Last week’s club championship match between Ardfert and Austin Stacks was, Wayne Guthrie’s, last game before departed for America for the summer. Photo by Adrian Mclaughlin.
FOUR important cogs in the Austin Stacks machine will be playing their football in America this summer.
Wayne Guthrie, Greg Horan departed earlier this week, while Conor Jordan and goalkeeper Darragh O’Brien are leaving soon to spend the duration of the summer months in the States.
This means that four first team regulars will miss the opening rounds of The Rock’s county championship title defence.
Of course, this is not an unusual occurrence in the world of GAA. Only last year, Kerins O’Rahilly’s, were decimated by the departure of 11 players to America.
Losing the midfield pairing of Guthrie and Horan, will likely have the biggest impact.
Both players gained a lot of praise during the championship last year that took them one game away from Croke Park.
Greg Horan in action for Austin Stacks in last year’s county final replay. Photo by Dermot Crean.
Greg Horan was man of the match in the Munster semi-final victory over, Ballincollig, while Wayne Guthrie was arguably the Rock’s most consistent performer throughout the campaign.
Conor Jordan, like Horan and Guthrie, is a former Kerry minor.
In 2014 he found a place at centre back and was beginning to come into his own in a mean Stacks defence.
Whoever fills Darragh O’Brien’s gloves will have a lot of work to do picking up where he left off.
The defections to America mean, the players will miss the first two rounds of the county championship, but should be back for the business end of competition when it recommences in October. Should the Rock negotiate their way through that is!
The fact that hardly any meaningful football at club level is played during the summer months cushions the blow for Stacks who will be expected to get over struggling St Micheal Foilmore when they begin their defence of the Bishop Moynihan Cup in May.
A tricky draw in the next round however could cast lamenting eyes across the Atlantic.
