Hurlers out but not down after losing to Laois

FOR a time there was every reason to believe.

Not only were Kerry ahead, they were hurling well and the wind (such as it was and, granted, it was swirling) was at their backs for the second half. A place in the quarter-finals was agonisingly within reach.

Alas that was the high-water mark for the Kingdom. They seemed to spend an age in the dressing room at half-time – although our perception is likely coloured by how quickly Laois reemerged from their sanctum – and by the time the second half began Kerry had lost all the momentum they built up in the first half.

Laois, with the admonition of their manager ringing in their ears, sprung to action with hunger and fury. By the time Kerry got their first score of the second half – a fine point by the ever improving John Buckley on forty four minutes – Laois had bagged 1-4 (Patrick Purcell with the goal) to turn a four point deficit to a three point lead.

As bad as that was for the Kingdom it was about to get a whole lot worse. Seán Weir picked up a yellow card on forty two minutes and then just two minutes later picked up a second, needlessly, to leave his team staring down the barrel of a gun.

Weir’s dismissal meant that the hope of victory was all but extinguished. More worryingly it increased the chance significantly that Laois would win well enough to consign the Kingdom to their second relegation of the season.

With fifteen minutes to go Kerry were perilously positioned with Laois stretching their advantage to six – 2-10 to 2-16. As it turned out had Kerry lost by seven points, far from inconceivable at that juncture, they would have been relegated.

When the need was greatest Mikey Boyle proved his side’s salvation. First, on fifty four minutes, he hustled and bustled his way into a goal-scoring position, only to be fouled. His brother Pádraig stepped up to take the free, with Laois lining the goalmouth.

Pádraig stuck hard and true, but his effort was stopped on the line. The referee, Galway’s Alan Kelly, ordered it retaken citing encroachment and this time Mikey took it upon himself to blast to the back of Enda Rowland’s net.

Boyle’s goal brought Kerry to within three of the visitors and halted Laois’ momentum there and then. From then to the end it was nip and tuck, give and take. The margin at the finish was three, just as it was after Boyle’s goal.

In that there was relief of a kind, tinged more so with disappointment. A draw, which would have been enough to take a quarter-final berth, was just a puck of a ball away, but after Boyle’s goal another opportunity never presented itself.

It was all so different in the run up to half-time, when the goals rained in. Two from Shane Nolan in the space of space of as many minutes. Goals of quality they were too. Goals to knock back and rock back Laois.

They came at the end of a first half of real quality as both teams went at it. Kerry were clearly up for this game in a major way. Not even an early goal from Laois full-forward Neil Foyle – struck on the rebound after a shot by Purcell – dented Kerry’s confidence.

The Kingdom responded to Foyle’s second minute goal with four points on the bounce through Jordan Conway (assist Mikey Boyle), Mikey Boyle and a free and a ‘65 from Shane Nolan to take the lead. It could have been even better had Enda Rowland not been equal to Pádraig Boyle’s rasping effort for a goal into the Mitchels’ end.

Coming up to half-time there was little in it. Laois had just regained their lead through Aaron Dunphy – 0-8 to 1-6 – when the Kingdom went on something of a rampage. First Michael O’Leary fed Nolan who fielded over his man turned and struck decisively to the back of the net.

His second goal was remarkably similar. Jack Goulding won the puck-out and fed Pádraig Boyle, who in turn picked out Nolan and the Crotta man when he’s in the mood doesn’t miss – 2-8 to 1-7 at half-time with Laois striking late through the ever efficient Ross King from the placed ball.

When those goals were raining in it was easy to imagine Kerry securing their place in the championship proper and that’s what makes the failure to do so all the more disappointing.

Still to have retained their senior hurling status for the third consecutive season is an achievement not to be sniffed at. After all they’ve come close – much too close for comfort – to relegation over the past couple of weeks.

Roll on 2018.

KERRY: Martin Stackpoole, James O’Connor, Rory Horgan, Seán Weir, John Buckley (0-1), Darren Dineen, Tom Murnane, Jack Goulding, Paudie O’Connor (0-1), Brendan O’Leary, Michael O’Leary, Jordan Conway (0-1), Pádraig Boyle (0-2f), Mikey Boyle (1-1, 1-0f), Shane Nolan (2-6) Subs: John Griffin for J Goulding, 57, Maurice O’Connor for J Conway, 59, Bryan Murphy (0-2) for T Murnane, 64, Philip Lucid (0-1) for S Nolan, 66

LAOIS: Enda Rowland, Lee Cleere, Leigh Bergin, Dwane Palmer, Ciarán Collier, Charles Dwyer, Matthew Whelan, Ross King (0-13, 12f), Patrick Purcell (1-2), Seán Downey (0-1), Ryan Mullaney, Paddy Whelan, Aaron Dunphy (0-1), Neil Foyle (1-0), Stephen Maher (0-1) Subs: John Lennon for P Whelan (inj), 31, Aidan Corby (0-1) for R Mullaney, half-time, Mark Kavanagh (0-1) for S Downey, 56, Stephen Bergin (0-1) for M Whelan, 62, Brian Corby for N Foyle, 68

REFEREE: Alan Kelly (Galway)