Kerry shepherd long-time absentees back into gear
LONG ROAD: Kerry's Brian O'Beaglaoich made a welcome and impressive return to the half back line in Saturday's facile win over Kildare and James McGrath. Pic: James Crombie., Inpho
Counting minutes rather than counting scores. The focus on returning bodies rather than the collective first steps down retribution road.
Kerry's grateful acceptance of the benevolent draw plated up to them and swift killing of any potential shock quickly confirmed that the champions would not perish here.
As interest and intrigue disappeared from the outcome, the importance of the evening shifted to familiar faces reappearing on the pitch.
If Kerry’s retribution run is to stretch beyond this weekend’s third-round and take them back up the road to Croker, Newbridge was a handy and stressless first stop in re-exposing to the frontline more than a mothballed players.
On June 13, Brian Ó Beaglaoich made only his second appearance of the year and first start. His savvy first-half orange flag to open up a nine-point gap was followed by second-half white. The half-back line is more marauding for his return.
In that same department, Gavin White clocked a third cameo appearance of the season and first since the Munster final five weeks ago. He also clocked a final minute goal to polish off this 14-point stroll.
Completing the half-back minute count was a first pillar-to-post involvement of 2026 for Graham O’Sullivan. Having sat out the Munster campaign because of a hamstring injury, the Dromid Pearses clubman is once again fully ensconced in his unglamorous duties. Amid the unseen tracking were two white flags.
Joe O’Connor clocked a first start since the League final defeat of March 29. Saturday also marked only his second involvement in those intervening 11 weeks. He delivered the first of four two-pointers four minutes in. Kerry’s 20th point derived from a rousing O’Connor chase and turnover on Colm Dalton.
On his fifth start of the year, Paudie Clifford finally survived beyond the third quarter. A late bang means he has still to survive all the way to the finish in 2026. The busy playmaker was another of the two-point contributors.
Paul Geaney was spotted for the first time since the Munster semi-final up in Ennis on April 25. His third appearance of the year - second start - ended with a pair of points and early withdrawal.
The other of the dressing-room’s most experienced campaigners, Paul Murphy, put necessary match minutes under the hood. It had been March 22, at Armagh’s Athletic Grounds, since his last sighting.
So, that’s everyone outside the fence caught up. But what of the returning personnel inside the fence and the panel itself, are Kerry close to finishing the game of catch-up they’ve been forced to play for so much of this year?
“You'd still think that we're a small bit undercooked. But were definitely in a healthier position. A month ago, I'd say we were on life support. We're off the life support. That's about as much as we can say,” was Jack O’Connor’s reply.
“We trained realIy well for the two weeks after Donegal. We had a lot of fellas undercooked who were injured and coming back from injuries, so that three weeks was a gift for us.
“I don't think our fellas mind being out next weekend. We had three weeks to prepare for this, and that bank of fitness will take us through next week as well hopefully. I know it's a tough enough run, but I don't think the lads will mind the games. It worked okay for us last year, so we hope it'll go the same way.”
The missing body count is reducing. Shane Ryan, Tom O’Sullivan, and Seán O'Shea are the last three names - significant ones, at that - still on injured reserve.
“They're doing bits and pieces but they're not able to return to full training yet,” reported O'Connor.
Wind-assisted, the title holders wasted precious little time in wrapping a green and yellow bow around this Round 2B fixture. Ahead by 0-10 to 0-2 inside a quarter of an hour, their half-time advantage was of the same size. It should have been far bulkier. None of Dylan Casey, David Clifford, and Paul Geaney took their respective green flag openings.
Clifford, Diarmuid O’Connor, and White compensated with three second-half majors. Clifford was central to the two he didn’t himself finish.
The post-match praise, though, was for the other unthreatened goal at the far end.
“Shane Murphy had a great day. Seventeen out of 20 of our own kick-outs [we won] and I think we won 15 out of 26 Kildare kick-outs, so that's a lot of possession. We were able to control the game mainly from restarts.”
A second-gear effort was sufficient.
D Clifford (1-4); D Geaney (0-4, tp); D O’Connor, G White (1-0 each); P Clifford (0-3, tp, 0-1 ‘45), B O Beaglaoich (0-3, tp); G O’Sullivan (free), S O’Brien, J O’Connor (tp), P Geaney (0-2 each).
D Kirwan (0-6, 2tps); J Robinson (0-5); A Beirne (free), B McLoughlin (tp, 0-2 each); B Byrne, B Loakman (0-1 each).
: S Murphy; E Looney, J Foley, D Casey; B Ó Beaglaoich, M Breen, G O’Sullivan; M O’Shea, S O’Brien; J O’Connor, P Clifford, D O’Connor; D Clifford, P Geaney, D Geaney.
: G White for O Beaglaoich (51, temporary); K Evans for P Geaney, T Brosnan for J O’Connor (both 53); A Heinrich for Breen, P Murphy for Looney (both 57); K Spillane for D O’Connor (61); T Morley for Foley (64, temp); T Kennedy for P Clifford (66, temp).
: E Sheehan; R Burke, P Spillane, M Dempsey; B Byrne, H O’Neill, J McGrath; B Gibbons, C Dalton; D Kirwan, S Farrell, A Beirne; J Robinson, K Feely, B Laokman.
: B McLoughlin for Farrell (44); R Sinkey for Dalton (49); E Cully for Robinson (53); T Gill for O’Neill (62); D Swords for McGrath (64).
: N Cullen (Fermanagh).
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