3 days ago
Kerry's Kennedy Cup captain Joe Joy confident the team can live with best of the rest
It's a huge honour for any player, and for Joy it is a proud moment as he steps into the shoes of those who have previously captained Kerry at this level. A proven goal scorer and a natural leader on the pitch, Joy's influence stretches beyond his finishing. He brings energy, voice, and determination to a group that has already enjoyed plenty of success this season.
He was front and centre when Kerry lifted the U14 SFAI All-Ireland Trophy earlier this year, scoring goals and being named Man of the Match in the final.
The excitement of representing Kerry in such a major competition isn't lost on Joy. From the moment the squad came together, he's been fully committed to the team and now, the focus shifts to the Kennedy Cup, and Joy is relishing the challenge ahead.
'It's great. The legacy of this will be great. And then being captain as well just tops it all off. It would be a great experience to hopefully go far in this as captain and leading on the team like we've done in other games hopefully.'
'I'm more than happy to be in this squad. Any fella would dream of it, whoever has been on the team before. It will be a great experience hopefully. Coming out with the top dogs, it would be great to give everyone a game,' he added.
This year's tournament brings a slightly different set-up than last year, with Kerry placed in a four-team group alongside South Belfast, Tipperary South, and North Tipperary. They enter the competition as a second seed, having shown their quality in their Inter-League and national campaign.
The draw brought some intrigue, but Joy - speaking before the draw was made - remained confident regardless of the group.
'We'll all be excited to see the draw. I can't see why you can't put any team on their behinds. We could run anyone to the ground once we just keep it up the whole game.
'And we've done this in previous games. Of course, we were unlucky in the first few inter-league games. We were missing players, key players. And it'd be great if we could give everyone a game, and see how we get on.'
That belief is backed up by results. Kerry have already shown they can perform under pressure and win when it counts. The All-Ireland Trophy campaign saw them bounce back from a tough group stage to record big wins in the knock-out rounds, including a 3-0 victory in the final at the University of Limerick, the same venue that will host the Kennedy Cup.
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Training has helped the team in the build-up, with the players themselves maintaining momentum through local competitions and friendlies. But he believes the group's connection off the pitch will be just as important as anything they do on it.
'Staying the nights there will be great, getting to know people better,' Joy said of the week-long tournament in UL.
'We'd be hoping to do well in it, and coming off the back of doing well in the final, it'd be great to that pressure from the start. And a few early goals in the games, I can't see why any team will keep up with us.
'Playing the games would be the main thing, and just getting to know everyone better before the season's out. We've been here a long time together. We train, and we've just bonded together as a team as well. So it'd be great if we could just bond the extra way and do very well again.'
With leadership from the sideline and a talented squad on the pitch, Joy will look to inspire Kerry as they aim to write the next chapter in the county's Kennedy Cup history, and perhaps create more memories to match that unforgettable triumph in 2015.
