League crown provides hope

THEY weren’t even supposed to make the final.

It was a mathematical possibility for sure, but as the Kerry fans rocked up to Fitzgerald Stadium that Sunday afternoon it was more for a lash hurrah before the championship than in the expectation that the Kingdom would be able to do enough to make a league final.

They would have to win this game and win it well and Tyrone hadn’t been having too bad a run in the league. On top of that Kerry needed other results to fall their way. Possible yeah, likely no.

In the event the Kingdom gave their most complete performance of the campaign to humble a quite disappointing Tyrone side who, despite scoring two goals, looked short of ideads in the final third of the pitch.

Kerry ran out 1-21 to 2-11 winners and that seven point margin proved critical to ensuring they advanced to the league final to take on the mighty

Dubs in Croke

Park. It all came down to scoring difference, a six point victory wouldn’t have been enough.

The build up to the match was dominated by talk of Colm Cooper’s retirement and this more low-key build-up seemed to suit the Kingdom. It also gave them the perfect chance to finally get that win over Dublin, which their efforts in Austin Stack Park deserved and right from the off they gave Dublin plenty of it. They were just a single point behind at half-time – 0-9 to 0-10 – and with a number of young players in the side – Kevin McCarthy, Jack Savage, Ronan Shanahan, Jack Barry – they attacked Dublin with real brio in the second half.

It helped of course that Diarmuid Connolly managed to get himself black-carded in the five minutes before half-time. His absence certainly played to Kerry’s benefit, while the man who was marking him, Gavin Crowley – another young gun – had a really fine game thereafter.

A late Dublin goal for Paul Mannion threatened to put the cat amongst the pigeons, but this time around Kerry weren’t going to be denied. Final score Kerry 0-20, Dublin 1-16.