Munster SFC: Kerry’s Championship Campaign Brought To A Sensational End By Dogged Rebels Side
CORK 1-12
KERRY 0-13
(after extra-time)
By Daire Walsh
He may only be back on these shores for a short time, but Mark Keane added his name to Cork GAA folklore with a dramatic final-minute goal in his county’s shock Munster Senior Football Championship semi-final win over Kerry at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Sunday.
In spite of a titanic effort against their much-fancied arch rivals, the Leesiders looked set to fall short when they trailed by a single point with 21 minutes of extra-time played. Yet when Luke Connolly’s attempt at an equaliser dropped in towards the Kingdom goal, Keane was in the right place at the right time to rattle the net in clinical fashion.
The Mitchelstown native is currently contracted to Australian Rules Football outfit Collingwood and will be returning Down Under in the not-too-distant future. Whilst the Rebel management would undoubtedly prefer to have him available on a long-term basis, they will aim to make the most of his presence in the coming weeks.
Whereas Cork can now look forward to a provincial decider against Tipperary, this is the end of the line for Kerry in 2020. Having got their hands on the National Football League Division One crown just over a fortnight ago, their championship odyssey has been brought to an end in the most sensational of circumstances.
David Clifford and substitute Killian Spillane did finish the action with 0-4 each, but their forward division didn’t operate with the same fluidity as had been expected.
Connolly and Keane were amongst those to be sprung from the Cork bench and it offered them vital energy heading towards the home stretch. Mark Collins and player of the match Sean Powter also stood up on a day when the Rebels recorded their first championship win over Kerry since 2012.
Still only 21 years of age, Clifford is already one of the key figures in this Kerry team. Five minutes into this contest, the two-time All Star gathered possession just outside the ’21’ and fired over a fine score on the turn off his left foot.
The Kingdom largely dominated possession during the early exchanges, as was largely expected. Much to Cork’s relief, a number of their efforts on goal dropped short in the first-quarter with Rebel netminder Micheál Martin and full-back Maurice Shanley sweeping up the loose ball.
Ronan McCarthy’s hosts were also forcing a number of turnovers in the slippery conditions and this led to their opening point of the proceedings in the 13th-minute. After claiming a mark inside the Kerry ’45’, inside forward Brian Hurley curled between the posts with considerable aplomb.
A late replacement in the forward line for Stephen O’Brien, Brian Ó Beaglaoich injected pace into the Kingdom attack moments later. While his goal-bound effort was turned away by Martin, Ronan Buckley was on hand to grab a point off the rebound.
Free-flowing football was conspicuous by its absence, however, and the Leesiders were keeping themselves in the reckoning against their hotly-fancied opponents. At the end of a patient move, Collins split the uprights at a right-hand angle to leave the sides on level terms (0-2 apiece) at the first water break.
This temporary halt to the play should have worked to Kerry’s benefit and Clifford immediately clipped his second point in consummate style. Despite the concession of a point to the returning Powter – who vacated his corner-back post for an excellent score – Kerry created some daylight with back-to-back contributions from Dara Moynihan and Clifford (free).
Yet this proved to be Kerry’s final score of the half. Supplementing a Collins free, midfielder Killian O’Hanlon expertly measured a subsequent ’45’ for the Rebels’ fifth point of the tie.
Cork were now growing in confidence and at the end of a fast-paced move in stoppage-time, Kevin O’Donovan joined fellow defender Powter in putting his name on the scoresheet. This propelled the recently-crowned Division Three league champions into a surprise 0-6 to 0-5 interval buffer.
Within 60 seconds of the resumption, Kerry restored parity through Tony Brosnan. Clifford fired a shot agonisingly past the target on 39 minutes but, with a biblical downpour descending upon the city venue, it was becoming abundantly clear that scores were going to be at a premium.
Free-taking was one of the best features of the game and O’Hanlon’s excellent effort off the turf – from a distance of 40 metres – edged Cork back into the ascendancy. Kerry registered a number of uncharacteristic wides before the break and this continued into the second period.
He hit the post from play a couple of minutes earlier and the normally dependable Clifford pulled a close-range free wide of the mark on 49 minutes. Both teams started to call on the cavalry either side of the second water stoppage.
