Provincial glory for Kerry as big win ends 20-year wait for victory on Cork soil
Jack O’Connor’s much-vaunted charges showed the full width of their powers at Páirc Uí Rinn last night to end the county’s nine-year wait for provincial honours, while also bridging a 20-year gap to the last time a Kerry U21 team scored a championship victory on Corksoil.
On a dirty evening for football, their handling and distribution were of the highest order. Even without the ball, these Kingdom youngsters operated on a different level. They chased in threes and fours, horsed red shirts out over the sideline and defended the goalmouth as if their lives depended on it – and this when the scoreboard had them commanding a double-figures lead.
The visitors won three of Cork’s first four kick-outs, held the home side scoreless for the opening 13 minutes, held them to three scores in either half and also limited them to a solitary point from open play. Impressed? Wait till you hear what they did at the other end of the field.
Half of this Cork team were chasing a second successive provincial medal, while they’d also have been cognisant of the fact this was a piece of silverware the Rebel County had taken ownership of on five occasions the previous six years. The writing was on the wall, though, from early on.
Within 14 seconds, Killian Spillane had shrugged off the attention of Sean Wilson and fired the first successful shot of this massacre. The clock had just gone past the minute mark when Sean O’Shea sent over the first of his three frees. Already it was looking as if Sean Hayes’ charges were in for a punishing evening.
Even Michael Hurley’s goal-bound shot crashing off Shane Ryan’s post in the second minutes would serve as a portent. Bambury and a Spillane free doubled the visitors’ advantage by the eighth minute. They didn’t score again until the 19th but several markers were laid down in the meantime. Jerry O’Riordan was muscled out of possession on the terrace side by three green and gold shirts, sweeper Maidhc Ó Duinín suffered a similar fate when attempting to work his way out of defence and when Garry Murphy dropped a Sean Powter pass, he was quickly set upon by a half-back line who instead of spending the hour shadowing Cork’s most dangerous line, forced their opposite numbers to follow them as the raided the opposition half at every opportunity.
At midfield, Andrew Barry and Brian Ó Seanacháin kept an unblemished copybook. Each Kerry kick-out found a Kerry hand, while they also broke even ofF Cork restarts.
A Sean O’Donoghue (free) and two from Brian Coakley – his second on the quarter hour was their sole score from play – did narrow the gap to the minimum. That’s as close as they’d come. That’s the height of the contest the crowd of 3,861 were treated to. Half-back pair Tom O’Sullivan and Brian Ó Beaglaoich laid the foundation for a Matthew O’Sullivan goal and this was complimented by a peach of a kick from Spillane in the ensuing passages. A foul on Matthew Flaherty allowed O’Shea stretch their interval advantage to six, 1-6 to 0-3.
Their opponents did have chances to narrow the gap. The radar wasn’t functioning, though. In a carbon copy of how the opening half played out, O’Connor’s troops landed four-in-a-row. The scoreboard now read 1-10 to 0-3. Game over.
Gary Murphy’s free represented Cork’s first score in 23 minutes.
How insignificant it was is underlined by the fact they didn’t raise a flag of any description for another 17 minutes. Conor Geaney, introduced at half-time, didn’t hang about in telling management he wanted a starting berth for the All-Ireland semi-final. He supplied two points during an unbroken sequence of five white flags. Sean O’Shea also landed a pair during this period, as did hardworking full-forward Matthew O’Sullivan. On 53 minutes, superb vision by Jordan Kiely found Geaney unmarked inside. The net wasn’t long in shaking. The Cork contingent headed for home. And with the scoreboard reading 2-15 to 0-4, could you blame them.
This was Kerry’s night. It may well be Kerry’s spring.
S O’Shea (0-6, 0-3 frees, 0-1 ’45); K Spillane (0-5, 0-2 frees); C Geaney (1-2, 0-1 free); M O’Sullivan (1-1); T O’Sullivan, C Bambury (0-1 each).
S Sherlock (0-2, 0-2 frees); B Coakley (0-2, 0-1 free); S O’Donoghue (0-1 free), G Murphy (0-1 free).
R Donovan (Nemo Rangers); S Daly (Dohenys), J Mullins (Éire Óg), S Wilson (Douglas); J O’Riordan (Carbery Rangers), A Browne (Newmarket), C Kiely (Ballincollig); E Lavers (Dohenys), S O’Donoghue (Inniscarra); M Ó Duinín (Naomh Abán), S Powter (Douglas), L O’Donovan (Clonakilty); G Murphy (Castletownbere), B Coakley (Carrigaline), M Hurley (Castletownbere).
D Meaney (St Michael’s) for Ó Duinín (22 mins); S Sherlock (St Finbarr’s) for Lavers (HT); M Buckley (Dohenys) for Murphy (42), K O’Donovan (Nemo Rangers) for Browne (42); S O’Donovan (Ilen Rovers) for Coakley (46); S O’Leary (Bantry) for Daly (56).
S Ryan (Rathmore); TL O’Sullivan (Dingle), J Foley (Ballydonoghue), B Sugrue (Renard); B Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht), T O’Sullivan (Dingle), G White (Dr Crokes); A Barry (Na Gaeil), B Ó Seanacháin (Ballydonoghue); B Barrett (Ardfert), S O’Shea (Kenmare), M Flaherty (Dingle); K Spillane (Templenoe), M O’Sullivan (St Michael’s Foilmore), C Bambury (Dingle).
J Morgan (Austin Stacks) for Sugrue (16 mins, inj); C Geaney (Dingle) for Bambury (HT); M Burns (Dr Crokes) for Barret (45); B O’Sullivan (Dingle) for Flaherty (46); C Coffey (Kerins O’Rahillys) for O’Sullivan (50, bc); J Kiely (Dr Crokes) for M O’Sullivan (52).
A Kissane (Waterford).
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