1. Kerry’s bold selection calls pay off
Éamonn Fitzmaurice wasn’t shy in tearing up his team sheet before last night’s game but each of his personnel calls were fully vindicated. Apart from one wayward crossfield ball that ultimately lead to Cork’s goal, Aidan O’Mahony was robust at the back in ensuring Kerry didn’t leave any defensive gaps.
Paul Murphy was superb in shackling Donncha O’Connor while in the final ten minutes he made two huge defensive plays in overturning Conor Dorman and intercepting a Mark Collins pass during another Cork attack.
At midfield Anthony Maher fulfilled his role in stifling the influence of Alan O’Connor while also following him back to the edge of the square when O’Connor was shunted in to attack late on.
And up front Paul Geaney justified his inclusion in finishing with 1-3. On a tough night for scoring forwards, that was an invaluable return as he clipped over two first-half points from play and notched that vital second-half goal.
2. Middle third battle has different outcome
Just under a fortnight ago, we saw Cork boss the middle third and use it as a launchpad in the second-half to carry the fight to Kerry. Last night was different. we didn’t see Barry O’Driscoll able to break the defensive lines to charge upfield from wing-back.
We didn’t see Kevin O’Driscoll manage to cut forward as effectively. While we didn’t see Alan O’Connor lord midfield matters to the same extent.
Kerry had studied the drawn match forensically and they honed in specifically on improving their middle third display. Paul Murphy, Bryan Sheehan and Donnchadh Walsh all put in huge shifts while David Moran’s outstanding midfield play pointed to how crucial his black card a fortnight ago was. The difference in fortunes around the midfield sector shifted the momentum in this game towards Kerry.
3. Cork’s hopes sink in the finale
The argument had Cork lost their best chance didn’t add up for a good 50 minutes of this game. They settled well to compete vigorously, pieced together a move for a terrific Paul Kerrigan goal before half-time and started brightest after the break with two good quality points from Colm O’Neill and Kevin O’Driscoll.
But their hopes sank in the finale. They were rocked by Paul Geaney’s goal and failing to score after the 46th minute was fatal. It was a horrible night to play football and Cork struggled to get their high-octane running game operating in the monsoon.
1-3 from play was not sufficient and they were left to rue as well the cheap handling errors that presented Kerry with a series of first-half points.
4. Would extra-time have been played?
It’s irrelevant now given Kerry’s victory but the prospect of extra-time didn’t dissipate for a large chunk of this game given how evenly matched the teams were. The brutal weather conditions meant light quickly faded on this July Saturday night and the stadium was cloaked in darkness quickly after the final whistle.
If the teams had finished level, it’s impossible to see how extra-time would have been played. The weather was worse than the hurling qualifier double-header last week but Semple Stadium had the floodlights then to illuminate the action as Cork and Clare finished out. Last night that luxury wasn’t available and GAA officials must have breathed a sigh of relief when Kerry pulled clear, saving themselves a potentially awkward full-time announcement.
5. Kerry’s path to September clears
There was more than just the Munster football trophy stowed safely away in the Kerry dressing-room last night. The prize of a clearer path to September was also in the possession of the Kingdom. A quarter-final against Westmeath or Fermanagh now beckons in a fortnight.
That’s a manageable hurdle against either a team relegated from Division 2 last spring or one from promoted from Division 3. Kerry should prevail there and then would be on the same side of the draw as the Ulster champions. They took a major step last night in their ultimate goal of retaining Sam.
6. Cork’s challenge to recover
Cork’s don’t have much time to lick their wounds, regardless of the well of regrets over not closing out the drawn match and not peaking for last night’s replay. The next assignment move sharply into focus now with Kildare, who have been resurgent since that pasting they received by Dublin, in opposition next Saturday night.