Keane was introduced to the Cork attack for his senior championship debut, while Spillane replaced Brosnan in the Kerry front six and enjoyed a similar impact to the one he made in last year’s drawn All-Ireland final against Dublin.
He cut inside from the left-flank on 56 minutes and fisted a fine point on the run. Collins converted a free to squeeze Cork back in front but having been quiet up to this juncture, Sean O’Shea really came into his own.
The dynamic centre-forward slotted over a 50 metre free in spectacular style and finally got Kerry back in the driving seat with a 64th-minute effort at a right-hand angle. The Kingdom were then on course for victory when Spillane calmly stroked a point from long-distance.
Nevertheless, Cork persisted with their challenge and were duly rewarded for their efforts. Kerry had earlier lost Ronan Buckley to a black card and David Moran suffered the same fate one minute from the end of normal time.
Connolly reduced the gap with an outstanding strike off the outside of his right boot and after controlling the ball for three minutes without necessarily looking like kicking an equaliser, Powter pounced on a loose ball (after he had a shot blocked) to draw a foul off Gavin White in stoppage-time.
Collins pointed from 25 metres and – like the previous day’s clash between Tipperary and Limerick – this meant extra-time was required to produce a winner.
Kerry once again created some daylight through the double act of Clifford (an extraordinary score on the right-hand touchline) and Spillane, but Connolly’s 50 metre free made it a one-point game – 0-12 to 0-11 – with 10 plus minutes still left to play.
The Cork defence struggled to tie down Spillane and the Templenoe man added a fourth point after the ball had broken into his path. A monster Connolly free raised the prospect of a penalty shootout and when centre-back Sean Meehan found some space inside the Kerry ’45’, it seemed like Kerry would once more be reined in.
Yet what followed was something they could never have expected. It was going to take courage for someone to opt for a shot at the posts and it was Connolly who stood up to the plate in this regard. With the one minute of stoppage-time announced already having elapsed, his booming shot on the left-wing was powerfully struck but always likely to drop short.
Having struggled to work his way into the game in a meaningful way, Keane gathered possession with the goal in sight and duly delivered a composed finish beyond the reach of Kerry netminder Shane Ryan.
After so much frustration in recent years, this is a day that Cork football supporters will savour. They now have two weeks to prepare for the challenge of Tipperary, who have caused plenty of trouble for the Rebels in their more recent championship meetings.
Scorers – Cork: Mark Collins 0-4 (3 frees), Luke Connolly 0-3 (2 frees), Mark Keane 1-0, Killian O’Hanlon 0-2 (1 free, 1 ’45’), Brian Hurley (mark), Sean Powter, Kevin O’Donovan 0-1 each. Kerry: David Clifford (1 free), Killian Spillane 0-4 each, Sean O’Shea 0-2 (1 free), Ronan Buckley, Tony Brosnan, Dara Moynihan 0-1 each.
KERRY: Shane Ryan; Jason Foley, Tadhg Morley, Tom O’Sullivan; Paul Murphy, Peter Crowley, Gavin White; David Moran, Diarmuid O’Connor; Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Sean O’Shea, Ronan Buckley; Tony Brosnan, David Clifford, Dara Moynihan. Subs: Stephen O’Brien for Moynihan (47), Killian Spillane for Brosnan (50), Jack Barry for Ó Beaglaoich (55), Jack Sherwood for Buckley (63), Gavin Crowley for White (71), Graham O’Sullivan for T O’Sullivan (81), Tommy Walsh for Foley (85), Paudie Clifford for O’Connor (89).
CORK: Micheál Martin; Sean Powter, Maurice Shanley, Kevin Flahive; Kevin O’Donovan, Sean Meehan, Mattie Taylor; Ian Maguire, Killian O’Hanlon; John O’Rourke, Colm O’Callaghan, Ruairi Deane; Mark Collins, Brian Hurley, Paul Walsh. Subs: Mark Keane for O’Callaghan (44), Luke Connolly for O’Rourke (45), Michael Hurley for Walsh (53), Paul Kerrigan for B Hurley (62), Sean White for O’Donovan (70), Paul Ring for Flahive (71), Tadhg Corkery for Powter (74), Kevin O’Driscoll for Maguire (77), Damien Gore for O’Hanlon (81).
Referee: Derek O’Mahoney (Tipperary).