Cork well beaten in Killarney

Kerry 0-15 Cork 0-7

It was built up as the first real clash of the summer’s Bank of Ireland SFC but a Killarney cliffhanger it was certainly not.

Reigning Munster and National League champions Kerry confidently dismissed a Cork side lacking in confidence and the guile and experience of Anthony Lynch and Colin Corkery.

With Corkery suspended and Lynch out injured, Cork were reliant on Micheal O Croinin, but a lagging five wides saw a poor return of 0-03 (2f) from the Naomh Aban marksman.

Just four points in the second half, three of those coming in the final eight minutes, saw Billy Morgan’s side totally outclassed despite a fresh opening.

The Kingdom could afford to hit 14 wides throughout but with the tandem of Mike Frank Russell and Colin ‘Gooch’ Cooper providing a platform of ten points, it was plain sailing for the home side who now face either Limerick or Waterford in the provincial final on July 11.

A fiery opening from the visitors with the movement of inside forwards Conor McCarthy and Alan Cronin to the fore was deflated with a distinct lack of a scoring touch.

O Croinin drew a first minute free from the 20-metre line to the left and wide of Dingle ‘keeper Diarmuid Murphy’s uprights.

O Croinin did settle and managed a point on nine minutes off his left foot, but the Rebels, despite the lions’ share of possession, could only score two further points in the half through Cronin and O Croinin.

Both sides managed two wides inside the first five minutes before a sharp 30-metre ball from McCarthy saw Colin Crowley gather and force a smart foot save from Murphy, in his second championship game, on six minutes.

Soon though Kerry gradually played themselves in. Russell struck a 13-metre free over off the ground in the eighth minute before Cork went 0-02 to 0-01 in front with Cronin’s effort.

Russell squared it up with a 20-metre free on 16 minutes and a brace of lengthy points from Cooper, finally getting space and time ahead of marker Noel O’Leary, saw them into the lead.

The struggling O’Leary brought down Declan O’Sullivan for Russell to point a third free on 24 minutes and five minutes later, off his right foot, and 56 yards out, the Laune Rangers man made no mistake for 0-07 to 0-02. O Croinin thenclosed the gap to four.

O Croinin restarted the game with a close range free, but four unanswered points over the next ten minutes from Kirby, Russell and a third for Cooper over the challenge of Gavin Murphy.

In between O Croinin missed a fourth free and free-running Kirby, robbing Derek Kavanagh, set Declan O’Sullivan up for a goal chance on 46 minutes but his dinked shot came off the crossbar and away to safety.

O’Connor’s charges, now in full flow, made it a seven-point game by the hour mark with Russell (free), skipper Tomas O Sé and Kirby all scoring.

Cork substitute Kevin McMahon, the highly rated Carbery Ranger, right-footed over to keep Cork in the game but even the introduction of Fionan Murray failed to get a return from the Kerry rearguard.

Seamus Moynihan broke through to find Russell for his seventh point and with O Cinneide bending over from the right wing, Kerry were home and dry.

O Croinin, substitute Michael O’Sullivan and McCarthy pointed in the closing stages, but deservedly it’s the qualifiers again for the men in red.

Kerry: D Murphy; T O'Sullivan, M McCarthy, A O'Mahony; T O'Se, E Fitzmaurice, S Moynihan; D O'Se, W Kirby; L Hassett, D O'Sullivan, E Brosnan; C Cooper, J Crowley, MF Russell.

Subs used: D O Cinneide for Crowley (ht), P Galvin for E Brosnan (61 mins), M O Se for O’Mahony (67 mins)

Cork: K O'Dwyer; S O'Brien, D Kavanagh, N O'Leary; E Sexton, M Cronin, G Murphy; D Hurley, G Canty; A Cronin, C O'Sullivan, C McCarthy; C Crowley, M O'Croinin, K O'Sullivan. Subs used: N Murphy and K McMahon for C O’Sullivan and A Cronin (both 48 mins), M McCarthy for N Murphy (51-54 mins), F Murray for K O’Sullivan (56 mins)

Yellow cards: Kerry: E Fitzmaurice (33 mins); Cork: N O’Leary (20 mins), C McCarthy, G Canty (both 34 mins), K McMahon (61 mins)