*Keelan Sexton takes on Tony Brosnan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLARE have been comprehensively beaten by Kerry in the Munster senior football final.
Kerry 4-20
Clare 0-21
Venue: Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney
Not so much the fourteen point Munster final loss from the 2023 Munster final in the Gaelic Grounds but it was not an improvement on the showing in last year’s decider where only seven points separated the sides.
With the stunning backdrop of MacGillycuddy’s Reeks in Fitzgerald Stadium, Clare left themselves with a mountain the scale of the entire range in Killarney to climb after a woeful first half.
Defensive frailties were fully exploited as Kerry found gaps and ripped them open, raiding for four goals in the opening half, two of which were aided by errors in the Banner backline.
Kerry ran at Clare and picked up the desired outcome while they were much sharper on the breaks and providing support runs. They were accurate with their delivery and found men in space who were only too glad to take on and test the Clare defence.
David Clifford picked up his fifteenth championship goal to raise the first green flag on three minutes. He caught the ball, shook off the challenge of Cillian Brennan, rounded Eamon Tubridy and planted the ball in the back of the net after Manus Doherty missed out in his attempt to make a goal-line clearance.
Seán O’Shea who started in place of the suspended Paudie Clifford kicked the first score of the afternoon, landing a two pointer inside the first twenty five seconds of the tie.
Unfortunately, a poorly executed free from Mark McInerney in Clare’s first shot on goal set the tone for what was to follow in a dismal opening half from the underdogs. A further spurned chance followed, this time from Aaron Griffin before Clifford hit the first of the goals.
Daniel Walsh was the first Clare scorer, fisting over an effort on five minutes, his clubmate Dermot Coughlan putting him through.
Kerry’s response was to score another major on their next attack. Micheál Burns’ initial effort was kept out but the rebound was flicked to the net by Clifford. They kicked on with points from O’Shea and Paul Geaney to hold a nine point advantage with less than nine minutes played.
Aaron Griffin and Barry Dan O’Sullivan traded efforts before Clare added two points on the bounce via Mark McInerney and Keelan Sexton. A black card for Emmet McMahon added salt to already raw Clare wounds and during his time off the field, the hosts struck for two more goals.
Micheál Burns goaled on twenty two minutes, Dylan Geaney finding the unmarked Dr Crokes man with a handpass and Barry Dan O’Sullivan punished an error from Cillian Rouine after Paul Geaney intercepted and fed the ball across goal to the midfielder.
There was a chance for Clare to soften the blow but Keelan Sexton blazed a penalty over the cross bar, his efforts not helped by having to wait over a minute to take the spot kick.
Emmet McMahon on his return to the field of play teed up Mark McInerney for Clare’s last score of the half on thirty three minutes, a late chance fell to Eoin Cleary but Burns made a tremendous turnover. In between Sexton’s penalty and McInerney’s white flag, Kerry tapped on two points and by half time led 4-10 0-7, a distance of fifteen points.
When it came to the second half, Clare outscored Kerry 0-14 0-10 but never looked like staging the greatest of comebacks. Instead, they showed more fight and vigour with the Éire Óg trio in defence, Ikem Ugwueru, Manus Doherty and Ronan Lanigan coming into the game more along with Brian McNamara and Emmet McMahon at midfield.
On the breaking ball, Clare lacked rapid reactions to start hoovering up ball while Kerry always ran with purpose and in numbers.
McMahon’s ability to kick two pointers helped Clare to lessen the damage on the scoreboard but the umpires never really looked like they’d be reaching for a green flag beside Shane Murphy’s net.
Within the first ten minutes of the second half, Clare lowered the deficit to eleven points but Kerry’s class continued to shine with David Clifford and Seán O’Shea picking off excellent scores.
In their third Munster final in a row, a feat achieved only for the second time, Clare had the nightmare start they specifically targeted not having. Causing the biggest upset in the sporting year would only have been made possible by a strong start but the concession of two goals inside six minutes and four in the opening half put paid to any notions a replica of 1992 would occur.
Surprisingly given how things were panning out, Clare waited until the fifty third minute to make a substitution while the only change prior to this was moving Ikem Ugwueru to centre back and putting Cillian Rouine on the wing. With the warm conditions and that Clare were blown out of it in the first half, Peter Keane and his management warrant flack for not bringing on fresh legs.
Jack O’Connor and Kerry meanwhile continue to occupy the throne in Munster football and that won’t be changing any time soon. That Seán O’Shea was the player sprung into the side in Paudie Clifford’s absence underlines just how strong they are given that O’Shea would walk onto any other county team in the country. After an extra time scare with Cork, they were intent on laying down a marker and they did that despite easing up some bit in the second half.
Scorers for Kerry: S O’Shea (0-8, TPF, TP, 0-3f); D Clifford (1-5, 1TP 0-1f); BD O’Sullivan (1-1); P Geaney (0-4, 0-1f); M Burns (1-0); D Geaney (0-2).
Scorers for Clare: E McMahon (0-8, 2TP, 3f); M McInerney (0-6, 2f, 1‘45); K Sexton (0-1 pen), B McNamara (0-2 each); M Doherty, D Walsh, A Griffin (0-1 each).
Kerry:
1: Shane Murphy (Dr Crokes)
3: Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue)
4: Tom O’Sullivan (Dingle)
7: Gavin White (Dr Crokes)
5: Brian Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht)
6: Mike Breen (Beaufort)
2: Dylan Casey (Austin Stacks)
8: Joe O’Connor (Austin Stacks)
9: Barry ‘Dan’ O’Sullivan (Dingle)
10: Tony Brosnan (Dr Crokes)
11: Seán O’Shea (Kenmare)
12: Micheál Burns (Dr Crokes)
13: David Clifford (Fossa)
14: Paul Geaney (Dingle)
15: Dylan Geaney (Dingle)
Subs
20: Ruairí Murphy (Listry) for Brosnan (51)
19: Killian Spillane (Templenoe) for O’Shea (51)
17: Tadhg Morley (Templenoe) for Breen (53)
21: Mark O’Shea (Dr Crokes) for O’Sullivan (55)
26: Keith Evans (Keel) for Burns (58)
Clare:
1: Eamon Tubridy (Doonbeg)
2: Manus Doherty (Éire Óg)
4: Ronan Lanigan (Éire Óg)
3: Cillian Brennan (Clondegad)
7: Alan Sweeney (St Breckan’s)
5: Cillian Rouine (Ennistymon)
6: Ikem Ugwueru (Éire Óg)
8: Brian McNamara (Cooraclare)
11: Emmet McMahon (Kildysart)
9: Daniel Walsh (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
14: Eoin Cleary (St Joseph’s Miltown)
10: Aaron Griffin (Lissycasey)
12: Dermot Coughlan (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
15: Mark McInerney (Éire Óg)
13: Keelan Sexton (Na Fianna)
Subs:
18: Connor Meaney (Lissycasey) for Sweeney (53)
19: Shane Griffin (Lissycasey) for Walsh (53)
23: Evan Cahill (Kilmurry Ibrickane) for Sexton (58)
22: Rory McMahon (Kildysart) for Rouine (63)
21: Darragh Burns (Doonbeg) for Cleary (67)
Referee: Noel Mooney (Cavan)
