Tribe will aim to end horrible recent record against the Kingdom

Jason O’Connor takes a look back at the modern history between these two sides and finds a one-sided record in favour of the Kingdom

MORE seasoned observers will remember back to the 1960s and remember the rivalry between Kerry and Galway those years and remember it not to be a particularly good time for the Kingdom.

However, the new Millennium has seen plenty of interesting encounters between the Kingdom and Galway, the majority of which have gone in Kerry’s favour. The year 2000 started with a gripping All-Ireland that took two matches and went to the first Saturday in October before Kerry emerged victorious with present manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice starting at centre-back and scoring a point in the replay.

Kerry probably should have won it the first day against the Tribesmen having led comfortably at half-time, but were grateful for the final whistle as a late Galway surge drew the Connacht side level at 0-14 apiece.

Galway might have scored the only goal of the replay, but Kerry managed to outpoint their opposition on the way to a 32nd All-Ireland title by 0-17 to 1-10 with Seamus Moynihan lifting Sam Maguire on the field at Croke Park with the development work on the Hogan Stand in progress at the time.

It would be the second of Páidí Ó Sé’s two All-Ireland titles as manager as Galway claimed their second under John O’Mahony the following year before the 2000 and 2001 winners met in at the quarter-final stage in 2002 in Croke Park.

It was the first time Kerry used the ‘back-door’ route following its introduction the previous, year but it contributed to a pretty impressive display in a Kerry win by 2-17 to 1-12 (Seán O’Sullivan and Aodhan MacGearailt goals) during a campaign that ultimately ended in defeat to Armagh in the All-Ireland Final.

Two National League Final meetings between the sides would follow in 2004 and 2006 under Jack O’Connor, Kerry winning both, the 2004 Meeting in Croke Park seeing only one point between sides with a brace of goals by Johnny Crowley and a total of 1-6 by Mike Frank Russell giving Kerry a 3-11 to 1-16 win.

In 2006 meanwhile and in circumstances similar to this Sunday, Kerry faced Galway in Limerick on a Sunday evening with the country gripped by the first ever meeting of Munster and Leinster in a Heineken Cup semi-final the same day in the old Lansdowne Road.

Goals from Paul Galvin and Eoin Brosnan would guide Kerry to a 2-12 to 0-10 success as the next major meeting in 2008 under Pat O’Shea is probably remembered more for the weather than the match itself.

The Kingdom won by 1-21 to 1-16 with Donnachadh Walsh the goalscorer in a day or torrential rain as the game progressed with led to spots of localised flooding in the areas around Croke Park as fans started to make their way out of an incredible encounter despite the elements.

A rough period for the Tribesmen would see them depart the All-Ireland stage themselves for a number of years before re-emerging with a bit more conviction in 2014 with Éamonn Fitzmaurice now manning the sidelines for Kerry.

James O’Donoghue would score 1-5 as part of his Footballer of the Year winning campaign as despite conceding two goals Kerry were always in charge of a 1-20 to 2-10 win at the quarter-final stage on the way to the county’s 37th and most recent Sam Maguire success.

Last year would see Kerry enjoy a similar degree of comfort in seeing off the Tribesmen by 1-18 to 0-13 with a Kieran Donaghy goal giving Kerry an advantage they would not relinquish.

Ultimately Galway’s great rivals Mayo would end their long wait for a victory over the Kingdom in the semi-finals after a replay. This Sunday’s meeting will be the fourth meeting between the counties at a ‘last eight’ stage in the championship with the introduction of this year’s revamped format changing the quarter-final stage to a Round Robin format being entitled the ‘Super 8’ by many.

Galway enter with more confidence off the back of their first win over the Kingdom in 15 years at senior level with the League success in Tralee back in February although it still is 1965 and that year’s All-Ireland Final since a Galway side last recorded a championship win over the Kingdom.