A statement win, a masterclass of defiance from Kerry
BIG SQUEEZE; Kerry's Briain O Beaglaoich closes in on Armagh dangerman Oisin Conaty in Sunday's ALl-Ireland SFC quarter-final at Croke Park. Pic: James Crombie, Inpho.
WHAT a show of strength from the Kerry boys’ brigade as they cast aside all their injury woes to deliver a masterclass of defiance to send the All-Ireland champions out of the competition.
When Tom O’Sullivan in the first half became the latest of their All Stars to go lame, Kerry’s options seemed threadbare. Indeed, when Armagh went five points up early in the second half and went hunting for more, there were fears. But then came the surge.
Under these new rules, there will be power plays, passages where teams feel almost invincible and for 15 minutes here, between the 41st and 56th minutes, Kerry were untouchable.
Fourteen points scored without response, they transformed a five-point deficit into a nine-point lead. Everyone was in on the act, from the Cliffords, the one who started and the playmaker who came on at half-time, to Brian Ă“ Beaglaoich to captain Gavin White.
With 12 points, Seán O’Shea was undoubtedly the man of the match but in that deep purple period in which he landed his third two-pointer the Kerry collective was the winner, obliterating Ethan Rafferty’s kick-outs and sending over point after point.
Cian McConville had a couple of goal openings in the 59th minute but save for an OisĂn Conaty three-pointer four minutes later Armagh were drowning and it was appropriate that O’Shea kicked the final score of the game four minutes from time in front of this 70,350 Croke Park crowd.
Like the Meath victory in the curtain-raiser, few had seen it coming. Mark O’Shea’s introduction for Micheál Burns before the throw-in allowed Joe O’Connor to move to right half-forward but for a lot of the half O’Connor, Kerry’s second best player on form, was quiet.
The one standout Kerry half-forward in the opening 35 minutes was O’Shea who kicked eight points including a couple of two-pointers from play. He had three points by the time the clock struck three minutes.
Conaty struck back with a brace of points prior to Conor Geaney threatening the Armagh goal after David Clifford laid off the ball but his seventh minute shot was tame and easily dealt with by Rafferty.
Armagh had more reason to curse the opposing goalkeeper in the 10th minute when Shane Ryan parried over a powerful Tiernan Kelly effort as Kerry fluffed their attempt to clear their lines.
Kerry’s reaction to that let-off was strong. White pointed, Clifford followed it with another two minutes later and then Graham O’Sullivan was key to them adding a second from the follow-up kick-out, a free converted by O’Shea.
Armagh bounced back with three points including a Jarlath Óg Burns’s two-pointer and the likes of Jason Foley were keeping them from stringing further scores. At the other end, O’Shea and O’Sullivan were finding their range again and Kerry led by three in the 25th minute.
For the remaining 10 minutes of the half, they were outscored by four though. Conaty added a third, Joe McElroy backed it up and then in the 29th minute came the game’s first goal. Dylan Casey was lax in retrieving a short Ryan kick-out, Kelly stole in on his inside, fed Rory Grugan and he struck high to the net.
Kerry wasted little time in recommencing play and may have been fortunate to win a free from Ryan’s longer kick. However, it paved the way for a much-needed O’Shea point and within a minute he was contributing another two-pointer to restore Kerry’s edge.
Dylan Geaney, guilty of a truly tame shot earlier, sent over a point in the 32nd minute but Rafferty then pumped over a two-point free and McElroy’s second came just after the buzzer.
Armagh started the new half with the same zeal and went five up in the first five minutes. Rian O’Neill curled over a two-point free in the 37th minute after a great dash by Jarlath Óg Burns to win the placed ball.
He and Conaty followed it up with points and the margin could have been six but for a poor Ben Crealey strike at the posts. And then Kerry took over. Completely.
S. O’Shea (0-12, 3 tps, 3 frees); D. Clifford (0-7, 2 tps); J. O’Connor, B. O’Beaglaoich, G. White, P. Clifford, G. O’Sullivan, M. Burns (0-2 each); D. Geaney (0-1).
: O. Conaty (1 tp), R. O’Neill (1 tpf, 1 free) (0-6 each); R. Grugan (1-0); J. Burns (tp), E. Rafferty (tpf), J. McElroy (0-2 each); T. Kelly, D. McMullan, C. McConville (0-1 each).
: S. Ryan; D. Casey, J. Foley, P. Murphy; B. Ó Beaglaoich, G. White (c), T. O’Sullivan; S. O’Brien, M. O’Shea; J. O’Connor, S. O’Shea, G. O’Sullivan, D. Clifford, C. Geaney, D. Geaney.
: E. Looney for T. O’Sullivan (inj 24); P. Clifford for C. Geaney (h-t); M. Burns for M. O’Shea (50); D. Moynihan for M. Burns (temp 56-57); K. Spillane for D. Geaney (63); G. O’Sullivan for T. Kennedy (69); T.L. O’Sullivan for D. Casey (69-ft).
: E. Rafferty; P. Burns, P. McGrane, B. McCambridge; R. McQuillan, T. Kelly, J. Burns; N. Grimley, B. Crealey; R. Grugan, J. McElroy, O. Conaty; D. McMullan, A. Murnin, R. O’Neill.
: C. Turbitt for J. Burns (temp 37-47); J. Duffy for N. Grimley, C. Turbitt for R. McQuillan (both 50); A. Forker for T. Kelly (54); C. McConville for B. Crealey (56); S. McPartlan for R. Grugan (66); C. O’Neill for A. Murnin (temp 66-ft).
: B. Cawley (Kildare).
Can we apply it to a sustained period, between the 41st and 57th minutes? Kerry were on fire, striking two two-pointers and 10 singles, all without reply. Just before it, Ben Crealey kicked a wide, which would have put Armagh six points up.
We can talk about the game or we can talk about when it mattered. Kerry’s press on the Armagh kick-out in that second half turned the All-Ireland champions into pulp. Armagh looked for an outlet and such was the pressure for Ethan Rafferty that kicking the ball out over the sideline seemed at times like relief.
You know where we’re going to go with this. Fourteen unanswered points from Kerry in just over 14 minutes. An astonishing period of football from Kerry where they devoured Armagh’s kick-outs and David Clifford’s two-point attempt that fell short in the 42nd minute was the only shot of the 13 they had in that section that failed to reach its target.
Jack O’Connor will take the headlines for his robust defence of the team in the wake of criticism from within and out of the county. He has every reason to be proud of his group but we remember how flat they were in 2009 after another emotional ye-wrote-us-off quarter-final win over Dublin. Kerry mightn’t reach these heights again so quickly after this second-half peak.
Tom O’Sullivan faces a race against time to be ready for the Tyrone clash having come off with a leg injury in the first half. Paudie Clifford was hobbling afterwards but the hope is he will be able to contribute again. Tony Brosnan, Mike Breen and Tadhg Morley could come back into the reckoning and Paul Geaney would have been used had Kerry had to chase this game.
Brendan Cawley’s duties became secondary when Kerry took control of the game. Nevertheless, he was keen to allow the physical exchanges and gave plenty of advantage. He may have wanted a tougher outing as he is on the shortlist for the All-Ireland final on July 27.
A first All-Ireland semi-final between Kerry and Tyrone in four years, a second meeting in the space of two, awaits on Saturday or Sunday week.
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