KERRY MADE IT through to the Division 1 league final against Donegal, while Armagh stayed up with a point that was never harder earned.
Those are the outcomes from a contest that will live long with the 12,124 that were lucky enough to be squeezed into one of the most atmospheric grounds in Ireland. Seldom has a league game been played with the intensity on show here.
With all the outcomes taken care of, in isolation this was an amazing contest. Sometimes, you really can break a game down into numbers to paint the picture most accurately.
After the ball was thrown in, David Clifford had the ball over the bar after 36 seconds. Blaine Hughes took four kickouts and every single time, the ball was fielded or broke into Kerry hands to yield two Dylan Geaney points, two from Joe O’Connor and a Clifford free.
After six minutes, Armagh midfielder Bern Crealey went to the Armagh management during a break in play and had a big gulp of water.
The game would continue in this vein.
The next Armagh kickout was fielded by Jason Foley and David Clifford’s tap-over shot dipped and hit the crossbar. Getting their hands on the ball, Armagh made it into Kerry’s 45 metre line for the first time with the clock at seven minutes. Tiernan Kelly kicked wide.
On 15 minutes, Armagh won their first kickout on the seventh attempt. Two minutes later, Joe O’Connor was penalised for holding onto the ball and referee Brendan Cawley moved the ball up 50 metres, but goalkeeper Blaine Hughes kicked the two-point chance wide.
That spurred Kerry into another flurry. Two more Geaney points followed and after the Dingle man was fouled by Gareth Murphy close to the sideline, Clifford swept over a world-class free for two points.
20 minutes was gone. Kerry were up, 0-10 to 0-0. Everyone in the BOX-It Athletic Grounds was convinced they were watching the All-Ireland champions in waiting.
Fifteen minutes later, that opinion was split when Armagh went in at the beak just two down, 0-12 to 0-10.
Cian McConville got the home side off the mark with a point on 20 minutes. A free won for Armagh got Darragh McMullen the space to kick a two-pointer.
From Shane Murphy’s restart, Ben Crealey won the first Kerry kickout for Armagh and he finished his own good work with the point.
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A Clifford fist over stemmed the flow, but only temporarily. Armagh completely turned the tables on the Kerry kickout, stationing two banks of four in front of Shane Murphy.
They won seven consecutive Murphy kickouts, racking up five uninterrupted points, the highlight was a huge catch pulled off from a deep free by Mark O’Shea that Armagh turned over and Conor Turbitt floated over for two points having just come onto the field as a temporary replacement for Oisín Conaty. Turbitt added another single point straight away.
In the press box the Radio Kerry team were giving it socks when they saw Jack O’Connor dashing down from his perch in the stands, to borrow a phrase, like a housewife who smells a cake burning.
“He’s coming down from the stats men to the line,” said Tim Moynihan to Ambrose O’Donovan.
“The gate is locked. Jack is going to climb over the gate. He’s going to jump the gate. He gets through the gate and Jack is getting a small bit worried…”
Kerry manager Jack O'Connor. Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
By the 39th minute, Armagh drew level for the first time in the match through Tomás McCormack. David Clifford produced a jab of his glove, yet Armagh were making serious hay by bringing pods of runners going straight down the middle.
Darragh McMullen glided in past two defenders to get the room to get a shot off. It was cleared off the line by Dylan Casey but Oisín O’Neill was there to follow it in for Armagh to register the games’ only goal, edging them ahead 1-14 to 0-15.
Oisin O'Neill grabbed Armagh's only goal. Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
If the game was on fire before that, it was an inferno from then on. Tom O’Sullivan, twice, David Clifford and Joe O’Connor hammered over two point scores. Armagh didn’t have that in their locker, but they worked and fought and managed to make the most of their spurts of momentum.
From minute 53 to 58, they hit three points, two of them Cian McConville frees.
Then Kerry collected a trio of their own scores from the hour mark to minute 64. They also weathered another Armagh goal chance from Turbitt that Brian Ó Beaglaoich cleared off the line. Back came Armagh through Conaty twice and Ross McQuillan.
Sean O’Shea then levelled up for Kerry and when Armagh’s Tomás McCormack caught the final kickout of the game from Blaine Hughes, they patiently built an attack, got into the D twice only to be turned back. The seconds ticked out as McQuillan tried to kick over a block.
