Tyrone pip Kerry to minor crown to keep treble bid on track
CHAMPIONS: Tyrone captain Pádraig Donaghy lifts the cup after winning the Electric Ireland GAA Football All-Ireland Minor Championship final. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
The Tyrone treble remains in play - on both fronts. Kerry’s suffering at the Red Hand remains unbroken.
A pulsating All-Ireland minor football decider ended with a Ben Kelliher challenge not earning a Kerry free and Tyrone holding out for a one-point triumph.
Added to U20 All-Ireland glory in late May, the Tyrone clean sweep of minor, U20, and senior success still has a pulse and a chance.
Added to the county’s All-Ireland U20 semi-final win over Kerry, the clean sweep of minor, U20, and senior knockout championship victories over the green and gold still has a pulse and a chance.
The senior semi-final clash to decide one treble and keep another alive throws-in in six days time.
Kerry will question if Kelliher should have been awarded a free past the allotted four minutes of second-half injury-time - though he may also have had a moment first to fist an equalising point. Tyrone, in reply, can point to the fact that they should have had red ribbons attached to the silverware long before that late, late non-call.
Trailing 1-13 to 0-12 on 47 minutes, the final quarter was theirs. It was a final quarter where they threatened to kick the title straight into Kerry hands. After 1-2 in three minutes to seize a 1-14 to 1-13 lead - the goal a Peter Colton penalty following a foul on influential sub Matthew F Daly - the wides and misses flowed.
Elliott Kerr was off target, then Colton, then Thomas Meenan. Colton hit the post, James Mulgrew’s effort was short. Daly added to the wides collection spiralling out of control.
In between this flood of spurned opportunities, Kerry pair Danny Murphy and Kelliher, the latter a superb point considering the attention of three white shirts in right corner, snuck the Kingdom back in front 13 seconds shy of the hour.
Colton brought stalemate for the ninth time with a free brought forward for Kerry dissent. There’d been an earlier second half breach of the new rules that also cost them a white flag.
The 63rd-minute winner was almost no winner at all. Colton again rattled the post. Diarmuid Martin gathered the breaking ball and brought Tyrone to nine on the All-Ireland minor roll of honour.
An eight-year gap bridged without the presence of West Ham’s Joel Kerr, a multi-code talent who contributed 2-13 on the road to Newbridge.
Operating into a not insignificant breeze in the opening half, Kerry boss Wayne Quillinan and his young crew wouldn’t have sniffed at the three-point deficit facing them on 25 minutes pertaining to the break.
After five times level, Tyrone had built momentum and a lead of such size that had not existed up to then. James Mulgrew landed the sole two-pointer of the half on 23 minutes. There followed a Kerry attack being turned over, a foul on Pearse McDonald, and an Eoin Long converted free for an 0-8 to 0-5 lead.
No greater did the lead extend, though. It went, in fact, in the opposite direction. 1-2 without reply. A five-point swing. A two-point Kerry half-time lead.
The burst began with a Ben Kelliher foul and Gearóid White converting. Kerry’s Mark O’Carroll claimed the resultant kickout, Danny Murphy claiming the point. The minimum between them. And, then on 29 minutes, the lead. Kelliher had charged in along the endline earlier in the half only to be called for over-carrying. There was no calling or catching him here.
Kelliher again charged along the endline in the final play of the game. Nothing came from it. More Ulster-inflicted misery.
In four of the last six minor campaigns, Kerry have been knocked out or beaten in the decider by Ulster opposition. In their last two U20 campaigns, Tyrone bettered them at the semi-final and final stage. In the last two Hogan Cups, Ulster opposition bettered Mercy Mounthawk of Tralee at the semi-final and final stage.
Need we say any more. The upper hand is the Red Hand.
P Colton (1-2, 1-0 pen, 0-1 free); E Long (0-5, 0-3 frees); J Mulgrew (tp), D Martin (0-3 each); A Quinn, D McAnespie (free), MF Daly (0-1 each).
B Kelliher (1-2); G White (0-4, tp, 0-1 free); K Griffin (0-3, tp, 0-1 ‘45); D Murphy, T O’Connell (0-2 each); J Curtin, A Tuohy (0-1 each).
R Donnelly (Eglish); E Kerr (Errigal Ciaran), P Goodman (Fintona Pearses), C McCrystal (Loughmacrory); T Meenan (Killyclogher), J Daly (Eglish), A Quinn (Errigal Ciaran); J Mulgrew (Kildress Wolfe Tones), P Donaghy (Carrickmore St Colmcille's); C Farley (Beragh Red Knights), P Colton (Fintona Pearses), D McAnespie (Aghaloo O’Neill’s); D Martin (Fintona Pearses), P McDonald (Loughmacrory), E Long (Cookstown).
MF Daly (Eglish) for McAnespie (44); V Gormely (Carrickmore St Colmcille's) for McDonald (48); M Kennedy (Glenelly St Joseph’s) for Long (59).
R Kennedy (Kerins O'Rahillys); R Sheridan (Duagh), E Joy (Ballymacelligott), T Ó Slatara (Churchill); D Murphy (Listry), D Sargent (John Mitchels), M Clifford (Firies); M Ó Sé (An Ghaeltacht), J Curtin (Ballyduff); M O'Carroll (Dr Crokes), G White (John Mitchels), A Tuohy (Austin Stacks); B Kelliher (Dr Crokes), K Griffin (St Michael's Foilmore), T O'Connell (Tarbert).
N Lacey (Kerins O’Rahilly’s) for O’Connell (44); J Kissane (Moyvane) for Ó Sé (52); P Ó Mainnín (Lios Póil) for O’Carroll (54).
T Murphy (Galway).
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