Allianz National Football League Division One final: Dublin 1-16 Kerry 0-20
DUBLIN’S 36-match unbeaten run in the League and Championship was always destined to end in dramatic fashion.
The smart money was on the sure-footed Dean Rock to nail the 47-metre free and force yesterday’s pulsating Allianz NFL Division One final to extra-time.
Bang centre and facing into Hill 16, Rock set the ball down as lightly as possible on the velvet turf.
The 53,840 supporters, engrossed in this nail-biting finale, held its breath.
With the four minutes of stoppage-time already elapsed, the Ballymun Kickhams man wasn’t going to be rushed.
The connection, as it always is with Rock, was good. The trajectory of the ball was good. Everything about it looked good.
But it wasn’t quite good enough to prompt a premature, nonchalant salute from the Hill.
Kerry were saved by the right-hand goalpost – and referee Paddy Neilan of Roscommon blew his final whistle.
The Dubs were finally beaten.
The Kerry players didn’t celebrate too wildly – but didn’t mind if their supporters did.
At the end, Kerry boss Eamonn Fitzmaurice remained impassive and strolled towards Dublin boss Jim Gavin to shake hands.
If there was any fist-pumping going on, it would be behind closed doors.
Since February 2015 up until yesterday afternoon, nobody could get the better of Jim Gavin’s Dublin team.
It took a gargantuan effort from the Kingdom to do it.
It also took a cynical foul from late substitute Anthony Maher on Dublin’s careering Michael Fitzsimons to secure victory.
Had the Dublin full-back managed to escape the clutches of Maher in the final play of the game, the Sky Blues probably would have got the score they needed to force extra-time rather than relying on Rock to convert from distance.
In what was an utterly meaningless punishment, Maher was black-carded.
Away from the glare of the media, Maher would surely be lauded within the Kerry dressing-room.
Of course, it’s pointless trying to reach for some moral high ground because there is none in Gaelic football.
The Dubs were no angels themselves yesterday.
Diarmuid Connolly picked up a stupid black card towards the end of the first half while midfielder Brian Fenton – subdued by Jack Barry yesterday – was lucky to escape a similar fate in the 39th minute and was relieved to take a yellow card.
Philly McMahon, Dublin’s raiding defender, was lucky to stay on the field for the duration too after a couple of untidy challenges on Kerry opponents after half-time.
In the build-up to yesterday’s Division One decider, Fitzmaurice was unhappy with the thrust of the “Dublin narrative” and subsequent criticism of his Kerry players that followed last month’s feisty NFL encounter with Dublin in Tralee.
Asked about his pre-match comments, the Kerry manager said: “Look, I said what I said during the week. I wanted to provoke debate. I succeeded in provoking debate, whereas if I hadn’t said something – which I would have preferred not to – there wouldn’t have been a debate at all.
“So there was a debate. From my point of view it was mission accomplished.”
Fitzmaurice added: “If I didn’t say something the narrative during the week would have been Kerry were over-physical in Tralee and that’s the only way we can compete with Dublin.
“And then you won’t get a break anywhere from anyone. Dublin are an unbelievable football team but they know what they’ve to do as well.
“I’d prefer not to be going back into it, lads. I said what I said on Tuesday. It’s water under the bridge at this stage.”
Jim Gavin faced the media first after yesterday’s dramatic finish – but he was in no mood to get drawn into a war of words with the Kerry manager.
“If you’re putting me on the spot to speak ill about Eamonn Fitzmaurice, I’m certainly not going to do that,” said the Dublin boss.
“I’ve the utmost regard for him, he’s an absolute gentleman and I won’t be speaking ill if that’s what you’re trying to get me to do. I’ve nothing but admiration and warmth for their county.”
Gavin was still in forensic mode when he appeared in the press room yesterday evening.
His team never hit the high notes against a well-drilled Kerry back-line but they still showed “great resilience” in reducing the Kingdom’s five-point lead to one, thanks to Paul Mannion’s 62nd minute goal that just about evaded Peter Crowley’s desperate dive to stop the ball trickling into the net.
