick with the left peg have made it to the top. Granted, a team needs a mixture to get the balance rightbut are players of the statue of Colm O'Rourke, Ross Carr, Enda Gormley, Joe Brolly, Barry Breen, Stephen Calnan, Cathal O'Rourke and Adrian Cush not worth their weight in gold in the modern game? And has the game not been illuminated down through the years by mighty left-footers such as Down's Paddy Doherty, Galway's Seamus Leydon, Anton O'Toole of Dublin, Johnny Corvan of Armagh and Mayo's Kevin McStay? One of the most lethal left feet ever to come out of the Kingdom belonged to Beaufort clubman Brendan Lynch who played with Kerry's Seniors between 1968 and 1977, contesting six All-Ireland finals and winning three. To say that his left foot terrorised opposition defences would surely be a gross understatement. Many Kerry Gaels will tell you straight that Lynch rated seconds to only Christy Brown as owner of the most famous left foot in the country at the time! Brendan Lynch's (brother Paudie was to emerge as another Kingdom great on the fantastic Kerry team of the 70s and 80s) hometown club was Beaufort, located six miles west of Killarney. A junior club contesting the mid-Kerry Championship, he played with them for twenty years approximately between 1965 and '85. The divisional side was Mid Kerry and Brendan won County Championships with them in 1967 and 1971. He also collected Cork Senior Championships with UCC in 1969 and '73, as well as a number of Sigerson Cups. It was only a matter of time before Brendan Lynch's talents came to the notice of the county selectors - he represented the Kerry Minors in 1965, '66 and '67. In 1965 the Beaufort man was in goal for the Kerry side which lost to Derry by 2-8 to 2-4 in the All-Ireland Minor final. For the following two years Brendan had moved outfield to his customary half-forward berth, but the Kingdom were beaten narrowly by the Rebels in both Munster finals of 1966 and 1967. Brendan Lynch won a Junior All-Ireland in 1967 when Kerry defeated London on a scoreline of 0-9 to 0-4 and played at Under 21 level for the county in '67, '68 and '69. In '67 the Kerry lads were beaten in the All-Ireland final after replay, in'68 they made it to the semi final and in 1969 were runners up to Cork in the Munster Under 21 decider. Brendan's first appearance with the Kerry Seniors was in a League quarter final against Mayo in 1968. He started at right half forward that day and this was to become his exclusive position on all teams. Brendan Lynch remained on the intercounty scene up until 1977 and Kerry won Munster titles in 1968, '68, '70, '72, '75, '76, and '77. Brendan played in a total of six All-Ireland Senior football finals (seven of the drawn game in 1972 is included!) and his record reads - Won: 3, Lost: 3, Drawn: 1. In the 1968 final Kerry lost to Down, in '69 they defeated Offaly, in 1970 they beat Meath, in '72 they lost out to Offaly after a replay, in 1975 they lost to Dublin and the following year the tables were reversed as the Dubs beat the Kingdom - Lynch lined out in the right corner in 1976, but was right half forward for each other finals, troubling opposing wing backs in the extreme with his cultured left boot. One of Brendan Lynch's most impressive displays was in the drawn game of the 1972 All-Ireland final against Offaly, the Beaufort man notching up 1-7 of Kerry's 1-13 total. Not too many defenders ever got the better of Brendan Lynch, but he rates Cork pair Kevin Ger O'Sullivan and Kevin Kehilly as two of the best he ever played on. Apart from all the All-Ireland finals, are there any other special moments from his career which stick out in Brendan's memory? "I had one very memorable experience against UCD in the Sigerson Cup semi final of 1982 when I was lucky enough to get the winning goal from a free in the last minute", he recalls fondly. Brendan Lynch will always be remembered as the possessor of one of the sweetest left feet in the business. Could he kick with his right foot though? "I kicked a few points with my weaker foot alright when I had to. But it's probably true that most left-footed players tend to be exclusively left-footed. "With the Railway Cup at the height of its popularity, Brendan Lynch represented his province in 1969, '71, '72 and '75. In 1973 he had the distinction of captaining the Combined Universities to their only ever Railway Cup triumph. Brendan also collected National Football League medals with Kerry in 1969, '71, '72, '73 and '74. In 1973 Brendan Lynch left UCC with qualification in Medicine, and the former Kerry intercounty stalwart now holds the position of Clinical Director of Psychiatric Hospital in Killarney. After their runway success of times gone by, Kerry have only managed to win of the past eight Munster Championships - their most barren spell their century. Signs are there, however, that the Kerrymen are about to turn the corner. Is former county star Brendan Lynch confident that the Kingdom is on its way back? Do ducks like water? (!) "Most people have been very encouraged by recent performances. In fairness to them, they've never been too far away in Munster and have always given a very good account of themselves. In recent years they've just been lacking that little bit of extra strength in some of the key areas, but under Ogie Moran they seem to be resolving that situation". Brendan Lynch straddled two eras during his team on the Kerry intercounty team - "I started out with one team in1968 and was still there in '75 / '76 with an entirely different team - the beginning of a golden era for Kerry football. I was lucky that in the first year I came on we went straight to the All-Ireland final. We were fortunate that Mick O'Dwyer, Mick O'Connell and Johnny Culloty came back from retirement in 1968 and went on to help us win two successive All-Ireland the next two years", the former Beaufort, U.C.C., Mid Kerry, Kerry and Munster star explains. For the fifth consecutive year there were no Kerrymen on the 1994 All-Star team. Is this sign that Kerry football is at an all-time low. Brendan Lynch certainly doesn't think so. "The whole All-Star system is loaded in favour of successful teams and Kerry has had its fair share of All-Stars over the years. Kerry didn't really feature in the League last year and were beaten in the Munster semi final. So the dice was always loaded against us. There are still plenty of very talented players in Kerry. Maurice Fitzgerald is outstanding but has been troubled a lot by injury. Peter O'Leary is a very impressive goalkeeper and we also have a great crop of young players coming through - the likes of Billy O'Shea, Seamus Moynihan and Conor O'Donnell, to came a few. The hunger seems to be coming back and these are exciting times again for Kerry football". A dual player of sorts, Brendan Lynch displayed great prowess with the ask stick to win a Kerry Senior Hurling Championship with Killarney in 1969. But football was always going to take first priority. "I grew up with football and devoted everything to it". Brendan was involved in more recent years in coaching with Fossa club in Killarney - a club his son Killian (15) represents. Killian got to the final of the Peile na nOg Skills competition in 1993. If he turns out to be even half as good a player as his father was, then he'll go a long way! Brendan's daughter Aoife also seems to have inherited some of her old man's skills - she is currently starring at Under 14 level with the Beaufort club! Kerry has produced many great players over the years - Brendan Lynch is one of them. Taken from Hogan Stand magazine 13th January, 1995 Tweet

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