Dublin's aura blown away in Tralee tempest
GETTING AWAY: Dublin's Lee Gannon tries to halt the progress of Kerry talisman David Clifford in Tralee on Saturday.
SO that, apparently, is laminated now. Dublin won’t be side-stepping sport’s cyclical rhythms. Transition has arrived, full-stopping the greatest acts of All-Ireland hegemony in the game’s history.
What emerges the other side and to what extent Dessie Farrell can re-energise the big blue monster for the summer championship will be an intriguing watch but it will be with a different cast, that’s for sure.
With or without Cluxton, even the Dubs can’t stop time.
A clatter of the fourteen tyros drafted into the squad this year were togged in Tralee Saturday night after travelling on the team bus minus the likes of James McCarthy, Johnny Cooper, Mick Fitzsimons and Con O’Callaghan. Dessie Farrell knew he was walking into a Kingdom combine harvester – a wild night, a raucous Austin Stack Park crowd and a full-strength Kerry revved up by the ineptitude of their efforts in Newbridge last weekend.
On Wednesday night the players told Jack O’Connor to forget the video review session, they knew what needed to be rectified.
That Kerry declared on their half-time lead of thirteen points was a crumb for Farrell, even if it was a third loss on the spin. His young tyros need ‘love and nurturing’ now and proper Dublin supporters will understand that fact. For others enjoying the slide back into the pack, Farrell will let that pitch sail by.
“Everyone has an opinion, those who want to twist the knife will do so and I suppose that’s part of the (successful) legacy Dublin left over the years. We ignore that, we just focus on the work at hand.
There is no greater place to learn than in Tralee against a class act like Kerry. We have fourteen new players this year so it’s definitely a period of transition for us.
“They have to be given time, we will give them all the support that they need as we try to get as many of them up to the pace as we can.”
Kerry’s needs were far more immediate on Saturday. They drafted in Na Gaeil pair Diarmuid O’Connor and Jack Barry into midfield releasing Sean O’Shea back to his impactful best at eleven. That triangle catapulted the hosts into good positions throughout, and a rampant second quarter saw them post 1-9 without reply and lead 1-14 to 0-4 at the interval. Nine of the scores came from O’Shea and David Clifford.
What happened just before that scoreburst was the game’s sliding door moment. After David Clifford had missed a Kerry penalty, a speculative shot from Dean Rock in the 22nd minute found its way to the net in a manner that Kerry keeper Shane Murphy won’t be pleased with.
In the build up, Dublin defender Sean McMahon collided with Kerry’s Dan O’Donoghue and referee Conor Lane issued a black card and disallowed the goal. The fact that he dispatched Niall Scully (and not McMahon) for ten minutes didn’t deflect from the air of confusion as to why the goal didn’t stand.
Weren’t they separate incidents and phases of play?
“I thought the ref would have to allow the goal because I didn’t think you could disallow a score retrospectively – but it was 100% a black card,” admitted Jack O’Connor.
“I’m not a rules expert,” suggested Dessie Farrell, “but I was surprised the goal could be overturned on the umpire’s decision. The game turned on those moments and it got away from us after that.”
It was the release valve for Kerry to move through the gears, and when they got another nice rub from the linesman with a decision, David Clifford sent Dara Moynihan on his way for the game’s only goal in first-half stoppage time. Paul Geaney added another Kerry point in a rambunctious first period that extended over 40 minutes and had enough melees and feistiness that it was somewhat surprising the narrow half-time tunnel to the dressing rooms didn’t play host to a free-for-all.
“We are not getting carried away,” insisted Jack O’Connor, “because it’s obvious Dublin are down a good bit of firepower, When they get all them back they will be a different proposition. That disallowed goal was a huge turning point.”
It was for sure, but this is a depowered Dublin with fewer good decision-makers - 0r many that should be too many rookie decision-makers. Possession was turned over in a manner that would make Jim Gavin's head spin.
The extraordinary is ordinary for David Clifford, but his display was quite remarkable for someone playing his third match in six days. Adrian Spillane, Paudie Clifford and the Na Gaeil colleagues also offer power and force of will around the central zones. However the most noteworthy element of Kerry’s performance was in the collective energy, encapsulated by Paul Geaney’s sideline-defying lunge to keep the ball in play and create a score for Clifford in the first half. Paudie Clifford also slalomed through a narrow gateway for the half's best point.
For sure the sellout crowd - entertained for an hour beforehand by Mark Leen, once the country’s top Elvis impersonator - energised their local heroes but Kerry looked focused and determined from the get-go to eradicate the mistakes of a week ago – and to put to bed any sense that a new coaching direction would reduce the natural inclination to move the ball by foot.
“We are a kicking team,” O’Connor emphasised after.
By comparison, the second half was las boisterous as a librarian’s conference. Dublin painted some respectability on the scoreboard, Kerry got some minutes into Stephen O’Brien and Gavin Crowley amid concerns that Gavin White (hamstring)might miss the trip to Donegal in a fortnight.
“He mightn’t be back for a few weeks”, the manager confirmed.
S O’Shea (0-5, 3 frees), D Clifford (0-4), D Moynihan (1-1), P. Geaney (0-3, I mark), D O’Connor, P. Clifford (0-1 each)
D Rock (0-5, 4 frees), B Howard, B Fenton, S Bugler, R Basquel, C Kilkenny, E Comerford (free) (0-1 each)
S Murphy; D O’Donoghue, J Foley, T O’Sullivan; P Murphy, T Morley, B O’Beaglaoich; D O’Connor, J Barry; A Spillane, S O’Shea, D Moynihan; P Clifford, D Clifford, P Geaney.
G Crowley for Morley (39, temp), S O’Brien for A Spillane (54), T Brosnan for Geaney (62), M Burns for Moynihan (63), G Crowley for Morley, K Spillane for D Clifford (temp, 70), D Casey for O’Donoghue (71).
E Comerford; L Gannon, D Byrne, S McMahon; D Conlon, B Howard, J Small; B Fenton, T Lahiff; S Bugler, C Kilkenny, N Scully; L O’Dell, C McCormack, D Rock.
C. Archer for O’Dell (50), R Basquel for McCormack (50), R McGarry for Scully (65), K McGinnis for Small (67), CJ Smith for Conlon (71).
C Lane (Cork)
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