The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
The boys are back: Kerry get win over Dubs
NFL DIVISION 1 ROUND 3 Kerry 1-18 Dublin 2-14
THE only place to start is at the end – the triumphant end, not the bitter end – and Peter Crowley’s 74th minute winner that will be remembered far longer as the score that defeated Dublin rather than the one that maintained Kerry’s winning start to this League campaign.
The vast majority of the 11,982 crowd that tumbled out of Austin Stack Park on Saturday night were in agreement that they had witnessed another tumultuous classic between Kerry and Dublin – who said Kerry don’t win these classic encounters? – but all parties were as quick to point out that it’s only February, it’s only the League, and the old trope that there are no medals handed out or Championships won in spring. And they’re right of course.
Certainly Peter Keane, though he has to be privately delighted at the start he and his players have made, was quick to play down the result and significance it might have to bear on if and when these two teams collide much later in the year. And Jim Gavin didn’t seem too perturbed at the fact that his team has now lost two of their first three games of their League defence.
If either manager was trying to keep any cards close to their chest with a Championship meeting in mind then they failed miserably but this game was much better for that as both teams went hammer and tongs at each other in a manner than restored some faith in the ailing sport.
When these two met here two years ago a riveting game was marred by spite, and the corresponding fixture year in Croke Park fizzled out to a facile win for Dublin.
On Saturday – whether it was the pre-match music show or the relative league standings of the teams – we were treated to a thrilling game of open, positive football, with both sides offering a welcome antidote to the cautious and often boring stuff we are regularly served up.
Having led by five points on two occasions – the second after 42 minutes – Kerry would have been and should have been gutted had they let the win get away from them, especially as Dublin had to play the last 12 minutes with 14 men, even though the gap was down to one point when Mick Fitzsimons got a second yellow card in the 63rd minute.
Backed by the majority of the 11,982 partisan crowd, Kerry – perhaps – saw the finishing line too soon and began to run out of gas down the home stretch, while Dublin kept their best football for the last quarter.
Maybe Dublin saw some injustice in Fitzsimons’ second booking, which drove them on in the endgame, but in hindsight they could argue the Cuala man’s absence left them too sparse at the back as Kerry pressed for the winner in additional time.
Fitzsimons’ dismissal was followed by points from Brian Fenton, Paul Mannion and Cormac Costello as Dublin cut the gap from four points to the minimum, and when Costello converted a 72nd minute free there really only looked one winner from there.
Those final few minutes were as frantic as everyone that preceded them, with the game played at helter-skelter pace from the first whistle despite a persistent rain that made conditions tricky.
Kerry full back Jack Sherwood got forward to hammer over a score inside two minutes that suggested the home side were here to play, and while an early Dean Rock free settled the visitors Kerry kept the accelerator down and led by two points on three occasions by the 20th minute.
With Dara Moynihan, Gavin O’Brien and Diarmuid O’Connor all working like worker bees around the middle third, Kerry got due reward for their industry and adventure when O’Connor broke down Moynihan’s inviting high ball for Stephen O’Brien to prod past Evan Comerford to make it 1-6 to 0-5 in the 23rd minute.
But the Kerry supporters had barely taken their seats when Con O’Callaghan sailed through and slipped a low shot, with the help of a deflection off Brian Ó Beaglaoich’s hand, past Shane Ryan to make it a one-point game again.
Kerry responded with points from Tom O’Sullivan, Dara Moynihan and two Seán O’Shea frees to make it 1-10 to 1-5 after 30 minutes but Dublin struck again when Mannion got inside Ó Beaglaoich and beat Ryan with a low shot to help make it 1-11 to 2-6 at the break.
Kerry might have wondered how they were only two ahead at the interval but another four unanswered points after the restart saw them lead 1-15 to 2-7 after 42 minutes, but there was never the sense Dublin were out of the game
Points from James McCarthy, Mannion and Dean Rock cut the gap to two, and by the time Fitzsimons walked Dublin were in the ascendancy.
Costello’s late free looked to have earned Dublin at least a draw but Kerry worked the ball through the lines until David Moran found Crowley where one shouldn’t really expect to find a corner-back but the Laune Rangers man flicked over the winner to send the home crowd into raptures and send the Dubs home with a little something to think about.
Tempers got a little heated at the final whistle between some players – and the CCCC is expected to investigate – but the abiding take away was that this new Kerry team and management team sent out a message to the All-Ireland champions and the rest that come what may for the rest of the year, the Kingdom won’t be lacking for good old-fashioned hard work.
KERRY: Shane Ryan, Peter Crowley 0-1, Jack Sherwood 0-1, Brian Ó Beaglaíoch, Tadhg Morley, Paul Murphy, Tom O’Sullivan 0-1, Jack Barry, Adrian Spillane, Diarmuid O’Connor, Sean O’Shea 0-8 (7f, 1 ‘45’), Dara Moynihan 0-2, Paul Geaney 0-2, Gavin O’Brien 0-1, Stephen O’Brien 1-1. Subs: Tommy Walsh 0-1 for D O’Connor (ht), Mark Griffin for A Spillane (53), Gavin Crowley for P Geaney (55), David Moran for T Morley (60), Mikey Geaney for G O’Brien (70)
DUBLIN: Evan Comerford, Michael Fitzsimons, Eoin Murchan, John Small, Eric Lowndes, Jonny Cooper, James McCarthy 0-3, Brian Fenton 0-1, Darren Gavin 0-1, Brian Howard, Con O’Callaghan 1-0, Niall Scully, Dean Rock 0-5 (4f), Cormac Costello 0-2 (1f), Paul Mannion 1-2 (0-1f). Subs: Paddy Andrews for E Lowndes (ht), Jack McCaffrey for J Cooper (47), Michael Darragh Macauley for D Gavin (62), Kevin McManamon for D Rock (62), Paul Flynn for N Scully (62)
REFEREE: Maurice Deegan (Laois)