Tyrone make lifeless Kerry pay in second half of ‘dead rubber’

NFL DIVISION 1, ROUND 7 Tyrone 1-16 Kerry 0-14

QUEENSBERRY rules all the way here and barely a glove laid on each other as Kerry and Tyrone served up one of the most benign contested between them in years, with Tyrone earning a fully deserved five-point win on home soil that leaves Kerry with a three win-four loss record in what has been a fairly middling defence of their League title.

There were some familiar themes again here for Kerry: porous defending that saw the visitors concede their tenth goal of the campaign; a fifth game without scoring a goal; a large period in the game (29 minutes this time) without a score of any description; and a somewhat underwhelming performance, which under the circumstances is understandable, if not quite excusable.

With a League final place beyond both teams, and with neither in relegation trouble, there was a distinct feel of a challenge game about this game in front of 6,115 spectators, the vast majority of them from Tyrone. Éamonn Fitzmaurice discounted the idea of any game being a dead rubber where the Kerry jersey is worn, and while there was a competitive enough cut to the League champions in the opening 25 minutes or so, neither team was particularly interested in the hot and heavy stuff that usually bubbles to the surface when these two rivals meet. Tyrone seemed content enough to sit deep in that first third of the game and look to counter-attack against Kerry here and there, and it took some fine individual points on either side to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Indeed, after some very patient passing from Kerry it was wing back Cormac Coffey who boomed over the opening score after four minutes, which was quickly cancelled out by a Lee Brennan point, with the Tyrone forward a particular livewire in the home side’s attack.

Exchanged frees from Killian Spillane and Ronan

O’Neill made it 0-2 apiece inside seven minutes, before Kerry moved three points clear with scores from Stephen O’Brien, Daithi Casey and another Spillane free. Kerry still led 0-8 to 0-5 after 25 minutes through scores from O’Brien, Mikey Geaney and Johnny Buckley – playing in a full-forward role (pictured below) – before the first meaningful challenge came in the 25th minute for which Coffey earned a yellow for a high tackle.

On the half hour mark the visitors led 0-9 to 0-6, but McShane’s point from that great goal chance ignited a four-score volley from Tyrone, which included a longrange free from goalkeeper Niall Morgan, to get the home side to the break ahead by the minimum, 0-10 to 0-9, when Kerry should really have been the team taking a slender lead to the interval.

Early second half points from Spillane (two frees) and Buckley were matched by two Lee Brennan frees and a fine Cathal McShane point to make it 0-13 to 0-12 by the 46th minute, but Tyrone had a little more menace and purpose about them at that stage.

Indeed, Spillane’s 44th minute point would be Kerry’s last until the Templenoe man converted his fifth free 27 minutes later. In the meantime Conor Meyler earned Tyrone a penalty when hauled down by Tadhg Morley in the 55th minute but Ronan O’Neill screwed the spot kick well wide of the target.

The goal Tyrone had threatened to score on a couple of occasions duly arrived in the 67th minute when Peter Harte cut through the Kerry defence and set up Declan McClure for an easy tap into the empty goal – despite a suspicion of ‘square ball’ – to make it 1-16 to 0-12.

Tyrone’s bragging rights were well guaranteed at that stage before Spillane and Matthew Flaherty kicked scores in additional time, as Kerry ended their League campaign with a whimper and not the momentum gaining win that Fitzmaurice had hoped for as the squad goes behind closed doors now for 10 weeks in preparation for a Munster Championship semi-final on June 3.

TYRONE: Niall Morgan (0-1f), Cathal McCarron, Ronan McNamee, Aidan McCrory, Ronan McNabb, Frank Burns, Rory Brennan, Kieran McGeary (0-1), Declan McClure (1-1), Matthew Donnelly (0-1), Peter Harte, Conal McCann (0-1), Lee Brennan (0-5, 4f), Cathal McShane (0-3), Ronan O’Neill (0-3f). Subs: David Mulgrew for K McGeary (53), Conor Meyler for C McCann (55), Padraig Hampsey for A McCrory (blood, 58), Connor McAliskey for C Meyler (inj, 63 min), Michael McKernan for R Brennan (63 min), Ben McDonnell for R O’Neill (69), Brendan Burns for F Burns (71 min)

KERRY: Brian Kelly, Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan, Cormac Coffey (0-1), Mark Griffin, Mikey Geaney (0-1), Jack Barry, David Moran, Micheál Burns (0-1), Dáithí Casey (0-1), Kevin McCarthy, Killian Spillane (0-5f), Johnny Buckley (0-2), Stephen O’Brien (0-2). Subs: Eanna Ó Conchuir for M Burns (HT), Tadhg Morley for M Geaney (HT), Brendan O’Sullivan for D Casey (59 min), Matthew Flaherty (0-1) for J Buckley (68 min), Greg Horan for D Moran (68 min)

REFEREE: M Deegan (Laois)