Tony Brosnan hits 1-15 as Kerry demolish Waterford to reach McGrath Cup final

Aaron Ryan scored Waterford's only point of the game in the 14th minute

Tony Brosnan kicked five two-pointers, three from play, as he finished with 1-15 for Kerry in the McGrath Cup against Waterford. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

McGrath Cup: Kerry 1-27 (0-6-15) Waterford 0-1 (0-0-1)

Kerry booked their place in the McGrath Cup final at a canter, as the All Ireland champions continued their pre-season preparations with a devastating display of attacking football as they swept aside Waterford with a comprehensive 1-27 to 0-1 victory. Kerry delivered a performance of pace, power and ruthless efficiency that left the contest effectively decided long before half-time.

Playing with the aid of a strong wind in the opening half on soft conditions in Killarney, the Kingdom were relentless from the outset, with Tony Brosnan delivering a remarkable scoring exhibition. The Crokes man bagged 1-15 in the end for Jack O’Connor’s men, who emptied the bench as they look ahead to another pre-season decider.

Brosnan set the tone inside two minutes, curling over a superb two-point free from just inside the 45 metre line. Kerry struck again from the kick-out, Keith Evans bursting through to fist over, before Brosnan added an outstanding two pointer from play to make it 0-5 to no score inside three minutes. 

Waterford struggled to cope with Kerry’s intensity as Cillian Trant and Ciáran Collins extended the lead, and Brosnan continued to punish the Déise defence with a series of expertly struck long range efforts.

By the 12th minute Kerry led 0-9 to no score, with Brosnan already in irresistible form. Aaron Ryan finally opened Waterford’s account on 14 minutes, but any hint of a response was swiftly shut down. 

Darragh Lyne was hauled down while bearing down on goal, allowing Brosnan to tap over the resulting free, and Kerry immediately resumed their onslaught. Another Brosnan two pointer on 18 minutes pushed the lead into double figures, and only an excellent save from Paudie Hunt denied Trant a goal after he latched onto a high dropping ball.

Kerry finished the first half in emphatic fashion. Brosnan added yet another two-pointer, Donagh O’Sullivan clipped over a fine left-footed point, while Evans and Trant kept the scoreboard ticking over. By the interval, Kerry had racked up an astonishing 20 points, with Waterford limited to a solitary point.

Any hopes of a second-half revival were quickly extinguished. Brosnan pointed early before landing a delightful score off his left boot, and the killer blow followed on 36 minutes when he finished a sweeping Kerry move to the net. 

Evan Boyle and Cian O’Grady added further points as Kerry maintained control, with Darragh O’Connor closing the scoring with two late points.

Scorers for Kerry: T Brosnan (1-15, 3tp, 2tpf, 3f), C Trant (0-4, 1tp), K Evans, D O’Connor (0-2), C Collins, D O’Sullivan, E Boyle, C O’Grady (0-1 each) 

Scorer for Waterford: A Ryan (0-1)

KERRY: M Tansley; D O’Connor, J Foley, E O’Connor; A Heinrich, T Morley, J Nagle; L Smith, C Trant; D O’Sulivan, D Lyne, C Brosnan; T Brosnan, C Collins, K Evans.

Subs: S O’Connell for A Heinrich, E Boyle for D O’Sullivan, G Hassett for C Brosnan, D O’Connor for K Evans (All H/T), S Broderick for M Tansley, D Murphy for E O’Connor, L Evans for D Lyne, D O’Connor for J Nagle, P O’Shea for L Smith, C O’Grady for C Collins (All 35) 

WATERFORD: P Hunt; L Mulligan, A Crawford, B Hynes; D Fitzgerald, G Power, T Martin; J Walsh, D Ó Cathasaigh; D Walsh, C Murray, C Ó Cuirrín; M Curry, S Curry, A Ryan 

Subs: C Walsh for T Martin (18), M O’Brien for C Ó Cuirrín (H/T), C Foley for J Walsh (40), J Farrell for D Walsh (43), A Murray for M Curry (47), D Jacob for L Mulligan (51), C Kiely for A Crawford, C Fennell for S Curry (Both 56)

Referee: D Murnane (Cork)