Clifford brothers bag 0-11 as Kerry bounce back to claim win over Tyrone

Fintan O'Toole Reports from Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney

Kerry 0-18

Tyrone 1-11

AFTER SUFFERING A Croke Park beating, Kerry found a return to home territory in Killarney to be a welcome antidote.

They had a sticky start today against Tyrone, yet a skirmish that flared up midway through the first half, at a stage when Kerry trailed 0-3 to 0-2, appeared to ignite the authoritative showing from Jack O’Connor’s charges.

Referee David Coldrick showed three yellow cards after that incident, to Kerry’s Paudie Clifford and Dara Moynihan, and Tyrone’s Peter Harte. When calm was restored, Kerry asserted their domance. They surged five clear at the break, 0-11 to 0-6, and had coasted ahead by eight, 0-17 to 0-9, with ten minutes of normal time remaining.

Tyrone got a little closer courtesy of a late scoring burst. The game’s solitary goal arrived courtesy of Ciarán Daly, squirming into a pocket of space in the 64th minute, after being found by Trillick team-mate Seanie O’Donnell, and shooting low to the net.

There was to be no stunning late comeback. Kerry kept out a few late Tyrone charges towards goal. David Clifford shot his eighth point of the game, a perfect conversion rate from eight shots, while Niall Morgan booted over a ’45 for Tyrone for the game’s final score. That was that, the home team the clear superior force with the Clifford brothers supplying 11 of their team’s points, while Sean O’Shea notched four.

padraig-hampsey-and-ben-cullen-tackle-david-clifford Padraig Hampsey and Ben Cullen tackled David Clifford. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO

The early stages were satisfying for Tyrone. A sweetly-struck point by Darren McCurry in the 12th minute left them 0-3 to 0-1 clear, Kerry’s play was sloppy in different sectors of the pitch. They wasted a golden opportunity for a goal in that period, Gavin White burning a path through the Tyrone defence, but Sean O’Shea’s shot was close range was smothered by Niall Morgan.

And yet by the break Kerry were 0-11 to 0-6 clear, in control and moving nicely. Their gilded triumvirate of the Clifford brothers and O’Shea had contributed nine of those, while the form of White was superb in breaking the line from deep.

Kerry were notably efficient in their attacking play before half-time, as moves culminated in points with greater regularity. From the 23rd minute until half-time, they bagged eight points. There was another clear goal opening as well, but the ball slipped out of Paudie Clifford’s grasp just as the Tyrone defence had parted.

brian-kennedy-and-joe-oconnor Tyrone's Brian Kennedy and Kerry's Joe O'Connor. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO

Kerry outscored Tyrone 0-4 to 0-3 in the third quarter, maintaining that sense of scoreboard supremacy as White and Diarmuid O’Connor became two of the game’s most prominent performers.

Darragh Canavan fought back with a couple of nice points for Tyrone, yet the gap remained significant and despite Daly’s late goal, Kerry’s position as victors never looked troubled.

Scorers for Kerry: David Clifford 0-8 (0-6f), Sean O’Shea 0-4 (0-1f), Paudie Clifford 0-3, Adrian Spillane 0-1, Dara Moynihan 0-1, Sean O’Brien 0-1.

Scorers for Tyrone: Ciarán Daly 1-1, Darragh Canavan 0-3, Darren McCurry 0-2 (0-1f), Seanie O’Donnell 0-1, Ruairi Canavan 0-1, Ben Cullen 0-1, Conn Kilpatrick 0-1, Niall Morgan 0-1 (0-1 ’45).

Kerry

1. Shane Ryan (Rathmore)

2. Graham O’Sullivan (Dromid Pearses), 3. Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue), 4. Paul Murphy (Rathmore)

5. Sean O’Brien (Beaufort), 6. Tadhg Morley (Templenoe), 7. Gavin White (Dr Crokes)

8. Diarmuid O’Connor (Na Gaeil), 9. Joe O’Connor (Austin Stacks)

10. Adrian Spillane (Templenoe), 11. Paudie Clifford (Fossa), 15. Dara Moynihan (Spa)

13. David Clifford (Fossa), 14. Seán O’Shea (Kenmare), 18. Conor Geaney (Dingle)

Subs

22. Tony Brosnan (Dr Crokes) for Geaney (half-time)
21. Ronan Buckley (Listry) for Spillane (52)
26. Stefan Okunbar (Na Gaeil) for Sean O’Brien (61)
12. Stephen O’Brien (Kenmare) for Moynihan (63)
25. Darragh Roche (Glenflesk) for Paudie Clifford (66)
17. Dylan Casey (Austin Stacks) for Foley (70)

Tyrone

1. Niall Morgan (Edendork)

4. Cormac Quinn (Errigal Ciarán), 3. Padraig Hampsey (Coalisland), 2. Conall Devlin (Dungannon)

7. Niall Devlin (Coalisland), 6. Peter Harte (Errigal Ciaran), 5. Ben Cullen (Edendork)

8. Brian Kennedy (Derrylaughan), 9. Conn Kilpatrick (Edendork)

10. Ciaran Daly (Trillick), 11. David Mulgrew (Ardboe), 12. Joe Oguz (Errigal Ciarán)

13. Darren McCurry (Edendork) 14. Darragh Canavan (Errigal Ciarán), 15. Seanie O’Donnell (Trillick)