Clinical Cork end Kerry’s faint hopes

Kerry 1-11 Cork 2-18

Kerry’s faint aspirations of joining their neighbours in the Division 1 semi-finals were turned into notions by a Cork outfit who hadn’t read the script that they were only supposed to turn up and put up a fight.

With their last spot secured last week, they had been expected to mind themselves ahead of that clash next Sunday. But here their superior attitude stood out. They were much the better side, defying the strong wind that faced them in the first-half to lead on four separate occasions before taking a 1-7 to 1-6 half-time lead.

Kerry were made to look ordinary in the middle third where the partnership of Anthony Maher and David Moran, present throughout the league, looked spooked by the Cork wolves circling them.

James O’Donoghue had been Kerry’s biggest threat in the first-half but was starved of ball after the interval, his first possession coming in the 12th minute of the second-half.

Little in the way of supply was provided by their half-forward line — the same issues presented themselves against Westmeath — and Kerry’s eyes must surely turn now to Declan O’Sullivan, who returned to training this week. Darran O’Sullivan threatened to inject an impetus in coming on for Donnchadh Walsh but was forced off when he pinged his hamstring.

This was Cork’s largest victory over Kerry since the 1990 Munster final, this 10-point win comparing to their 15-point drubbing in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Back then, it was Colm O’Neill who was the thorn in Kerry’s side scoring 11 points. On this occasion, his namesake performed the coup de grace on Kerry with a neat finish in the 51st minute.

The remainder of the game was virtually processional as the magical Brian Hurley and substitutes Donnacha O’Connor, Daniel Goulding and O’Neill flung over top drawer points. Such an ending couldn’t have been foreseen in the first-half as much as Cork merited their interval advantage, Paul Kerrigan’s solo effort of a goal almost on the stroke of half-time following Paul Geaney’s neat finish five minutes earlier.

“I would have felt we were in control for 30 minutes and then we didn’t defend very well for a goal,” said Brian Cuthbert. “Once they got the goal, then they got a bit of a lift and I felt if Paul Kerrigan didn’t get the goal before half-time it might have been different second-half. Out on the pitch that wind was fairly strong and once we moved the ball quickly enough and well enough, we had the guys to trouble the defenders that Kerry had.”

Eamonn Fitzmaurice didn’t deviate too much from his opposite number’s take of the game. “The goal we got before half-time probably kept us in the game. Even though we’d been playing with the breeze, from the outset we were poor, second to every ball. We looked dead on our feet, we just didn’t seem to have any life or energy about our performance. I think we were probably lucky at half-time to go in just a point down.”

If the eventual margin between the teams wasn’t evident in the first-half, Hurley’s vast contribution to the game certainly was. He scored Cork’s first two points, weaving his way around Mark Griffin, and picked off another from play in the 22nd minute. The Kerry full-back wasn’t helped by the wide gaps presented to Hurley by the half-back line but there were also occasions when they cut right through the home team’s cover, as proven by Kerrigan’s goal. Kerry had to be more inventive with their scores, O’Donoghue and Stephen O’Brien delivering on that count, and Geaney’s goal was the end of a tidy passage of play.

But the first four scores of the second-half were Cork’s and when O’Neill placed a finish to the net after a driving Kerrigan sprint the full-time result if not the scoreline was written.

Cuthbert also reported himself satisfied with the experiment of Patrick Kelly at centre-back and suggested he merited another run in the role.

Scorers for Kerry: P Geaney (1-2, 0-2f); J O’Donoghue (0-4, 2f); P Crowley, S O’Brien, D Casey, D Moran, B Sheehan (free) (0-1 each).

Scorers for Cork: B Hurley 0-8 (1f); P Kerrigan (1-2); C O’Neill (1-1); J Hayes (0-2); F Goold, D Cahalane, C O’Driscoll, D O’Connor, D Goulding (0-1 each).

Subs for Kerry: Darran O’Sullivan for D Walsh (30); J Buckley for A Maher (h-t); B Sheehan for Darran O’Sullivan (inj 38); J Sherwood for M Ó Sé (45); A O’Mahony for M Griffin (53); BJ Keane for P Geaney (59).

Subs for Cork: C O’Neill for J Hayes (50); D O’Connor for A O’Sullivan (51); D Goulding for C O’Driscoll (inj 54); T Clancy (Fermoy) for M Shields (60); M Ó Laoire for B O’Driscoll (64); R O’Sullivan for P Kelly (66).

Referee: E Kinsella (Laois).

KERRY: B Kelly; P Murphy, M Griffin, S Enright; P Crowley, F Fitzgerald, M Ó Sé; A Maher, D Moran; D Walsh, D Casey, K O’Leary; J O’Donoghue, P Geaney, S O’Brien. CORK: K O’Halloran; T Clancy (Clonakilty), J O’Sullivan, M Shields; D Cahalane, P Kelly, J Loughrey; F Goold, A O’Sullivan; C O’Driscoll, M Collins, P Kerrigan; B O’Driscoll, B Hurley, J Hayes.