East Kerry take care of business in routine win over Milltown/Castlemaine

There was no surprise in a low-key affair in Tralee.

MAIN MAN: East Kerry's David Clifford tries to get past Pa Wrenn of Milltown/Castlemain. Pic: Domnick Walsh

East Kerry 0-16 Milltown/Castlemaine 0-6 

No jeopardy. No threat of an upset. No nothing, really.

The paltry crowd and pedestrian pace of East Kerry’s play reflected all of the above. There were very few deeply invested in this fixture, either inside or outside the whitewash.

East Kerry were expected to comfortably prevail without expending a great deal of energy, and that is exactly what transpired.

Milltown/Castlemaine, meanwhile, came into this clash with the champions knowing their season wouldn’t be defined by inevitable defeat, and it won’t be. They move onto Round 3 no better or worse off for joining the long list of Kerry sides to have fallen to East Kerry in recent years.

If anything, they might take a smidgen of encouragement from the number of chances created, even if their execution didn’t match the engineering.

The one player to rise above the mundane early doors was Paudie Clifford. He kicked East Kerry’s opening four points. A ‘45, two from play, and a free inside nine minutes. His 25th minute white flag from play saw his personal tally grow to six. Six kicks at the Dunnes Stores End goal, six points.

As for the younger brother, he was far less prominent. David’s only two involvements of note in the opening quarter were to sustain a minor injury when challenging in the air and to be closed down by three green shirts.

A converted placed ball, for a very soft free awarded to Paud O’Leary, opened his account on 22 minutes. He opened his account from play a minute later, coming on the loop to collect a pass off Cian Gammell.

This David Clifford pair pushed the champions 0-8 to 0-2 in front, with two more from the siblings extending that lead to eight on 26 minutes.

As mentioned, Milltown/Castlemaine made openings and didn’t take them. The midfield pair of Donal Dennehy and Gavin Horan had registered three wides inside nine minutes.

Conor Spillane put them on the board after 12 minutes. Paudie Clifford’s shadower, Gavin McKenna, doubled their tally on 18 minutes. In the next play, though, Jonathon O’Sullivan sent wide a kickable free. They needed every one of those going over and more.

David’s second free of this second round fixture shoved East Kerry back into an eight-point lead two minutes into the second period. Thereafter arrived arguably the score of the game, although this wasn't a category overflowing with outstanding nominations. Luke Crowley, Emmet O’Shea, and Ruairi Murphy exchanged a series of neat and sharp passes before possession came back to Crowley who pointed.

It was a rare moment of meaningful intricacy from East Kerry on an afternoon when they simply didn’t need to be as cutting as usual.

That clinical sharpness came and went. Luke Crowley should have played Paudie Clifford through for a 48th minute goal but the pass went behind the Kerry half-forward and the opportunity for a green flag was gone.

East Kerry have themselves a fortnight off ahead of the quarter-finals, Milltown/Castlemaine await their Round 3 opponents for next weekend’s sink-or-swim outing.

Scorers for East Kerry: P Clifford (0-7, 0-2 frees, 0-1 ‘45); D Clifford (0-4, 0-2 frees); E O’Shea (0-1 free), F Murphy (0-1 free); C Gammell, D Lyne, L Crowley (0-1 each).

Scorers for Milltown/Castlemaine: J O’Sullivan (0-2 marks), C Spillane (0-2 each); G McKenna, J Flynn (0-1 each).

EAST KERRY: B Kelly (Killarney Legion); C O’Leary (Kilcummin), D O’Brien (Glenflesk), D O’Callaghan (Kilcummin); C Gammell (Killarney Legion), C Lynch (Glenflesk), P O’Leary (Gneeveguilla); M Rennie (Fossa), R Buckley (Listry); D Lyne (Killarney Legion), L Crowley (Glenflesk), R Murphy (Listry); D Clifford (Fossa), E O’Shea (Fossa), P Clifford (Fossa).

SUBS: K O’Sullivan (Fossa) for O’Callaghan, S O’Leary (Kilcummin) for O’Shea, P O’Shea (Kilcummin) for Murphy (all 45 mins); C O’Shea (Fossa) for Rennie (48); F Murphy (Legion) for Lyne (52).

MILLTOWN/CASTLEMAINE: C Leane; G McKenna, K O’Carroll, P Wrenn; A Kelliher, D Roche, K Kerins; D Dennehy, G Horan; S Roche, J Dennehy, C Spillane; B Casey, J O’Sullivan, C Moriarty.

SUBS: S Hogan for J Dennehy (32 mins); J Flynn for Moriarty (37); A Barrett for Kerins (45); P O’Connor for Roche (49); O Spring for Casey (50); A Scanlon for O’Sullivan (56-60, temporary) 

REFEREE: P Hayes (Kerins O’Rahilly’s).