Tony Leen: Kerry end Armagh’s summer - and mercilessly. Here are the five key takeaways
SHOWING THEIR TEETH: Kerry talisman David Clifford shows his delight after grabbing their opening goal at a key first half juncture against Armagh at Fitzgerald Stadium. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
A dime for every time a manager insists the difference between the top sides could be measured in a thimble. Yes ultimately Kerry feasted on the Orchard county and Kieran McGeeney wasn’t looking for fortune’s favour after Armagh’s summer ended on Saturday. Nor should he when they converted ten of their 25 shots from open play. But after the misfortune suffered in the last second in Inniskeen sent them on the long road to Kerry, the short turnaround was a problem on more than one level. Neutral fixtures in the third round is a distinct possibility in 2027. Armagh had that look of an anaesthetist in the first half and even allowing for a well worked Kerry goal, the visitors would have been pleased to be counting down the clock to half time only three points in arrears. Then an untidy hand pass down around Joe McElroy's ankles gave Kerry the out they needed for Paul Geaney’s goal (assisted by a no-fuss dink pass from Graham O'Sullivan, by the by). Kerry followed with a two-pointer before they jogged in for half time. Geezer must have wondered where all the black cats in his life had come from?
He couldn’t, could he? There’s no way Paul Geaney knew there were literally seconds in the first half remaining when the ball broke to him. How could he? Given his well-advertised game awareness, he was undoubtedly aware that Ethan Rafferty was AWOL but did Geaney really have the awareness to kick the ball immediately rather than advance a few metres to make sure - and run out of time? Too right he did. Geaney knew too well that the time bomb would have gone off in his hands if he had kept hold of the ball for 3-4 more seconds. How do we know? “The same man would be very, very clued in on the rules,” came a text from the Kerry camp Saturday night. The Irish basketball coach James Weldon told Kieran Shannon in an Irish Examiner interview late last year: “Paul is like Kobe Bryant with his mindset, how deep a thinker he is about the game.” He’s also got that Harry Kane vibe going. It’s easier to believe the England captain when he speak about being in the shape of his life, when you watch a razor sharp Geaney doing his thing at 35.
The last time Kerry went out of the All-Ireland championship in June was 32 years ago, in 1994. Of course, that can still happen in 2026 if they lose a quarter-final next weekend. They’ve also made the All-Ireland quarter finals every years since the changed format in 2001. Allowing the couple of years where there were no last eight fixtures, Kerry have been in 23 All Ireland quarter finals since 2001. Surely, we asked Jack O’Connor, they must fret about these things in the cold dead of night? “We try to stay positive,” he explained. “I think we’re a kind of a set-up that accentuate positivity rather than negativity. Of course it would be in the back of your head, nobody wants that and nobody wanted to be beaten here by Donegal a couple of weeks ago either. But now we are just looking forward to getting back to Croke Park. This (Armagh) game will take a bit out of the legs, lads, because there was a fierce pace in that game at times.”
“A healthy Kerry is still the standard. Looks like everybody else is playing for second place after that performance,” reckoned former Kingdom midfielder Micheál Quirke on social media. Caution, be damned, the big fella doubled down some more: “In the six knockout championship games Kerry have played since the introduction of the new rules, the average margin of victory has been over 10 points.” Fair enough. The Kingdom can only get Tyrone, Louth or Galway in the last eight in Monday’s draw and as much pain as Tyrone have caused Kerry in the past, Jack O’Connor would prefer them any day and twice on Sunday ahead of Galway. Not that Padraic Joyce would be doing cartwheels himself if Monday’s draw paired them with the defending champions. In terms of the improving health of his squad, Saturday was all upside for Jack O’Connor. An hour into Paul Murphy, big minutes for Brian O’Beaglaoich, Paul Geaney, Gavin White and Diarmuid O’Connor and the full seventy for the first time since heaven knows for Paudie Clifford. Plus Sean O’Shea making his return for a 20-minute run-out and getting in a typical Seanie block down on Oisin Conaty way out of his constituency. Only Tom O’Sullivan is yet to come back – and O’Connor wasn’t shying away from the possibility of the Dingle man bringing his gear bag to Croke Park.
What it all does is present some delicious selection dilemmas. How close is Shane Ryan from putting the heat of Shane Murphy for the No 1 jersey? The Dr Crokes man is after two excellent displays against Kildare and Armagh. How close is Gavin White to a start? Another 25 minutes on Saturday means he’s getting closer, but would Jack leave out Graham O’Sullivan? Big call. Remember Tadhg Morley is itching to get back in too. Midfield and the front six look a lock if everyone’s fit and firing, but what a nice problem to have with Keith Evans, Tony Brosnan and Sean O’Shea primed to come in.
: It didn’t feel like it at the time. Every Kerry championship defeat is house private, no flowers and being spanked at home by Donegal, even with 14 men, felt like somewhere between ominous and terminal in a sporting context. Not so much, after listening to Kerry’s manager and experienced defender Paul Murphy. Those three weeks after Donegal and before Kildare gave the Kingdom breathing space to right to vessel. “After the way we trained here last Wednesday night and the previous Wednesday night, I felt that we were coming into form,: O’Connor revealed. “Training never lies. You always know. I went home happy on Wednesday night that we were in a good place. Sure, the lads love it here. They love the stadium, they love the ground here. I was confident enough that we'd have a big performance after watching them training."
He added: “That three weeks we got after Donegal was a blessing, an absolute blessing. We had a training camp, but there aren’t too many windows. I’d love to have a proper pre-season, I’d love it, six or eight weeks uninterrupted, but we don’t get it down here that’s the bottom line.” Murphy spoke after and revealed something quite rare in Kerry terms. They even had a couple of training nights where they saw no ball at all.
Just hard labour and soft sweat.
Five talking points and over a thousand words later, have we mentioned David Clifford? Does the lad even understand slumps and hollows?
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