East Kerry survive gut check, consider Clifford red card appeal
THE injury-time sending-off of Kerry captain David Clifford was, predictably, the headline news, but the fact that East Kerry’s overwhelming reaction at the final whistle was one of immense relief at the end result, says it all about this epic Kerry SFC quarter-final Saturday night.
When Jerry O’Sullivan and his management sit down and prepare for a semi-final in a fortnight’s time, they will, almost certainly, be without their talisman, but the champions are fortunate to still be in the reckoning for a second successive Bishop Moynihan Cup after the ferocity of the challenge posed by underdogs St Kieran’s.
When midfielder James Walsh hammered home a stunning goal halfway through the second half, East Kerry found themselves trailing by three points (1-13 to 1-10) and they were well and truly on the ropes against an inspired opposition.
Now was the time for this star-studded outfit to roll up their sleeves and battle for their championship lives. O’Sullivan will have been delighted with their response.
A hitherto subdued Clifford was the catalyst. He kicked his only point from play on the resumption after the water break, and it was his low left-footed drilled effort into the corner of the net, after initial approach work from brother Paudie and Darragh Roche, that propelled East Kerry away from the exit door.
St Kieran’s, understandably shellshocked, could not respond, despite the excellent Eddie Horan levelling the scores with his eighth point (2-11 to 1-14), and it was the Cliffords (David from a free and Paudie from play) that sealed the great escape for the winners.
Of course, the decision of referee Jonathan Griffin, in the seventh minute of injury-time, to issue a straight red card to the Kerry skipper after an off-the-ball incident with Brian Leonard of St Kieran’s (who picked up a yellow card himself), could have consequences for East Kerry next time out but that wasn’t their overriding emotion at the death.
“I can’t stress it enough. Just because you’re champions doesn’t give you a God-given right to come out and win every game. It doesn’t happen like that,” said O’Sullivan. “I’m just pleased that we are in a county semi-final. When we were down at that fourth quarter, we turned around a three-point deficit to a two-point advantage, which is pleasing.”
The East Kerry manager spoke to the referee coming off the field about Clifford’s dismissal.
“I just went over and asked him what the story was. He said it was a straight red card and I said fair enough, and that was it. I don’t know about any potential appeal until we have a look at the video. I was following the play at the time and I actually thought that the referee was blowing the whistle for full-time.”
St Kieran’s will have huge regrets. Overall, they were the better team, but only converting one of five goal chances on the night proved to be their ultimate downfall.
They went in trailing at the break (1-7 to 0-9) when they should have been in front, but Eddie Horan, Paul Walsh and Thomas Hickey were all guilty of failing to raise a green flag when the opportunities presented themselves.
Paudie Clifford, majestic in the opening period, showed them how it was done with a composed and clinical strike in the 21 st minute, and that profligacy in front of goal bedevilled St Kieran’s again in the 37th minute when Walsh’s penalty was well saved by East Kerry goalkeeper, Shane Ryan.
Such profligacy in front of goal was punished by the more ruthless winners, as St Kieran’s boss, Jimmy Keane, admitted afterwards.
“It’s about taking your chances at the end of the day and I think East Kerry, fair play to them, took all their goal chances that they got, and we didn’t take ours, and that’s what it boiled down to.
“We’re absolutely gutted. We realise it was a big opportunity to make a statement in the county that these young fellas are as good as what’s around.”
Despite coming up short, St Kieran’s definitely did that.
D Clifford (1-5, 4 frees), P Clifford (1-1), D Roche (0-4, 2 frees), E Cronin (0-2), J Sherwood (0-1).
: E Horan (0-8, 5 frees), J Walsh (1-1), P Walsh (0-2, 1 free), S Og O Ciardubhain (’45), P O’Connor and M Hickey (0-1 each).
S Ryan (Rathmore); C O’Donoghue (Glenflesk), J Sherwood (Firies), P Warren (Gneeveguilla); S Cronin (Spa), D O’Donoghue (Spa), P Murphy (Rathmore); D O’Brien (Glenflesk), R Buckley (Listry); D Moynihan (Spa), P Clifford (Fossa), B O’Keeffe (Rathmore); D Clifford (Fossa), D Roche (Glenflesk), E Cronin (Spa).
: M Foley (Spa) for E Cronin (47 mins), M Ryan (Rathmore) for O’Keeffe (47 mins), P Doyle (Gneeveguilla) for O’Brien (56 mins).
S Og O Ciardubhain; B Leonard, E Kiely, M Reidy; L Brosnan, A Donoghue, S Horan; J Walsh, M Hickey; P O’Connor, E Horan, P Walsh; T Hickey, A Breen, T Lynch.
: A Barry for S Horan (58 mins), V Horan for Walsh (60 mins).
: J Griffin (Glenbeigh-Glencar).
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