Football

All-Ireland MFC: Kildare out to end Kerry’s unbeaten run

The Kerry players celebrate after their All-Ireland MFC quarter-final win over Derry
The Kerry players celebrate after their All-Ireland MFC quarter-final win over Derry The Kerry players celebrate after their All-Ireland MFC quarter-final win over Derry

Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship: Kerry v Kildare (tomorrow, Croke Park, 1.30pm, live on TG4)

A 16-GAME winning streak has the Kerry minors on the verge of a third consecutive All-Ireland minor final with Kildare hoping to end that run at Croke Park tomorrow afternoon.

After no success in the Tom Markham Cup race between 1995 and 2013, the Kingdom have now failed to taste defeat since the start of the 2014 season with 15 of their 16 victories coming by four points or more.

Cork have twice managed to reach three finals in-a-row and Kerry are trying to join them having previously achieved that milestone in the 1930s. Laois and Dublin have also appeared in three consecutive finals.

Derry had given Kerry a scare in the quarter-final as the Oak Leaf county started strongly and had managed to remain on level terms at the break. By the end, though, Kerry’s attacking potential was all too obvious as they racked up a 1-24 tally in the 11-point win.

Team captain Seán O’Shea, who scored 1-6, was sensational once again while the prodigious David Clifford and David Shaw shared 10 points evenly between them.

Peter Keane’s side are facing formidable opposition though and the Lilywhites have enjoyed a good spell at this level in recent years too.

Three Leinster titles in four years has been an excellent return, but no All-Ireland final appearance in those years will grate.

Brendan Hackett’s side have been particularly impressive in defence and they managed to come out of their four Leinster games without conceding a goal.

Mayo did manage two in the quarter-final, but Kildare still secured a six-point victory.

For the second time this year questions were asked of them in that game and for the second time they answered them emphatically.

Extra-time was required in their Leinster semi-final against Meath last month, but Kildare managed to win the additional 20 minutes by four points.

They were also in a real battle with Mayo going down the stretch, but a late Justin Healy goal ensured it would be Kildare that prevailed.

The Leinster champions will certainly have much tougher questions to answer against Kerry tomorrow, and this time they may just be stumped for a reply.