Bench impact decisive as Kerry see off Cork to claim Munster U20 honours

Kingdom subs Gearoid Hassett, Jordan Kissane, and Jack O’Connor kicked the Kingdom to Munster U20 football glory

Kerry's Sean O'Brien with the trophy after claiming the 2022 EirGrid Munster GAA Under 20 Football Championship crown with a win over Cork at Austin Stack Park, Tralee. Picture: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

Munster U20 Football finalKerry 1-11 Cork 0-7 

Kerry subs Gearoid Hassett, Jordan Kissane, and Jack O’Connor kicked the Kingdom to Munster U20 football glory at the end of what was an appalling provincial decider that never got going.

Second-half subs Hassett, Kissane, and O’Connor each landed a pair of points in the closing 12 minutes to break Cork’s defensive resistance and, in the process, lift Kerry ahead of their neighbours in the Munster U20 roll of honour (29 titles to 28).

Hassett’s first point on 52 minutes was Kerry’s first in just over a quarter of an hour and edged the hosts 1-5 to 0-6 ahead. And while Cork midfielder Alan Walsh subsequently narrowed the deficit to the minimum, Declan O’Sullivan’s charges would reel off six-in-a-row from there to the finish to win out by seven. Of those six Kerry points, all bar one was provided by a replacement.

Level at 0-3 apiece at the break, Thomas O’Donnell’s 32nd minute Kerry goal looked like it might open up a game that had up to that point been a most rigid and restricted game of football, but there followed a succession of Kerry misses.

Six second-half wides by the hosts, the majority of which were tallied in the third quarter, spoke to Kerry wastefulness before the cavalry off the bench took them across the line.

A simply dreadful first-half produced more wides than scores, nine to six, not to mind four missed goal opportunities, of which three belonged to the youngsters in green and gold.

The opening exchanges, albeit terribly cagey, at least provided five scores inside the opening 12 minutes. For across the remaining 18 minutes, plus injury-time, this Munster final delivered a solitary score, that a well-taken point from Kerry midfielder Ruairi Murphy on 24 minutes, what was the hosts’ first score in almost a quarter of an hour and their first from play since the 34th second.

It was a first half without a hint of flow or spontaneity, two heavily coached sides keeping to their respective manuals.

On the Cork side, the clear instruction was to flood the middle third with red shirts, full-forward Colin Walsh routinely finding himself as the sole Cork player in the opposition half.

At the other end of the field, Kerry full-forward - and dangerman - Cillian Burke couldn’t take a sideward glance without his two Cork minders doing likewise.

The visitors’ approach was defence-first and then hurt their opponents on the counter, and while two from the lively Ryan O’Donovan and Conor O’Hanlon (free) had Cork 0-3 to 0-2 in front on 12 minutes, they’d not score again between there and Chris Maguire’s interval whistle.

Cork had an excellent green flag opportunity around the quarter-hour mark, but Kerry’ keeper Devon Burns was equal to Sean Brady's shot.

This missed chance, mind, paled in comparison to the three goal openings that Kerry failed to capitalise on.

Cork number one Callum Dungan denied both Thomas O’Donnell and Tommy Cronin, while a Sean O’Brien pass that would have put Cillian Burke in the clear failed to stick.

Ulster champions Tyrone await in the All-Ireland semi-final on the weekend of May 7/8.

Scorers for Kerry: T O’Donnell (1-1); G Hassett, J O’Connor, J Kissane (0-2 each); R Murphy, E Looney, D Geaney (0-1 free), K Evans (0-1 each).

Scorers for Cork: R O’Donovan (0-2); C O’Hanlon (0-1 free), C Walsh, H Murphy, A Walsh, S Brady (0-1 each).

Kerry: D Burns (Na Gaeil); D O’Callaghan (Kilcummin), A Dineen (Rathmore), J Nagle (Austin Stacks); E O’Connor (Na Gaeil), A Heinrich (Austin Stacks), T Cronin (Kenmare); R Murphy (Listry), S O’Brien (Beaufort); K Evans (Keel), T O’Donnell (Castlegregory), E Looney (Dr Crokes); K Goulding (Ballyduff), C Burke (Milltown/Castlemaine), D Geaney (Dingle).

Subs: A Curran (Austin Stacks) for Cronin (HT, inj); G Hassett (Laune Rangers) for Goulding (42); J O’Connor (Beaufort) for Evans (47); T Doyle (Dr Crokes) for O’Brien (48); J Kissane (Austin Stacks) for O’Donnell (55).

Cork: C Dungan (Carrigaline); N Lordan (Ballinora), J O’Driscoll (Valley Rovers), D Peet (Clonakilty); D Cashman (Millstreet), T Walsh (Kanturk), R O’Sullivan (Newcestown); K Scannell (Carbery Rangers), A Walsh (Kanturk); H Murphy (Éire Óg), S Brady (Ballygarvan), D O’Mahony (Ballincollig); R O’Donovan (Barryroe), C Walsh (Kanturk), C O’Hanlon (Buttevant).

Subs: A Walsh-Murphy (Valley Rovers) for O’Sullivan (29, temporary); L O’Connell (Ballincollig) for Hanlon (HT); P O’Driscoll (Gabriel Rangers) for O’Mahony (43); F Fenner (Castletownbere) for Scannell (47); E Walsh (Clyda Rovers) for C Walsh (57); C Daly (Clonakilty) for Brady (58).

Referee: C Maguire (Clare).