Some player among two dozen in a crowd knocked it wide. No ‘45’. The points shared. Everyone fairly satisfied with the outcome.
You can talk down the league all you want. This goes down as one of the games of the season.
Kerry's Mark O’Shea with Ben Crealey of Armagh. Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO
Tom O’Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO
*****
Donegal booked their place in the final with a high-scoring 3-20 to 3-16 victory over Monaghan in Clones.
Shea Malone grabbed an early goal for Donegal, before Andrew Woods replied by finding the net for Monaghan. The Farney men took inspiration from that with Stephen O’Hanlon and Ryan O’Toole both grabbing goals.
But Jamie Brennan raised another green flag for Donegal to leave them ahead 2-11 to 3-7 at the break.
The high scoring continued in the second half, but Malone found the net again to help Donegal close it out.
*****
Scorers for Armagh: Oisín O’Neill 1-2 (0-1f), Darragh McMullen 0-4 (1 2pt play), Ross McQuillan 0-3, Cian McConville 0-3 (0-2f), Conor Turbitt 0-3 (1 2pt play), Oisín Conaty 0-2, Jarly Óg Burns, Ben Crealey, Greg McCabe, Tomas McCormack 0-1 each.
Scorers for Kerry: David Clifford 0-10 (1 2pt free, 1 2pt play, 0-1f), Tom O’Sullivan 0-5 (2 2pt play), Joe O’Connor 0-4 (1 2pt play), Dylan Geaney 0-4, Sean O’Shea 0-1.
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Kerry grab draw with Armagh to set up league final against Donegal
Armagh 1-21
Kerry 0-24
KERRY MADE IT through to the Division 1 league final against Donegal, while Armagh stayed up with a point that was never harder earned.
Those are the outcomes from a contest that will live long with the 12,124 that were lucky enough to be squeezed into one of the most atmospheric grounds in Ireland. Seldom has a league game been played with the intensity on show here.
With all the outcomes taken care of, in isolation this was an amazing contest. Sometimes, you really can break a game down into numbers to paint the picture most accurately.
After the ball was thrown in, David Clifford had the ball over the bar after 36 seconds. Blaine Hughes took four kickouts and every single time, the ball was fielded or broke into Kerry hands to yield two Dylan Geaney points, two from Joe O’Connor and a Clifford free.
After six minutes, Armagh midfielder Bern Crealey went to the Armagh management during a break in play and had a big gulp of water.
The game would continue in this vein.
The next Armagh kickout was fielded by Jason Foley and David Clifford’s tap-over shot dipped and hit the crossbar. Getting their hands on the ball, Armagh made it into Kerry’s 45 metre line for the first time with the clock at seven minutes. Tiernan Kelly kicked wide.
On 15 minutes, Armagh won their first kickout on the seventh attempt. Two minutes later, Joe O’Connor was penalised for holding onto the ball and referee Brendan Cawley moved the ball up 50 metres, but goalkeeper Blaine Hughes kicked the two-point chance wide.
That spurred Kerry into another flurry. Two more Geaney points followed and after the Dingle man was fouled by Gareth Murphy close to the sideline, Clifford swept over a world-class free for two points.
20 minutes was gone. Kerry were up, 0-10 to 0-0. Everyone in the BOX-It Athletic Grounds was convinced they were watching the All-Ireland champions in waiting.
Fifteen minutes later, that opinion was split when Armagh went in at the beak just two down, 0-12 to 0-10.
Cian McConville got the home side off the mark with a point on 20 minutes. A free won for Armagh got Darragh McMullen the space to kick a two-pointer.
From Shane Murphy’s restart, Ben Crealey won the first Kerry kickout for Armagh and he finished his own good work with the point.
A Clifford fist over stemmed the flow, but only temporarily. Armagh completely turned the tables on the Kerry kickout, stationing two banks of four in front of Shane Murphy.
They won seven consecutive Murphy kickouts, racking up five uninterrupted points, the highlight was a huge catch pulled off from a deep free by Mark O’Shea that Armagh turned over and Conor Turbitt floated over for two points having just come onto the field as a temporary replacement for Oisín Conaty. Turbitt added another single point straight away.
In the press box the Radio Kerry team were giving it socks when they saw Jack O’Connor dashing down from his perch in the stands, to borrow a phrase, like a housewife who smells a cake burning.
