THE 70 MINUTES of football in yesterday’s senior game was magnificent to watch but all anyone could immediately talk about afterwards was the venue and timing of the replay.
It has produced huge debate. Nobody even mentioned the prospect of the replay clashing with the American football game beforehand but it’s become a live issue. There’s plenty of people giving out but I don’t think it’s going to effect either the Mayo or Kerry camp.
I’ve sympathy for the players dealing with the six-day turnaround. But it’s something that’s out of their control and they’ll just get on with it. When you’re involved in drawn games, you’d nearly be bursting to go out and play the replay the following day.
That’s the kind of zone that the players are in. I’ve played in Limerick a few times with Kildare and it’s a fine stadium and a fantastic playing surface. It’ll definitely be packed next Saturday and it should make for a brilliant atmosphere. A few supporters might unfortunately lose out on tickets but the decision’s been made and the focus has to shift to the replay now.
The players will be building themselves to get ready for another big battle. They’d love to be going back to play in Croke Park but Mayo and Kerry would play each other up on top of Croagh Patrick if needs be. The prize is huge with an All-Ireland final place at stake and that’s all they’ll care about.
It was a brilliant game yesterday, particularly the second half. You’d some great individual performances and a few substitutes who came in to shake the game up in Andy Moran, Kieran Donaghy and Kieran O’Leary. The finish was amazing, real edge-of-the-seat stuff for the neutral.
Lee Keegan’s sending-off was a big moment in the game. I initially thought that it was very harsh. He kicked out but there was no real intent, he wasn’t putting the boot in to cause harm. He probably felt he was tackled hard after the whistle was gone by Johnny Buckley.
(Michael Gannon [Down Syndrome Ireland Ambassador] with Rose of Tralee 2014, Philadelphia’s Maria Walsh)
I’m sure no one was as upset as Lee after it. In fairness to the referee though, the rules are there. A kick is a sending-off offence whether you break a guy’s leg or just graze him. David Coldrick probably doesn’t agree with it either but he’d no choice. Lee will be a massive loss to Mayo for the replay.
When he went off, I definitely felt the momentum was with Kerry. They seemed to be kicking scores easier than Mayo. They were just that little bit more fluent in their play. Mayo employed a sweeper but still couldn’t keep tabs on O’Donoghue. He still kicked some fantastic scores and left space for other lads. Kerry had a great spread of scorers, David Moran hit a couple of beauties. Kerry showed they weren’t a one-trick pony and were able to fire over a great array of angles.
But Mayo really did come back into it. I thought in that second half the likes of Aidan O’Shea, Alan Dillon and Cillian O’Connor were fantastic. He doesn’t look as energetic as James O’Donoghue or the Gooch, but Cillian is so effective. 1-8 again yesterday showed his worth. He kicked one great point straight on in the second half from just inside ’45 to split the posts. He’s deadly accurate. Alan Dillon’s hunger and commitment were phenomenal, he came off the field and had just left everything out there. Moran did his bit as captain as well when he came on and kept them in it.
You never felt it was Kerry who had the spare man as Mayo’s work rate came to a new level. Kickouts were a problem for Kerry, though some of Brian Kelly’s were excellent towards the end. Kickouts are a two-way thing, for a goalkeeper to be in control, he needs a target out the field. Kerry didn’t have that for a spell in the second half and it nearly cost them.
I thought Mayo had the momentum and when James O’Donoghue flashed a shot over the bar, I didn’t think it was going to be Kerry’s day. You just felt Mayo had the drive going forward and they were going to hold out. Kieran Donaghy made a massive difference to the game. He hasn’t been used much all year by Kerry and has been dogged by injuries.
When you’re not playing, it can be difficult to be mentally right but Donaghy certainly was. He made some impact and showed what a selfless player he is by always doing the right thing with the ball. David Moran’s diagonal ball in was brilliant for the goal and then O’Donoghue finished it like the brilliant poacher he is.
I’d give a lot of credit to Kieran O’Leary as well for the leveling point. It wasn’t a simple tap over but he’d the confidence to take it on and shoot over a great point. You need someone with composure and nerve in that situation, and O’Leary was that player for Kerry.
The replay is going to be fascinating. I felt Mayo might have that little bit extra beforehand but it’s getting harder to call it now after seeing the first game. Kerry have a few aces up their sleeve playing in a Munster championship venue and the great impact made by their bench yesterday. But it’s still a tough one to call and it’s a replay with huge potential.
