Numbers Game

PRIMARY POSSESSION

Overall Kerry: 25 from 45, with 8 uncontested, 56%

Own kick-outs won: 17 from 22, 6 from 8 first half, 11 from 14 second half, 72%

Individual Kerry: Peter Crowley 5 (3 breaks, 2 short kick-outs); Paul Murphy 4 (1 break, 3 short kick-outs); Mikey Geaney 3 (3 breaks); Tadhg Morley 2 (2 breaks); Donnchadh Walsh 2 (2 breaks); Fionn Fitzgerald 1 (1 short kick-out); Shane Enright 1 (1 short kick-out); Anthony Maher 1 (1 break); Kevin McCarthy 1 (1 clean catch); Kieran Donaghy 1 (1 clean catch); Bryan Sheehan 1 (1 clean catch); Johnny Buckley 1 (1 mark)

Overall Clare: 20 from 45, with 9 uncontested, 44%

Own kick-outs won: 15 from 23, 6 from 11 first half, 9 from 12 second half, 65%

Individual Clare: Cathal O’Connor 4 (1 mark, 1 break, 2 frees); Martin McMahon 3 (1 clean catch, 2 short kick-outs); Pearse Lillis 2 (1 break, 1 short kick-out); John Hayes 2 (2 short kick-outs); Kevin Harnett 1 (1 short kick-out); Gordon Kelly 1 (1 short kick-out); Ciarán Russell 1 (1 short kick-out); Jamie Malone 1 (1 break); Sean Collins 1 (1 short kickout); Shane Brennan 1 (1 break); 1 free)

SCORING CHANCES CONVERTED

Kerry: 19 from 25, 8 from 12 first half, 11 from 13 second half, 76% with seven different scorers

Clare: 13 from 26, 6 from 11 first half, 7 from 15 second half, 50% with five different scorers

WIDES

Kerry: 4 (3 first half, 1 second half) Clare: 10 (3 first half, 7 second half)

SHOTS DROPPED SHORT

Kerry: 1 (1 first half, 0 second half) Clare: 3 (2 first half, 1 second half)

CARDS

Kerry: 8 (7 yellow, 1 red) Clare: 4 (4 yellow)

FREES AGAINST

Kerry: 23 (15 first half, 8 second half) Clare: 23 (12 first half, 11 second half) Why did Kerry win? Because they’re better footballers than Clare, that’s why. In a column that’s supposed to take a look at what the statistics have to tell us about the game that might seem a tad unsophisticated, but bear with us here a moment.

Of all the statistics that we measured the one that stands out head and shoulders above the others is Kerry’s – and by contrast Clare’s – shot efficiency. The Kingdom took an impressive 76% of their chances and Clare a mediocre 50%. That was the winning and the losing of the game right there.

Kerry’s shot efficiency in the second half was remarkably strong – at 84%. They kicked just a single wide – from a placed ball by James O’Donoghue on the fifty sixth minute – and only failed to take advantage of one other scoring opportunity in the half and that one – Paul Geaney’s effort for goal which cannoned back off the angle of the post and crossbar – wasn’t as a result of sloppiness or anything of the sort. It could just have easily have found its way to the back of the net.

And that James O’Donoghue wide from a free was very much out of character on the day for the Legion man. He was in inspired

form. Indeed out of six free scoring opportunities that was the only one he sent wide. His full-forward line colleague Paul Geaney, meanwhile, maintained a 100% record from the placed ball.

With Kerry’s forwards in that sort of form – slick and well-drilled as ever – Clare needed to do a whole lot better with the chances they created and, to give Colm Collins’ men their dues, they did create an equivalent number of chances as Kerry did – on less possession – but with their rate of return at just 50%, which dipped to 47% in the second half, they needed to be creating a lot more than what they did.

Granted they were a little unfortunate that Jamie Malone’s brilliant second half strike on Brian Kelly’s goal wasn’t rewarded with a goal, but even there that was more than balanced out by the two goalscoring opportunities Kerry failed to take in the game – one in the first half, one in the second.

On the possession stakes Kerry did well on their own kick-outs and took a decent chunk of Clare’s. In the traditional midfield sector Kerry pretty much broke even with a highly rated Clare midfield and did so without David Moran.