Picture: Konrad Paprocki
Kerry 1-11 Cork 1-6
CHAMPAGNE football it certainly wasn’t but there was still a real fizz about Kerry’s performance, particularly in the second half, which saw them clinch their 77th Munster Championship crown in a pulsating clash in Fitzgerald Stadium this Saturday night.
Passionate Kerry fans had good reason to be singing in the rain – and there was some rain – at the final whistle as they celebrated a richly deserved if hard-fought five-point win, 1-11 to 1-6.
And that singing reached a crescendo twice in the second half, when two GAA living legends entered the fray – Colm Cooper replacing Kieran Donaghy after 45 minutes and Paul Galvin making a dramatic return to the green and gold, in place of Donnchadh Walsh, 20 minutes later.
A typically clever piece of Gooch opportunism set up the excellent Paul Geaney for what transpired to be the decisive goal of the game in the 50th minute. The Croke’s attacker fed Donnchadh Walsh with a quick free and when the Cromane man’s initial shot was parried by the Cork goalkeeper, it fell kindly for Geaney who found the net with aplomb.
In a game that was thoroughly more enjoyable than the drawn encounter – certainly from a Kerry perspective – it was very tight in the first half and Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s charges had the minimum advantage, 0-8 to 1-4, at the break, Cork’s goal coming from Paul Kerrigan.
The Rebel yell was silenced completely in the second half, however, and the fact that they could only muster a pathetic two points after half time really says it all in terms of Kerry’s dominance.
Brian Sheehan, as reliable as ever with a real grit in his game, had knocked over five of Kerry first half scores, the others coming from the outstanding Jonathan Lyne and Paul Geaney.
Kerry bossed midfield throughout the second half, with Maher and Moran destroying Alan O’Connor and all the others Cork tried there and that set the scene for what was to be a victory that went down a real treat with the vocal home fans in the bumper rain-soaked crowd of 32,233.
Kerry bagged 1-3 in that second half with Geaney the main provider and James O’Donoghue, who struggled a little to get into the pace of the game early on, really impressing as the game progressed.
Kerry were not as cohesive in attack as they can be but this was a victory fashioned from the back with Moran an Maher receiving great support from the two flying wing backs – Jonathan Lyne and Paul Murphy – while Marc Ó Sé and Aidan O’Mahony were powerful influences, leading by example and driving their younger tam-mates to greater heights.
The two-in-a-row dream lives on.
Kerry scorers: Brian Sheehan 0-5 (frees); Paul Geaney 1-3 (0-1 free); Donnchadh Walsh 0-1; Jonathan Lyne 0-1; James O’Donoghue 0-1.
Cork scorers: Paul Kerrigan 1-0; Colm O’Neill 0-3 (0-2 frees); Donncha O’Connor 0-1 (free), Brian O’Driscoll 0-1; Kevin O’Driscoll 0-1 each.
Kerry: B Kealy, S Enright, P Murphy, M Ó Sé, A O’Mahony, K Young, J Lyne, A Maher, D Moran, D Walsh, B Sheehan, J Buckley, P Geaney, K Donaghy, J O’Donoghue.
Subs: M Geaney for Buckley; C Cooper for K Donaghy; S O’Brien for B Sheehan; BJ Keane for P Geaney; P Galvin for D Walsh; P Crowley for K Young.
Cork: K O’Halloran, J Loughrey, J O’Sullivan, M Shields, Brian O’Driscoll, S Cronin, Barry O’Driscoll, A O’Connor, K O’Driscoll, P Kerrigan, P Kelly, M Collins, C O’Neill, D O’Connor, B Hurley.
Subs: F Goold for D O’Connor; C Dorman for K O’Driscoll; D Goulding for P Kelly; T Clancy for Barry O’Driscoll; J Hayes for B Hurley.
Referee: M Deegan (Laois)
