Kerry 2-18
Tipperary 0-7
JACK O’CONNOR’S KERRY scored a massive 17-point victory over Tipperary in this evening’s Electric Ireland Munster minor football semi-final at Semple Stadium.
The Kingdom ran riot in the second half in Thurles to advance to a third successive provincial final on July 6th.
In a repeat of the last two Munster finals, a considerable gulf in class existed between the sides as youthful Tipperary were overwhelmed.
Star of the show for classy Kerry was Killian Spillane, son of Tom and nephew of Pat, who scored 0-10, including seven points after half-time.
All six Kerry forwards, goalkeeper Shane Ryan and subs Stephen O’Sullivan and Cormac Coffey got on the scoresheet before the finish, as 816 spectators looked on.
Kerry led by 2-3 to 0-4 at the end of a first half pockmarked by goal chances. With just 15 seconds on the watch, the Kingdom had the ball in the net for the first time when Matthew Flaherty’s shot was half-blocked and Tomás Ó Sé beat Tipp goalkeeper Jack Brady to the punch from close range.
Jordan Kiely forced a save from Brady soon after and at the other end, Shane Ryan kept out Jamie Bergin with a smart stop at his near post.
Tipperary, playing with the breeze, got off the mark in the sixth minute when captain Willie Connors slotted over a point at the Town End.
Alan Tynan followed up with a Tipperary score but the hosts were rattled by Spillane’s point, which crashed off the crossbar and over, before Kiely netted a second goal for O’Connor’s outfit in the eleventh minute.
Burns, who was a constant threat, volleyed an audacious shot off underside of the crossbar and Kiely reacted quickest to finish from the rebound.
The sides traded the remaining four points of the opening half, with Spillane adding two more, and Kerry held a five-point interval lead.
Scorers for Kerry: Killian Spillane 0-10 (0-3f), Tomás Ó’Sé 1-1, Jordan Kiely 1-0, Matthew Flaherty 0-2, Shane Ryan (45), Brian Rayle, Micheál Burns, Stephen O’Sullivan & Cormac Coffey 0-1 each.Scorers for Tipperary: Willie Connors, Tommy Nolan, Padraig White (free), Alan Tynan, Jamie Bergin, Jack Kennedy & Paul Maher 0-1 each.
KERRY
Shane Ryan (Rathmore)
Jack Morgan (Austin Stacks)
Brian Begley (An Ghaeltacht)
Tom O’Sullivan (Dingle)
Dan O’Donoghue (Spa)
Andrew Barry (Na Gaeil)
Brian Sugrue (Renard)
Barry O’Sullivan (Dingle)
Mark O’Connor (Dingle)
Matthew Flaherty (Dingle)
Brian Rayle (Lispole)
Micheál Burns (Dr. Crokes)
Jordan Kiely (Dr. Crokes)
Killian Spillane (Templenoe)
Tomás Ó’Sé (An Ghaeltacht)
Subs
Cormac Coffey (Kerins O’Rahilly’s) for O’Donoghue (47)
Stephen O’Sullivan (Templenoe) for Burns (47)
Shane Cronin (Spa) for Sugrue (54)
Liam Kearney (Spa) for O’Connor (54)
Patrick Clifford (Templenoe) for Kiely (54)
Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue) for Begley (58)
TIPPERARY
Jack Brady (Ballina)
Danny Owens (Moyle Rovers)
Pierce Murphy (Ballylooby-Castlegrace)
Colm O’Shaughnessy (Ardfinnan)
Willie Connors (Kildangan)
Liam Fahy (Rockwell Rovers)
Jack Skehan (Holycross-Ballycahill)
Tommy Nolan (Drom & Inch)
Stephen Quirke (Moyle Rovers)
Emmet Maloney (Drom & Inch)
Padraig White (Clonmel Commercials)
Alan Tynan (Inane Rovers)
Jamie Bergin (Drom & Inch)
Jack Kennedy (Clonmel Commercials)
Paul Maher (Kilsheelan).
Subs
Ross Peters (St Mary’s, Clonmel) for Bergin (40)
Cathal O’Mahony (St Patrick’s) for Skehan (40)
Tommy Lowry (Arravale Rovers) for Murphy (46)
Darren McGrath (Galtee Rovers) for Quirke (51)
Peter Gavin (Holycross-Ballycahill) for Maloney (56)
Jack Delahunty (Newport) for White (60+1)
Referee: Kevin Murphy (Cork).
