Kerry’s class eventually shines against brave Tipp
Kerry flexed their muscles in the second half to turn a one point half time lead into a fourteen point winning margin over Tipperary in this Munster Minor Football Semi-Final.
GAA: Electric Ireland Munster Minor Football Championship Semi-Final
Tipperary 2-5
Kerry 2-19
Report: Stephen Barry at FBD Semple Stadium
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Jack Joy (Kerry)
SCORERS – Tipperary: Charlie Walsh 2-3 (0-2 frees, 0-1 mark); Dylan Cotter, Jack Garrett (free) 0-1 each.
Kerry: Jack Joy 1-3; Gearóid White (3 frees), Joey McCarthy (2 frees) 0-4 each; Michael Horan 0-3; Éanna Murphy 1-0; Ben Murphy 0-2; Killian Dennehy, Ronan Carroll (free), Cian Mac Gearailt (free) 0-1 each.
There was a moment, 35 minutes into this Munster minor football semi-final on Tuesday evening, when thoughts of a shock began to cross Tipperary minds.
They had done everything to limit a highly-rated Kerry team in the first half and delivered a sucker-punch goal to bring them within one at the change of ends.
On the restart, they owned the first five minutes. Two-goal hero Charlie Walsh kicked the levelling free, and they could’ve even edged ahead.
It was a short-lived dream. Once Kerry penned them in, starved them of possession, and transformed this into an open contest, they gave a display of clinical finishing. The Kingdom reeled off the next 1-8 without reply and didn’t miss a shot until the very last kick. By that time, they had racked up 2-13 from fifteen efforts. Hard to live with incredible accuracy like that.
Full-forward Walsh cut an isolated figure at times, but he was well-tuned in to dispatch both goals for an eye-catching 2-3 total.
Their year is not yet over. As the fourth-ranked team in Munster, Tipp will now enter tier 3 of the new-look All-Ireland series. They will be joined by the five lowest-ranked Leinster counties, three from Ulster, two from Connacht, plus Limerick and Waterford in the knockout competition. Tipp will be seeded straight into the quarter-finals.
The first half was the definition of a slow-burner with many more mistakes than scores. But the more the hosts were able to stick with Kerry, the more they could play the game on their terms.
Jack McGonigle, Cillian Healy, and Cian Collins were restored to the starting team following their phase 1 final loss to Clare, while high-scoring wing-back Jack Garrett was switched to the no.13 jersey.
It was a unit designed to work hard, track back, fill space, and hit on the counter. The Premier pressure did succeed in slowing Kerry’s progress. There were a handful of turnovers and four early wides which owed plenty to the level of stress on the shooter.
But referee James Regan’s eye for overcarrying repeatedly cost Tipp. Five times they coughed up possession for the same offence in the first half and four of those led to Kerry scores. It wasn’t all carelessness either but a reflection of the visitors’ strong tackle ethic to capitalise when the ball-carrier took a wrong turn.
Michael Horan opened the scoring in the fifth minute before a Ronan Carroll free for an off-the-ball foul. Walsh pulled one back after Órán Gahan was tripped up but there was only one point registered in the subsequent fifteen minutes.
Jack Joy celebrated that lovely outside-of-the-boot effort but was denied another score by a fine Gavin Neville block. Back-to-back frees for too many steps were directly punished by Gearóid White and Ben Murphy, who whistled a goal chance inches over after a quickly-taken free.
Down four, Tipp came with a late flurry. Neville’s rob turned a misplaced kick-out into an attacking opportunity. He played a one-two with Garrett before releasing Dylan Cotter to launch a soaring point.
A flowing Kerry move produced a Joey McCarthy score in response, but Tipp finished with a goal. From a shot dropped short, they countered down the right via Tom Corcoran, Cotter, and Danny Morris who angled a dangerous ball in on top of Charlie Walsh. The Fethard flyer did the rest, rising above Kacper Robak to palm to the net.
They almost broke through again on the whistle, but Patrick McDonagh’s surge was halted by back-tracking full-forward Carroll. 0-6 to 1-2 at the break.
Charlie Walsh’s free, after McDonagh was dragged down, levelled proceedings before a Corcoran kick for the lead drifted off target.
Tipp wouldn’t score again for 22 minutes as Kerry wrestled back complete control. A White free was followed by a Robak 45 which found its way to the net, only to be ruled out for a square ball. The next goal would stand in the 42nd minute. Ruairí O’Connell’s sweet dinked pass with his first touch found Joy to execute a sidestepping finish. 1-7 to 1-3 and like the Tipp goal, it originated from a shot dropped into the keeper’s mitts at the other end.
Scores streamed from there with seven points in the next eight minutes, including two from White and one each from their classy midfield pairing of Murphy and Killian Dennehy, who split the posts with his final act before being called ashore. The Kerry bench didn’t offer much let-up either as all five subs scored or assisted in their time on the field.
A Jack Garrett free ended Tipp’s drought but Kerry added a goal with five minutes to go. The smart passing move across the 21 involved three subs and finished with Joy feeding Éanna Murphy.
Even with the game now dead, Tipp’s response was impressive. Corcoran’s long pass picked out Garrett and his perfect set-up play allowed Walsh to find the corner. 2-14 to 2-4. Two stylish Horan scores were the standouts from there to the finish as Kerry embellished the final difference to fourteen.
TEAMS – Tipperary: Mark Conroy (Drom & Inch); Noah O’Flynn (Fethard), Ronan Myles (Ardfinnan, J-Capt), Gavin Neville (Fethard); Danny Morris (Clonmel Commercials), Tom Corcoran (JK Brackens, J-Capt), Jack McGonigle (Rockwell Rovers); Dylan Cotter (Thurles Gaels), Órán Gahan (St Patrick’s); Cillian Healy (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Patrick McDonagh (Cahir), Seán Griffin (Upperchurch/Drombane); Jack Garrett (Arravale Rovers), Charlie Walsh (Fethard), Cian Collins (Galtee Rovers).
Subs: Ciarán Kelly (Arravale Rovers) for Collins (38); Jamal Yousif (Clonmel Óg) for Healy (46); Dayle Hogan (JK Brackens) for Griffin (52); Alex Coppinger (Dúrlas Óg) for McGonigle (53); Darragh Pollard (Ballingarry) for O’Flynn (59).
Kerry: Kacper Robak; Fionnán Ryan, Michael Lynch, Ruadhan Donovan; Seán Ó Cuinn, Aodhan Ó Beaglaoich, Gavin O’Keeffe; Ben Murphy (Capt), Killian Dennehy; Gearóid White, Joey McCarthy, Jack Joy; Oisín Fleming, Ronan Carroll, Michael Horan.
Subs: Cian Mac Gearailt for Carroll (38); Ruairí O’Connell for Fleming (41); Eoin O’Flaherty for Ryan (48); Éanna Murphy for Dennehy (51); Gavin Casey for Ó Cuinn (53).
Referee: James Regan (Cork).