Éamonn Fitzmaurice: A lot done by Jack O'Connor and Kerry - but a lot more to do
ON THE MARK: David Clifford of Kerry calls for a mark during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Quarter-Final match between Kerry and Mayo at Croke Park, Dublin. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile
If Armagh against Galway was the party at Croke Park yesterday then it felt for periods as if Kerry and Mayo was the hangover. Much of the boisterous Armagh support left en masse at the end of their game and that combined with the rain showers flattened the electric atmosphere. The second game was an error ridden arm wrestle that never really flowed, even when Kerry kicked for home in the final quarter. To be fair to both teams the delay to the start of the action must have been challenging. Even something like the pre-match meal which would be timed to the minute to help maximise performance would have a knock on effect. The teams probably had contingency arrangements built into their planning but it is still far from ideal.
The Munster champions are where they want to be, but with plenty to work on. While two weeks is a short time, with two and a maximum of three ‘work’ sessions to sort out any issues, yesterday provides the players and management with invaluable context. They are no longer in a vacuum wondering where they are at. They now know and will appreciate there is work to be done. First to the positives. In a strange way it was a mature performance from Kerry. Yes there were a huge number of errors in their play (turning the ball over 24 times) but there was no sign of panic and they stuck to the plan. Rather than focusing on the mistakes they kept resetting and thinking about the next ball, the next play. In the past there have been days where the mistakes snowballed and the resilience to keep at it was lacking. Even when things weren’t going fully to plan the work rate remained at an admirably high level, with them scoring 1-11 from turnovers. David Moran’s second point resulted from a turnover on Lee Keegan forced by Sean O’Shea and Paudie Clifford on the sideline. It perfectly symbolised that work rate and it came at a crucial stage that provided Kerry with the impetus to push for home. Once more they kept a clean sheet and limited Mayo to 13 points. There were some fine individual displays from Tom and Graham O'Sullivan, David Moran, Sean O’Shea, David Clifford and Paul Geaney. All of the subs impacted. As is his wont Joe O’Connor gave great legs when he came on and that role for him could be significant from now on.
