Kerry going into overdrive
Kerry’s third win on the bounce didn’t come easy, yet their superior efficiency counted most. It was only three years ago at this same venue that they went a second half without a score. On this occasion, they posted 1-10, kicking one wide, as they stood a class apart from the team that could have been steamrolled in the opening half.
Five league games had come and gone since Kerry last beat Mayo, which came in McHale Park in 2011. This one will be put down to being battle-hardened, momentum and grit, particularly the latter in the 17 crucial second half minutes when they were a man down due to Kieran Donaghy’s second yellow card.
With one win from five outings, Mayo’s proud, long record of unbroken top flight football is in peril and their profligacy here was the primary source of their undoing. Racking up 13 wides, they also kicked five scoring attempts short in the first half while Aidan O’Shea and Jason Doherty had goal chances.
Once again, Mayo’s arrangement has to be questioned. If a duel ever defined a game, Darran O’Sullivan’s battle with Lee Keegan was it. If Kerry were guilty of being snared by a Dublin mismatch with Philly McMahon on Colm Cooper last September, Mayo fell into the own trap pairing their best half-back in the corner on the in-form O’Sullivan.
It was classic robbing Peter to pay Paul. How anyone else would have fared better on O’Sullivan, scorer of two points and chief assister in at least another 1-3, is questionable but a potent attacker like Keegan would have been better on his toes than spending so much time on his heels.
Stephen Rochford attempted to explain the pairing: “If you look at the contribution of Darran O’Sullivan over the last few games; he scored 0-4 against Down, winning frees and he had a good influence in the game against Donegal. You are playing against a really good team and we felt that we had ample artillery to launch in Donal Vaughan, who I thought had a good game on Donnchadh Walsh for the most part, and Shane Nally had been contributing well throughout the league.
“These are decisions you make with a view to looking at the whole picture as well as the game in isolation. The reality is that Lee has played all the league for us at corner back this year, apart from the Dublin game which he missed (with concussion).”
O’Sullivan is almost averaging two points a game in this campaign but it’s his all-round game that has tongues a-wagging.
“He’s playing great stuff,” enthused Éamonn Fitzmaurice. “Other years at this time of the year especially, he had injury issues. He hasn’t been able to get a clear run at it but he worked very hard during the winter this year. Any issues have cleared up. He’s in a great vein of form, and it’s brilliant to have him back to his best.”
O’Sullivan notwithstanding, Kerry spluttered in the first half. There was the rare sight of Cooper, in his first league start since April 2013, being blocked down not once but twice by Ger Cafferkey. Cooper’s influence grew with the game, his sublime pass setting up Barry John Keane to put Kerry six points clear in the 64th minute, but those moments were indicative of how clingy Kerry were finding Mayo.
Struggling to feed their inside line, Kerry managed just two points from play before that Buckley goal signed and sealed by O’Sullivan’s ingenuity. Surrounded by Mayo players, a free against O’Sullivan for over-carrying was imminent before he managed to wriggle himself free and turn to set up Buckley.
A score that came completely against the run of play, it made Mayo’s wastefulness all the more pronounced. O’Shea kicked a 27th minute point from virtually under the bar after his strength had seen him manufacture a chance of goal. A minute later and Doherty rifled a shot which deflected off Mark Griffin only to smack off Brendan Kealy’s face and out for a 45. Rob Hennelly converted it but his second half was characterised by three wides.
As Kerry ruled the third quarter, Bryan Sheehan overcooked a pass which could have seen Mark Griffin goal in the 45th minute. But there was no mistake two minutes later when a diagonal Cooper free was touched down by Donaghy towards Donnchadh Walsh and he palmed to the net.
In the closing stages, Kerry could afford to resort to persistent fouling knowing only goals could hurt them. Diarmuid O’Connor, looking tired after some fine football for Mayo this last while, joined Donaghy on the sidelines after a second cautionable offence when he and Fionn Fitzgerald were yellow carded for an off-the-ball incident.
R Hennelly (1 free, 1 45), A O’Shea, K McLoughlin, J Doherty, A Moran, frees (0-2 each); D O’Connor, S Nally, T Parsons, S O’Shea (0-1 each).
J Buckley (1-1); D Walsh (1-0); D O’Sullivan, B Sheehan, frees, C Cooper, frees, P Crowley, B O’Sullivan (0-2 each); M Ó Sé, BJ Keane (0-1 each).
R Hennelly; B Harrison, G Cafferkey, L Keegan; S Nally, D Vaughan, C Boyle; T Parsons, S O’Shea; D O’Connor, A O’Shea, C Carolan; K McLoughlin, J Doherty, C O’Shea.
S Coen for S Nally (46); A Moran for C Carolan (51); M Sweeney for C O’Shea (59); C Barrett for G Cafferkey (65); J Gibbons for J Doherty (67).
B Kealy; M Ó Sé, M Griffin, S Enright; P Crowley, A O’Mahony, F Fitzgerald; K Donaghy, B Sheehan; P Murphy, D Walsh, J Buckley; D O’Sullivan, C Cooper, S O’Brien.
B Kelly for B Kealy (blood 29-ht); BJ Keane for S O’Brien (54); B O’Sullivan for J Buckley (56); P O’Connor for P Crowley (black, 62); J Lyne for D Walsh (65); D Daly for D O’Sullivan (70+3).
R Hickey (Clare)
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