KERRY PAY PENALTY
Monaghan boss admits ref got big call wrong
MONAGHAN boss Malachy O’Rourke has admitted the goal that earned his team a precious topflight win over title holders Kerry probably shouldn’t have stood.
Conor McManus, who hit 1-3, slammed home the only goal of the game from a 21st-minute penalty and in a two-point game it was a decisive strike.
But travelling Kerry supporters were up in arms over the award of the spot kick with goalkeeper Shane Murphy controversially adjudged to have fouled Niall Kearns.
Midfielder Kearns was picked out by a sumptuous Jack McCarron pass and attempted to round keeper Murphy who flicked the ball away as Kearns tumbled, drawing the penalty decision.
‘If I’m honest, I thought the goalkeeper touched the ball and hit the ball away,’ said O’Rourke. ‘Of course I wasn’t going to run in and tell the referee that. Just delighted to get it.’
Kerry manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice bit his lip afterwards when asked about the dubious decision which went a long way to ending his team’s 100 per cent record.
‘I’ve given up questioning referees a long time ago,’ smiled Fitzmaurice wryly. When it was suggested that referee Cormac Reilly presided over a few more questionable decisions in the second half, Fitzmaurice appeared to agree. ‘I think you have covered it there,’ he stated.
Still, the Munster champions were far from their best and had plenty of time to recover after the goal concession which left them 1-8 to 0-4 down.
They almost did just that and were better in the second half when they twice got the margin down to a single point.
The second of those occasions was deep into injury-time after a third point from 19-year-old rookie sensation David Clifford.
But McManus, at the other end of his county career with Monaghan, showed all his experience to nail the insurance point from a free in the 75th minute, securing Monaghan’s second win from three.
By that stage, they’d been reduced to 14 men after Barry Kerr’s 62nd-minute red card for an off-the-ball incident.
‘We made six changes from the starting team the last day against Kildare and we were still able to win,’ said Monaghan chief O’Rourke. ‘That’s a good sign.’
Kearns performed well for Monaghan at midfield though it was a generally experienced team that lined out with McManus and McCarron the key men in attack again.
Brian O Beaglaoich and Paul Murphy stood out for Kerry in the wing-back positions though their defence was generally under pressure in the first-half.
They finally gained a foothold in the second half after Clifford came on and dominated until Monaghan, who scored just a point between the 45th and 69th minutes, came alive with two late insurance points to seal it.
From Kerry’s perspective, former minor stars Clifford, freetaker Sean O’Shea, Jason Foley, Andrew Barry, Micheal Burns and Killian Spillane all got vital game time.
‘They learn about the pace, about the physicality of Division 1 and what playing against the top teams is like,’ said Fitzmaurice.
‘They learn that if you make mistakes you’re going to get punished. They also learn that it’s not that big a deal and that they can survive at this level, they’re well able for it.’
Kerry struggled at midfield ini-
tially where they were without the UCD duo of Jack Barry and Barry O’Sullivan, as well as David Moran and Anthony Maher, and went with an unlikely Peter Crowley/Brendan O’Sullivan axis.
Monaghan scored the game’s first four points and retained that four-point advantage before McManus netted.
All poor Kerry could muster from open play in the first half was three points and Monaghan deservedly led 1-9 to 0-6 at the interval.
Fitzmaurice brought on last year’s All-Ireland minor winning captain Clifford after a hamstring twinge and he livened up their attack.
Clifford scored three secondhalf points, two from frees, and won one of the frees that he converted. He also played a terrific pass to Barry John Keane for a point as Kerry piled on the pressure, twice reducing their arrears to a single point.
Monaghan clicked back into gear late on and points from Neil McAdam and McManus secured an important win. MONAGHAN: R Beggan; C Walshe, C Boyle, B Kerr; D Mone (F Kelly h-t), D Wylie, K O’Connell; D Hughes, N Kearns (K Duffy 71); P McKenna (O Duffy 51), D Malone (R McAnespie 45), D Ward; T Kerr (N McAdam 61), J McCarron (R Wylie 67), C McManus. Scorers: C McManus 1-3 (1-0 pen, 2fs), J McCarron 0-4 (3fs), C Walshe, D Hughes, P McKenna, D Ward, O Duffy, N McAdam 0-1. KERRY: S Murphy; S Enright, J Foley, R Shanahan; P Murphy, A Barry (Tom O’Sulli-van h/t), B O Beaglaoich; P Crowley (D Casey 54), Brendan O’Sullivan (E O Conchuir 22); M Burns, S O’Shea, S O’Brien (M Geaney 71); J Savage (D Clifford h-t), P Geaney, BJ Keane (K Spillane 63). Scorers: S O’Shea 0-6 (5fs, 1 45), D Clifford 0-3 (2fs), M Burns, BJ Keane 0-2, P Geaney 0-1. Referee: C Reilly (Meath).