Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Kerry evolution is clear as same old Cork failings rush to surface
FAMILIAR FEELING: Kerry manager Jack O'Connor, left, and Cork manager John Cleary shake hands after the Munster GAA Football Senior Championship final match between Kerry and Cork at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney, Kerry. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
The more things change the more they stay the same. Munster Final day in Killarney brought colourful and expectant masses, with the red and white clad gang travelling with more assurance than usual.
The mountains in the near distance looked majestic. David Clifford did what David Clifford does. The Cork team came with confidence, huffed and puffed and put it up to Kerry but ultimately the visitors fell short with some of their old failings coming to the surface. Meanwhile it was business as usual for the home side as they move inexorably on to their blockbuster encounter with Donegal in a fortnight.
The list of absentees for the All-Ireland champions was well documented in the lead-up to the game. As happened throughout the championship last season, panellists who might not otherwise have seen game time got a go and came through all the better for it. It is one thing showing well in training, it is another thing entirely doing it under pressure on the big days.
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Tomás Kennedy, Evan Looney, Keith Evans and Eddie Healy all got some more invaluable championship experience under their belts. Evans was excellent throughout, playing at 11 for much of the contest. He linked, worked, tracked, scored two points and won breaks. Gavin White and Dylan Geaney got minutes into the body, moving them closer to being able to start next day out.
However, Tony Brosnan’s second-half display really stood out. He came on for Paudie Clifford at half-time and tore it up. He scored five points, including a lovely two-pointer. The chemistry with David Clifford was clearly on display when he delayed his handpass perfectly to afford David the chance to make the back door cut that led to his critical goal. Brosnan looked lively and hungry. He has put himself firmly in the conversation for a starting berth for the Donegal game.
As well as the impact of those players David Clifford’s leadership stood out. Shorn of some of their main leaders he was happy to step into the void. Normally he tends to lead by example and by performance, but yesterday his communication and organisation were clearly visible, particularly when the heat came on after Brian O’Driscoll’s goal.
Kerry’s attack has started to evolve. Last season when they hit Croke Park and when the game slowed down into an 11 v 11 attack, they were happy to load up the full-forward line with decoys and create space around the arc for their finishers. Hence Mark O’Shea, Seán O’Brien et all made for the small square in an established attack, with David Clifford and Seánie O’Shea going in the opposite direction. It worked to perfection. They continued with this pattern throughout much of the league but when Donegal rumbled them in the League final there was always going to be further innovation. It may have happened anyway as a team isn’t going to defend an All-Ireland title by doing the exact same thing the following year.
In Killarney, we saw a marked change in their setup for these 11 v 11 attacks. The Kerry players were spaced out inside the 45 metre line creating one-on-ones and space. In the first half we saw it on a number of occasions, when a Kerry player beat his man he was able to get a shot away. Armin Heinrich and Keith Evans both got scores via this method. As Paudie Clifford was being closely watched on and off the ball, he often stayed outside the 45 creating more space inside. For any team facing Kerry this is the issue. Who to leave free. Cheat off any of them and they will punish on the scoreboard. The premium on good one-on-one defending will only increase as the championship goes on.
I also felt the Kerry defence deserve massive credit for the win. In the second half they limited Cork to 1-2. While Cork did themselves no favours in this regard collectively and individually the Kerry backs stood out with a disciplined and cohesive performance. Cork only got two points from placed balls.
A word on Shane Murphy. This was a big game for him personally. It was a first Munster Final for him in Killarney, and much of the talk was about how much of a miss Shane Ryan was. Murphy had a shaky start where he tried a left-footed kick to the two corner that went inside the 13-metre line. To add insult to injury Stephen Sherlock converted the free beautifully. Murphy reacted as you would want and that was the only short he lost all day as he got a further seven away throughout the contest. There were a couple of times in the first half where the Cork supporters bellowed at him as he refused to rush kicks if they weren’t on. He was also good at signalling when his team were moving from a short restart to a longer one to get bodies into breaking ball positions. Overall Kerry secured 76% of their own restart. Murphy and his kickout targets know they will face a very different challenge next day out but he is trending in the right direction.
It won’t be all happiness and light for Jack though. He will be annoyed with some sloppy attacking play and some of the wides in the mid-part of the second half. They were on top and could have killed off Cork but they left them in the game. Neither side seemed like they were willing to seize the initiative for a while as multiple unforced mistakes crept into the game. But the excellent Brian O’Driscoll’s thunderbolt of a goal woke up the home side. Rather than invigorating Cork it roused the All-Ireland champions to open up and push for home. Worryingly though, Paudie Clifford and Seán O Brien both looked as if they picked up further injuries. That is the last thing Jack and co need. They need players back, not the opposite.
Cork were excellent for the first 20 minutes. They were aggressive on and off the ball. Seán Meehan and, at times, O’Driscoll were really tight on Paudie Clifford. Anyone who could get a lick at him did as they passed. They were bombing two-pointers over the bar, they were forcing turnovers and winning breaks. There was plenty to admire. And then they stopped. Their attacking play in the second half in particular killed them. While it was tricky kicking into the goals at the Lewis Road end, they never got to grips with the wind.
For comparison purposes, in the first half Kerry’s shooting into that goal was 71%. In the second half Cork’s was 30% as they only scored three times from ten shots. They finished at 50% shooting accuracy overall. Scoring 1-2 in the second half of any match, never mind a Munster Final, won’t get it done. Interestingly, most of the misses were from the left side of the posts, the 15 side. It is fixable though. They have plenty of the other building blocks in place, but they will need to rectify their shooting for the visit of Meath, and subsequent opposition.
For Kerry, the provincial championship is done. Importantly Corn Pháidí Uí Shé will reside in the Kingdom for another 12 months. It now becomes all about another cup, the Canister, as the man himself christened Sam Maguire.
