Donaghy ’back to player-of-the-year form’: Fitzmaurice

KERRY 3-16 MAYO 3-13 (after extra-time)

Eamonn Fitzmaurice hailed Kieran Donaghy as back to his 2006 footballer of the year form as he helped guide Kerry to a pulsating extra-time win over Mayo in Limerick.

Donaghy was in peerless form at the edge of the square, scoring a first half goal and setting up a second in what was his first Championship start since last year's All-Ireland quarter-final win over Cavan.

Kerry had been forced into extra-time by a Donie Vaughan fisted point after they had been the better team for the majority of normal time. But they had also rode their luck, Shane Enright fortunate not to be sent off and not replaced for a black card offence in the 19th minute when he brought down Cillian O'Connor for a penalty. Enright had already picked up a yellow card and was then substituted for Marc Ó Sé, whose absence from the starting team meant Kerry started without an Ó Sé in a Championship game for the first time since 1995.

With the aid of the wind Mayo had led at half-time, 2-5 to 1-5, despite only managing their first point from play in the 31st minute. Their goals came from that O'Connor penalty and a second from the Ballintubber man when he found the net after being put through by Aidan O'Shea.

Kerry, though, drew level in the 43rd minute when Donaghy rose above Ger Cafferkey and passed to O'Donoghue who was upended by Colm Boyle and O'Donoghue's penalty kick was too good for Rob Hennelly.

Kerry led by two when Andy Moran palmed the ball to the net in the 51st minute. Brian Kelly misjudged a high ball in under pressure from Kevin McLoughlin and Moran was on hand to find the net.

That restored their lead, but Kerry were again in the ascendancy in the 62nd minute when Cafferkey hooked O'Donoghue's leg as he attempted to shoot for goal. Cormac Reilly called a penalty and O'Donoghue was once again on the mark.

The score put Kerry two up but the last two scores came from Michael Conroy and Vaughan to force two additional periods of 10 minutes.

Mayo, again with the wind, started the stronger with scores from O'Connor and McLoughlin. However, Barry John Keane was on hand to punish the Mayo defence with a couple of frees to make it 3-13 apiece at the turnaround.

Mayo didn't managed to score in the remainder, Jonathan Lyne kicking a beauty before Paul Geaney, reintroduced having been earlier benched, fired one over. Lyne then repeated his trick and Kerry sensed victory.

As Mayo were awarded a late close range free, a lengthy melee ensued involving several members of both teams although the only punishments were yellow cards for Donaghy and Anthony Maher.

After it was resolved, O'Connor fired a desperate shot towards goal, which was easily blocked, and he was then red carded for a frustrated kick at Killian Young as he refused to release the ball on Mayo winning another free. It was also an act of resignation. This was Kerry's day.

As they were left to contemplate another season of what ifs, the Kerry fans in the 36,236 crowd rejoiced while Fitzmaurice was fulsome in his praise of Donaghy. "He has shown again, he has had to dig in and he has shown great character and great belief in himself and he’s shown great belief in what we are trying to do as well with the squad we have.

“He got no game time against Galway. He was very, very disappointed afterwards. I spoke to him on the Tuesday night when we went back training. He went at it hell for leather in the couple of weeks in between and he just put himself in the picture. He saved us last weekend and he had a massive game today – I am delighted for him because he never bitched, he never moaned. “He was never a negative influence or a negative energy around the place. He was the opposite and he got that bit of karma he was looking for and that he deserved."

James Horan would not be drawn on the refereeing decisions that went against his team but acknowledged their character on a day that threatened to go away from them earlier than extra-time. "I am immensely proud of the players. The character they showed today, the effort they showed today. They came up short against a good Kerry team and it could have gone anyway."

Colm Cooper was togged out in the No27 jersey in the warm-up but Fitzmaurice insisted he was not a consideration to feature and will not in next month's final. "He is there with us. He is taking a bigger part in training in terms of being able to do the warm up, handling a bit of ball, kicking, so he is a massive part of the set up, what he is contributing. Again, another man that would have been very easy for him just to day that’s me done for this year, I’ll got away and do my rehab, see you later lads.

“Just shows the kind of man he is and the stuff that he is there, it must be very, very hard for him being there and looking on and seeing what’s going on and being out of that, but, again, totally selfless, no ego, trying to help out any way he can. It’s very big of him but unfortunately bar a miracle in the meantime it’s 2015."

Scorers for Kerry: J O'Donoghue (2-6, 2-0 pen, 0-2 frees); P Geaney (0-4, 3 frees); K Donaghy (1-0); BK Keane (frees), J Lyne (0-2 each); M Ó Sé, K Young (0-1 each).

Scorers for Mayo: C O'Connor (2-5, 1-0 pen, 0-3 frees); A Moran (1-1); J Doherty (0-3), A Freeman (free), M Conroy, D Vaughan, K McLoughlin (0-1 each).

Subs for Kerry: M Ó Sé for S Enright (21); P Kilkenny for F Fitzgerald (black), BJ Keane for P Geaney (both 41); Declan O'Sullivan for J Buckley (55); K O'Leary for M Geaney (61); J Lyne for D Walsh (69); P Geaney for J O'Donoghue, M Griffin for P Crowley (both inj, e-t h-t); B Sheehan for A O'Mahony (inj 82).

Subs for Mayo: T Parsons for A O'Shea (blood, 35+4); A Freeman for C O'Connor (blood, h-t); M Conroy for B Moran (h-t); A O'Shea for M Conroy (49); M Conroy for A Dillon (57); K Keane for G Cafferkey (67); R Feeney for A O'Shea, A Freeman for A Moran (both e-t); B Harrison for D Vaughan (79); A O'Shea for S O'Shea (e-t h-t); C Barrett for C Boyle (84). Red card: C O'Connor (straight, 90+5).

KERRY: B Kelly; P Murphy, F Fitzgerald, S Enright; A O'Mahony, P Crowley, K Young; A Maher, D Moran; M Geaney, J Buckley, D Walsh; P Geaney, K Donaghy, J O'Donoghue.

MAYO: R Hennelly; K Higgins, G Cafferkey, T Cunniffe; C Boyle, D Vaughan, L Keegan; B Moran, S O'Shea; K McLoughlin, A O'Shea, J Doherty; C O'Connor, A Moran, A Dillon.

Referee: C Reilly (Meath)