Dublin suffer second half collapse

Kerry 1-15 Dublin 1-8

Dublin’s championship challenge went out with a whimper at Croke Park as they hit just three scores from play and allowed Kerry skipper Dara O Cinneide in for the crucial goal on 46 minute.

A hatful of goal opportunities were missed in the first half by the Metropolitans allowing Kerry boss Jack O’Connor, in his maiden season, to mastermind a fourth All-Ireland quarter final win in four years for Kerry.

O Cinneide bagged 1-05 (3f), and in tandem with Colm Cooper (0-05 (1f)), he provided the difference between the sides in their first championship meeting since 2001's famous replay.

Kerry now face an August 29 semi-final against Derry, and on the evidence of the second half, despite conceding a late Jason Sherlock goal, they will be a force to contend with.

A number of fluffed goal chances blighted Dublin’s first half performance, with Sherlock, Alan Brogan and Ciaran Whelan in particular guilty of sloppy finishing.

All three failed to score in the opening 35, and it was left to midfielder Darren Homan to unlock the Kingdom defence with two key points from play on 15 and 18 minutes.

Those two scores helped Dublin into a 0-04 to 0-02 advantage, having been two points down inside three minutes. Cooper, one of Kerry’s only bright sparks in 2004, and O Cinneide (free) both raised white flags, only to see Senan Connell and Conal Keaney level by the eighth minute.

Kerry centre back Mike McCarthy’s luck held out twice then as 1995 All-Ireland hero Sherlock failed to press home Dublin’s advantage with his two goal chances, the second of which almost drew a penalty from the backtracking McCarthy.

As Kerry’s forwards struggled to find one another, it was left to centre half-forward Declan O’Sullivan to rally the Munster champions’ challenge and almost find the net on 20 minutes.

Goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton, the red card villain of last season’s third round qualifier against Armagh, palmed his effort brilliantly away to safety.

Kerry edged the final 15 minutes of the half three to one, as O Cinneide (0-02, 1f) and Cooper cancelled out Connell’s 33rd minute free for parity at the break.

Paul Galvin drew a quick free after the restart for O Cinneide to point Kerry in front. The An Ghaeltacht captain notched his fifth point of the afternoon, followed by Connell’s third from three frees for the Dubs.

Low on confidence, corner forward Brogan saw his 43rd minute ground dink around ‘keeper Diarmuid Murphy just slip wide and seconds later a sixth scoring opportunity eluded the Plunketts’ man, as he hit an upright.

Three minutes later the woodwork favoured Kerry again as Cooper’s left-footed point attempt came back off a Dublin post, falling in favour of O Cinneide to slot home.

Cooper and substitute Liam Hassett bridged the gap further to 1-09 to 0-06, with Connell again the replier. Another Kerry replacement William Kirby had an impressive cameo with two skyscraper points and Declan O’Sullivan and Cooper combined to make it a nine-point game on the hour.

St Vincent’s ace Connell kept Dublin interested with a fifth free, and club mate Sherlock’s neat turn and finish past Murphy with a minute remaining reduced the deficit further but Cooper (1f) and Murphy blocked out any injury time goal hopes for a deserved victory.

Dublin: S Cluxton; B Cahill, P Christie, P Griffin; P Casey, B Cullen, S Ryan; D Homan, D Magee; C Keaney, C Whelan, S Connell; A Brogan, I Robertson, J Sherlock.

Subs used: T Quinn for Keaney (54 mins), R Cosgrove for Robertson (58), J Magee for Whelan (61)

Kerry: D Murphy; T O'Sullivan, M McCarthy, A O'Mahony; T O'Se, E Fitzmaurice, M O'Se; D O'Se, P Kelly; E Brosnan, D O'Sullivan, P Galvin; C Cooper, D O'Cinneide, MF Russell.

Subs used: L Hassett for Russell (47 mins), W Kirby for Kelly (51), J Crowley for D O’Sullivan (63), J Sheehan for T O Se (69), S O’Sullivan for O’Mahony (73)

Yellow cards: Dublin: C Whelan (9 mins), A Brogan (65); Kerry: M McCarthy (63), E Fitzmaurice (71)

Referee: P McEnaney (Monaghan)