Poor finishing and plenty to ponder
The NFL Division 1 champions facing their Division Four counterparts in a third-round qualifier game at home would normally be considered an easy tie to call. But such is the unsettled nature of the Kerry team and its form, the amazing mantra coming from the Kingdom in the build up to this game was: take nothing for granted.
Sligo were playing with a very strong wind to their backs in the first half but still adopted a defensive game plan with two small, fast forwards isolated in the full-forward line, David Kelly and Stephen Coen. They had Adrian Marren playing in the space between the full back and full-forward lines with Eamon O’Hara at wing forward.
Kerry had a similar formation with Colm Cooper and Tommy Walsh isolated in the full-forward line and Sean O’Sullivan heading outfield.
As the half progressed, it became obvious that Sligo had to defend with discipline as Kerry dominated possession, winning 18 out of 22 kick outs through a variety of avenues. In fact, whether Diarmuid Murphy directed his kick outs to the wings or the middle of the field, a Kerry player secured possession and most prominent in this regard were Seamus Scanlon and Tomas O Sé. When it came to Philip Greene’s kick outs, too many were claimed by the home half-forward line, with Paul Galvin especially impressive. Having secured so much primary possession how then did Kerry go in at half-time down two points? A combination of factors – disciplined defending by Sligo, only seven frees in total given away and none within scoring range; poor use of the ball in the final third by Kerry with 12 unforced passing errors while the finishing of the hosts was extremely poor. In addition, Sligo were very effective on the break with David Kelly registering a goal and a point and Stephen Coen a brace from counter attacks.
2 Kerry are trying to implement a new game plan. It was obvious from the first half that Kerry in the absence of Kieran Donaghy, were putting an emphasis on playing through their half-forward line with Declan O’Sullivan, Donnacha Walsh and Paul Galvin all on the scoresheet. Indeed, Galvin was outstanding for the full 70 minutes in all facets of play, winning breaks, fielding, finishing and all-round work rate. Only for two poor passes, his display was flawless. Ironically, Kerry’s two goal chances came as a result of diagonal balls into Tommy Walsh while Kelly’s goal at the other end was also a high diagonal ball which forced a defensive mix-up between Aidan O’Mahony and Marc O Sé .
3 Variety is the spice of life. Despite the sucker punch of that late goal, Kerry were in a strong position starting the second half with the wind at their backs. However, surprisingly, they persisted with the same game plan and failed to be more direct in their play.
Admittedly, in the opening spell, they rattled off scores from Declan O’Sullivan and Paul Galvin while the Sligo defence lost their discipline, fouling the centre forward and Sean O’Sullivan as they surged forward.
At this point, Kevin Walsh and his management made a significant switch, moving Jonathan Davey who had struggled badly on Galvin, onto Declan O’Sullivan. It worked superbly. Not alone did he start to dominate in defence but became an attacking threat, making numerous surging runs upfield including the lung bursting sprint which led to the late Sligo penalty.
Kerry managed just two more points after the 10th minute, both from frees, as they continued to try to run the ball through a packed Sligo defence rather than kick long. Sligo also gained badly needed primary possession in the middle of the field for the first time in the game, winning the last four Kerry kick outs through breaks, and looked more likely to penetrate than Kerry who had Mike McCarthy playing as a sweeper in an attempt to hold onto their slim lead. On the evidence of this display, the most demanding football supporters in the country have reason to be concerned.
