Limerick fume over penalty “travesty of justice” that turned the tide

THE CONTROVERSIAL penalty in the dying seconds of the first half proved to be Kerry’s escape route and the end of the line for Limerick in yesterday’s ultra-dramatic Munster SFC Final replay at Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney.

“I was absolutely astonished that the referee awarded that penalty,” said Limerick manager Liam Kearns as he came to terms with their calamitous loss to the Kingdom.

Team captain Tommy Stack was adjudged to have pulled Colm Cooper’s jersey - “a travesty of justice”, Kearns believed. “We deserved to have been at least four or five points to the good at the interval, and that penalty will haunt us. It was a real killer blow.

“I know we got a soft penalty ourselves in the second half and some will say that this evened things up but the psychological impact of Kerry’s goal from the spot was much greater than ours,” said Kearns.

According to the Limerick manager it was the same old story as far as his side was concerned. “We left our best chance of winning the Munster Championship behind us the previous week at the Gaelic Grounds but we had a great opportunity again but unfortunately we came up short.” Kearns’ game-plan of playing seven defenders and five forwards worked a treat for 25 minutes as his side, inspired by a sensational goal struck within 10 seconds by Stephen Kelly, ran Kerry ragged.

“We dominated the game but did not score as much as we should have. That is the difference between teams like ourselves and the likes of Armagh, Tyrone and Kerry. When they get on top they put over the scores. They make maximum use of their periods of dominance. That is the secret of their success. It is a lesson for the rest of us to learn if we are to emulate their levels of excellence.”

Kearns also bemoaned the fact that they were unable to maintain their momentum in the centre of the park after the resumption.

“We tired at mid-field and had to bring John Galvin out from full-forward. That robbed our attack of a lot of its sting and in the end Kerry’s extra little bit of experience and class told,” said the Limerick manager, who accepted he has some task to pick up the pieces before next Saturday’s qualifier against Derry.

“We had mentally prepared for our two games with Kerry. The players are completely devastated and fully drained. It is going to take a miracle to have them tuned in for another game in just six days time,” he said.

Whereas Kearns attributed the turning point to Ó Cinnéide’s expertly struck penalty kick, Kerry manager Jack O’Connor felt that it was his side’s first goal from Eoin Brosnan that stemmed the flow and turned the tide.

“It looked like the end of the road for us early on as Limerick took us to the cleaners. But Brosnan’s goal was crucial and our experience and resolve got us back on track.

“Tommy Griffin did a lot of good work when introduced as a substitute. Darragh Ó Sé took command of midfield in the second half, while Tom O’Sullivan, Tomás Ó Sé, Eamon Fitzmaurice and Marc Ó Sé all came good when the need was greatest,” said a much-relieved O’Connor.

“Limerick are a good side and gave us two tough battles. I believe this victory will build our confidence and that we will grow from here.”