“He’s coming down from the stats men to the line,” said Tim Moynihan to Ambrose O’Donovan.
“The gate is locked. Jack is going to climb over the gate. He’s going to jump the gate. He gets through the gate and Jack is getting a small bit worried…”
By the 39th minute, Armagh drew level for the first time in the match through Tomás McCormack. David Clifford produced a jab of his glove, yet Armagh were making serious hay by bringing pods of runners going straight down the middle.
Darragh McMullen glided in past two defenders to get the room to get a shot off. It was cleared off the line by Dylan Casey but Oisín O’Neill was there to follow it in for Armagh to register the games’ only goal, edging them ahead 1-14 to 0-15.
If the game was on fire before that, it was an inferno from then on. Tom O’Sullivan, twice, David Clifford and Joe O’Connor hammered over two point scores. Armagh didn’t have that in their locker, but they worked and fought and managed to make the most of their spurts of momentum.
From minute 53 to 58, they hit three points, two of them Cian McConville frees.
Then Kerry collected a trio of their own scores from the hour mark to minute 64. They also weathered another Armagh goal chance from Turbitt that Brian Ó Beaglaoich cleared off the line. Back came Armagh through Conaty twice and Ross McQuillan.
Sean O’Shea then levelled up for Kerry and when Armagh’s Tomás McCormack caught the final kickout of the game from Blaine Hughes, they patiently built an attack, got into the D twice only to be turned back. The seconds ticked out as McQuillan tried to kick over a block.
Some player among two dozen in a crowd knocked it wide. No ‘45’. The points shared. Everyone fairly satisfied with the outcome.
You can talk down the league all you want. This goes down as one of the games of the season.
*****
Donegal booked their place in the final with a high-scoring 3-20 to 3-16 victory over Monaghan in Clones.
Shea Malone grabbed an early goal for Donegal, before Andrew Woods replied by finding the net for Monaghan. The Farney men took inspiration from that with Stephen O’Hanlon and Ryan O’Toole both grabbing goals.
But Jamie Brennan raised another green flag for Donegal to leave them ahead 2-11 to 3-7 at the break.
The high scoring continued in the second half, but Malone found the net again to help Donegal close it out.
*****
Scorers for Armagh: Oisín O’Neill 1-2 (0-1f), Darragh McMullen 0-4 (1 2pt play), Ross McQuillan 0-3, Cian McConville 0-3 (0-2f), Conor Turbitt 0-3 (1 2pt play), Oisín Conaty 0-2, Jarly Óg Burns, Ben Crealey, Greg McCabe, Tomas McCormack 0-1 each.
Scorers for Kerry: David Clifford 0-10 (1 2pt free, 1 2pt play, 0-1f), Tom O’Sullivan 0-5 (2 2pt play), Joe O’Connor 0-4 (1 2pt play), Dylan Geaney 0-4, Sean O’Shea 0-1.
Armagh
1. Blaine Hughes (Carrickcruppin)
2. Gareth Murphy (Killeavey) 3. Aaron McKay (Dromintee) 21. Paddy Burns (Burren)
5. Ross McQuillan (Cullyhanna) 4. Peter McGrane (Ballyhegan) 7. Jarly Óg Burns (Silverbridge)
6. Tiernan Kelly (Clann Éireann) 9. Ben Crealey (Maghery)
10. Tomás McCormack (Annaghmore) 11. Darragh McMullen (Madden) 12. Greg McCabe (Camlough)
13. Cian McConville (Crossmaglen) 14. Jason Duffy (Cullyhanna) 15. Oisín Conaty (Tír nan Óg)
Subs:
Kerry
1. Shane Murphy (Dr Crokes)
2. Paul Murphy (Rathmore) 3. Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue) 4. Dylan Casey (Austin Stacks)
5. Tom O’Sullivan (Dingle) 17. Mike Breen (Beaufort) 7. Armin Heinrich (Austin Stacks)
8. Joe O’Connor (Austin Stacks) 9. Sean O’Brien (Beaufort)
18. Mark O’Shea (Dr Crokes) 11. Sean O’Shea (Kenmare) 12. Graham O’Sullivan (Dromid)
13. Dylan Geaney (Dingle) 14. David Clifford (Fossa) 15. Keith Evans (Keel)
Subs:
Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare)
*****
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