“There were too many unforced errors, we gave the ball away too much, and we certainly had enough of it. Particularly in the third quarter of the game we kicked an awful lot of the ball away.
“But all credit to Kerry, they fully deserved the win. Hats off to them.”
Indeed, it was in that third quarter where the game was effectively won and lost.
Kerry took full advantage of Dublin sleep-walking into the second half.
Industrious inside forward Kevin McCarthy got the first score of the second period from play to level the game 0-10 apiece before Paul Geaney hit four points (three frees) without reply, with his cousin Michael Geaney adding another.
Outstanding from start to finish, Kerry midfielder David Moran hit three points – two from play - and was denied a three-pointer by Stephen Cluxton in the 22nd minute.
The Dublin midfield couldn't live with Moran's driving runs.
Fionn Fitzgerarld also had a marvellous game, keeping Bernard Brogan on a tight leash and breaking forward at every opportunity.
At centre-back Tadgh Morley had an absorbing battle with Ciaran Kilkenny, with each player having good moments.
But it was only when Mannion entered the fray in the 41st minute that the Dublin attack began to fire.
Hitting 1-2, Mannion was the only forward the Kerry defence couldn’t get to grips with.
At the other end, Kerry were scoring just about enough to keep the Dubs at bay.
Off-balance, Moran hit a beauty entering stoppage-time that put Kerry three ahead.
Dean Rock replied with a pair of scores before Kerry substitute Bryan Sheehan broke free to nail a brilliant point at the Canal End.
In their next attack, however, Mannion made it a one-point game again and when the Kerry kick-out broke kindly for Fitzsimons, it looked odds-on that Dublin would get back on level terms.
But Maher had other ideas and Rock was so unfortunate to see his long-range effort clip the post.
Gavin, in fairness, didn’t shy away from his responsibilities and wondered aloud about his team selection for yesterday’s decider.
“Did we start the right players? Did we bring the right players in? We have to look at that. But I couldn’t question the players’ resilience today.”
Fitzmaurice, meanwhile, sensed the hyperbole in the room – but was reluctant to attach any more significance to ending Dublin’s incredible unbeaten run.
“You kind of portray it like we are psychologically damaged [every time Kerry lose to Dublin] and that we’re banging our head off the window of the bus or something.
“Dublin are a brilliant team and we’ve come up short in the past but we’ve come up short going at them.
“If Dublin had beaten us today it wouldn’t have been the end of the world. It’s still the month of April and we’ve still players to come back, and there’s work to be done for Championship.”
But make no mistake, this victory will taste very sweet down in the Kingdom this morning.
Dublin: S Cluxton; P McMahon (0-1), M Fitzsimons, D Daly; J McCarthy (0-1), C O'Sullivan, E Lowndes; B Fenton, C Reddin (0-2); P Flynn (0-1), C Kilkenny (0-2), D Connolly (0-1); D Rock (0-6, 0-4 frees), P Andrews, B Brogan Subs: P Mannion (1-2) for P Andrews (41), MD McAuley for C Reddin (49), K McManamon for C O’Sullivan (49), D Byrne for E Lowndes (60), E O’Gara for P Flynn (68)
Yellow cards: B Fenton (39), P McMahon (47), J McCarthy (51),
Black cards: D Connolly replaced by N Scully (29-30)
Kerry: B Kealy; F Fitzgerald, M Griffin, R Shanahan; P Crowley, T Morley, P Murphy (0-1); D Moran (0-3, 0-1 ’45), J Barry (0-1); J Lyne, M Geaney (0-2), D Walsh (0-2); K McCarthy (0-1), P Geaney (0-8, 0-5 frees), J Savage (0-1) Subs: G Crowley for J Lyne (27), D O’Sullivan for J Savage (59), BJ Keane for K McCarthy (63), B Sheehan (0-1) for D Walsh (67), A Maher for J Barry (70), A Spillane for M Geaney (72)
Yellow cards: J Lyne (26), D Walsh (51)
Black cards: A Maher (75 no replacement)
Referee: P Neilan (Roscommon)
Attendance: 53,840
