Rampaging Kerry beat Cork to retain Munster minor football title
Michael Horan of Kerry celebrates after kicking a point. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
In the past two summers, the Munster minor final meeting of Cork and Kerry threw up a reverse result of the counties’ first round meeting. Not here. Not on this occasion. Not even close.
Wayne Quillinan’s youngsters had two to spare over Cork when they first ran into each other below in Tralee two weeks ago. In this provincial final rematch on Cork soil - more of a mismatch than rematch as it transpired - the Kerry winning margin was a whopping 15 points.
It was a winning margin every bit as convincing as it sounds. A rampant and rampaging Kerry led from the first minute. They were four clear by the eighth minute, seven to the good on 22 minutes, and eight in front come the break.
And on and on went their scoring assault. And on and on the misery piled for Cork. Either side of half-time the next generation of green and gold reeled off 1-7 to a muted red response. It stretched the difference out to 15 points on 43 minutes, 1-16 to 0-4.
Kerry’s 51st Munster MFC title sends them into an All-Ireland quarter-final at the beginning of next month against the beaten Connacht finalists. Even allowing for the vagaries of youth, this is a group to get excited about.
For Cork, who will face the yet to be crowned Connacht champions, the challenge will be to pick up a group of 15, 16, and 17-year-olds who were severely and very publicly chastised here. There’s work in that.
Kerry kicked 0-12 when overcoming the neighbours in their first encounter. They very nearly had that total matched by half-time here.
The visitors dominated and dictated the opening half. As they had done at Austin Stack Park a fortnight ago, their midfield pairing of Ben Murphy and Killian Dennehy set the terms of engagement.
Murphy gathered possession from the throw-in, surged into opposition territory, and drew the foul. Ronan Carroll converted, and Kerry were up and sprinting. Gearóid White provided his first and Kerry’s second five minutes later. Murphy assisted for their third.
Their main kids were already standing at the top of the class. White stood out spectacularly. He swung over five first-half points from play. Off left and right. No problem.
On 27 minutes, Carroll and White were equally quick in their thinking. The former found the latter with a quickly taken free. It was incredulous that a forward who already had four to his name was able to sprint unmarked into scoring space, collect, and dissect.
Jack Joy kicked an absolutely joyous score from an acute angle on 29 minutes to get the Kingdom to 0-11 and eight in front. Their advantage could so easily have been double that.
Cork ‘keeper James O’Flaherty repelled Joy. Two plays later, Ruairí O’Connell hit the umpire rather than the net. Joy and Carroll both dropped point-attempts short in the ensuing minutes. 2-2 not taken. The reality was they didn’t need it.
There was far less activity and far less to say about happenings at the other end. Danny Miskella and Ben O’Shea provided Cork's opening two white flags on nine and 12 minutes respectively. Then nothing for another quarter of an hour.
There was just no penetration from Cork. Their passing was loose. Their tracking and tackling was passive. Kerry half-back Seán Ó Cuinn breezed past a red shirt for his first half point.
White and Carroll picked up where they left off at the turnaround. Within a minute of the restart, they had neatly swapped roles. White directed over a long-distance free, Carroll on the mark from play.
A Seán Whelton black card on 34 minutes rose the mountain facing Haulie O’Sullivan’s charges.
The outstanding Ben Murphy charged through for a 38th minute goal. Cork top-scorer Danny Miskella cancelled that out with a penalty rebound.
A Carroll penalty drilled to the net straight from the spot had 19 between them. It was all mere window dressing, this non-event long determined. At U17, you'd question who's benefiting from such non-events.
G White (0-8, 0-2 frees); R Carroll (1-5, 0-3 frees, 1-0 pen); B Murphy (1-1); S Ó Cuinn, A Ó Beaglaoich, J Joy, M Horan (0-1 each).
D Miskella (1-3); B O’Shea, S Whelton (0-1 each).
K Robak (Dr Crokes); F Ryan (Austin Stacks), M Lynch (Milltown-Castlemaine), R Donovan (Annascaul); S Ó Cuinn (An Ghaeltacht), A Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht), G O’Keeffe (Finuge); B Murphy (Austin Stacks), K Dennehy (Cordal); R O’Connell (St Senan’s), J McCarthy (Spa), G White (John Mitchels); J Joy (Ballymacelligott), R Carroll (Austin Stacks), M Horan (Scartaglen).
SUBS: E Murphy (Listry) for O’Connell (43); C Mac Gearailt (An Ghaeltacht) for Horan (44); E O’Flaherty (Ardfert) for Ryan (47); O Fleming (Legion) for Joy (53); N Ryan (Dingle) for Dennehy.
J O’Flaherty (Douglas); A Keane (Kinsale), N O’Shea (Urhan), J Mouret (Douglas); C McCarthy (St Colum’s), C O’Connor (Ballincollig), O Harrington (Kilmeen); H Cogan (Glanmire), J Trench (Ballinora); C Cooney (Clyda Rovers), B O’Shea (Mallow), S Whelton (St James’); D Miskella (Ballincollig), D O’Neill (Carbery Rangers), H Canty (Newcestown).
SUBS: B Ryan (Glenville) for O’Connor, D O’Donovan (Castlehaven) for O’Shea (both HT); B Delaney (Carrigaline) for Trench (39); F O’Dwyer (Cullen) for Canty (43); C Ahern (Ballincollig) for Harrington (55).
D O’Callaghan (Limerick).
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