Cluxton kick the signal for Dublin party
The Dublin goalkeeper shook his fallen opponent’s hand but subsequently booted the ball away as he made his way to the dressing room away from his team’s wildest of celebrations.
If Cluxton was going to be sentimental about a crowning achievement for 10 years’ worth of service to the cause, it was going to be in private.
To score the winning point to end 16 years without an All-Ireland title is one thing but as a goalkeeper it created an almost perfect dichotomy with the fate that befell his predecessor Paddy Cullen against Kerry 33 years ago.
It was fitting too that nobody in a Dublin jersey yesterday had lost to Kerry in the championship more than the Parnells man (2001, 04, 07, 09).
Two minutes into injury-time and several seconds after Kevin McManamon had been fouled by Barry John Keane to win the free, Cluxton stepped up and took aim.
Watching the kick sail over for what was his second point of the day, he briefly acknowledged its success before rushing back to his unattended goal-line. With it, unbridled and joyful delirium washed over the Dublin-dominated Hill 16 as they knew Joe McQuillan’s last blast was to soon follow. And it did, confirming a first defeat for Kerry against Dublin in 34 years.
Jack O’Connor’s men will be left wondering just where it all went wrong for them. Colm Cooper’s third point of the day in the 63rd minute had them four points to the good (1-10 to 0-9) and, with Dublin showing little in the way of retaliation, seemingly almost home and hosed.
One point down at the break (0-6 to 1-2), Kerry bossed the majority of the second half with Bryan Sheehan, Darran O’Sullivan and Cooper doing the lion’s share of the damage.
The quality of their football at such a critical juncture was ominous. Darran O’Sullivan won three frees in a row, only one of which wasn’t converted, as the ghosts of Dublin’s demise against Cork last year threatened to haunt them again.
But then came the lifeline. Intercepting a Declan O’Sullivan pass, namesake Cian found Alan Brogan clear on the right with his team-mate McManamon for company.
The substitute made light work of O’Sullivan’s attempt to redeem himself to fire the ball past Brendan Kealy and send Dublin supporters into raptures. In the after-glow and driven on by the massive home presence in the 82,300 capacity crowd, the Dublin forwards then forced Tom O’Sullivan into an errant pass. Diarmuid Connolly quickly found Kevin Nolan and he shot confidently to tie up the game.
Now gaining little purchase in the centre, Kerry found themselves trailing when Bernard Brogan received a Michael Darragh Macauley pass to split the posts.
A towering Kieran Donaghy point in the final minute levelled matters for the sixth time in the game but the parity was short-lived as the menacing McManamon drew the foul from Keane.
A deserving triumph? There is no such thing in sport just as Kerry discovered there is no sure thing.
For the first 40 minutes, they were second best as Dublin hounded them, refusing them the opportunity to impose themselves on the game.
Kieran Donaghy’s switch to midfield had taken Dublin by surprise and it wasn’t until the 11th minute that they won their first kick-out. Kerry were winning in midfield but it wasn’t identifiable on the scoreboard in the opening 15 minutes.
Two excellent Alan Brogan points in retort to Declan O’Sullivan’s opener was a justified reflection on the flow of play.
The discipline of the Dublin defence was superb throughout, even if they couldn’t get a paw on Darran O’Sullivan when he sliced through to set up Cooper for Kerry’s 19th-minute goal.
It was a fantastic move, indicative of the excellent championship O’Sullivan had, but most importantly it was a score that wasn’t followed up on.
Rather, Dublin responded four minutes later through a Bernard Brogan free when Aidan O’Mahony upended Barry Cahill.
Dublin also had a goal chance in the 25th minute but Kealy was equal to Alan Brogan’s point-blank shot after his brother palmed down a ball to him.
Paul Galvin had entered the fray for Kieran O’Leary just seconds later, although his opening minutes weren’t remotely auspicious.
After Donaghy had beaten Rory O’Carroll in the air only to have his goal-bound shot blocked by O’Sullivan, Cluxton and Brogan fired over frees after Galvin fouled Paul Flynn and Connolly respectively. He repaired some of the damage with the last score of the half, taking a Cooper pass to point, but was counting his blessings a minute later when Brogan kicked wide after he had been deemed to illegitimately tackle Ger Brennan.
Dublin, who were more than good for their one-point lead, carried on in the second half where hey left off in the first with Brogan punishing Sheehan for holding back Macauley and Bastick kicking successfully following an exchange with Bernard Brogan.
That put Dublin 0-8 to 1-2 up but for the next 20 minutes Dublin were outscored 0-1 to 0-8. Aside from Bernard Brogan and McManamon half-chances and the former’s free for handling on the ground by Eoin Brosnan, it was all Kerry.
Four of their eight scores came from placed balls, one from Cooper and three from Sheehan, one of them a 45 after Cooper cleverly kicked a ball against Michael Fitzsimons’ feet in the 54th minute.
That put Kerry ahead for the first time in the second half and two more frees followed, courtesy of indiscretions on Darran O’Sullivan.
Cooper’s point, the end product of a move instigated by Anthony Maher beating Macauley for a Cluxton kick-out, appeared to spell doom for Dublin.
A good thing for them they couldn’t read it.
Scorers for Dublin: B Brogan 0-6 (5f); K McManamon 1-0; A Brogan, S Cluxton (2f) 0-2 each; D Bastick, K Nolan 0-1 each.
Scorers for Kerry: C Cooper 1-3 (2f); B Sheehan 0-4 (2f, 1 45); K Donaghy 0-2; Declan O’Sullivan, P Galvin 0-1.
Subs for Dublin: P McMahon for McCarthy (46); K McManamon for Flynn (51); E O’Gara for Cahill (57); E Fennell for Bastick (63).
Subs for Kerry: P Galvin for O’Leary (24); BJ Keane for Walsh (51); D Bohan for Brosnan (63).
Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan).
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