Munster SFC final: Kerry 2-15 Cork 3-12
WHILE Fionn Fitzgerald might have ensured another bumper day out in Killarney on Saturday week, Cork manager Brian Cuthbert expressed his anger with the decision to award Kerry a penalty in the 52nd minute that he felt had a major bearing on proceedings.
“People probably saw from my reaction what I thought about it,” said Cuthbert.
“If anything, it was a free out in my opinion because Mark [Collins] got to the ball first and usually the person who gets to the ball first in GAA gets the advantage. I felt the decision turned the game and, while I’m happy with the position we put ourselves in with a couple of minutes to go, I would be disappointed we didn’t see it through.
“Our lads showed great spirit today, but one swallow doesn’t make a summer and it's only half-time yet,” the Cork manager said after Sunday's pulsating draw.
Kerry manager Éamon Fitzmaurice said he was not surprised by the draw looking at previous results in the fixture, but admitted his side were lucky to get out of jail by the very nature of proceedings.
“Fionn [Fitzgerald] showed great courage to kick that point, while I would say the lads showed great composure in the build-up to give him the opportunity,” he said.
“There’s an awful lot that we can improve on for the replay, but I thought Cork were magnificent today, particularly with the negativity that surrounded them in advance, which astounded me being honest.
“I am happy that we showed character in coming back to draw the game but in terms of the performance and getting the basics right, it certainly wouldn’t be up there with one of our better displays.”
Fitzgerald’s point in the second minute of injury-time was the final act of a crazy contest that saw both teams in the ascendancy at various times.
Cork made the better start, scoring 1-1 without reply in the opening eight minutes, their goal in the eighth minute coming from Colm O’Neill, who fisted the ball past Brendan Kealy from close range after being put through by Collins and Donnacha O’Connor in advance.
Kerry were level four minutes later when Johnny Buckley took advantage of a defensive fumble by Cork captain Michael Shields to lay off to Kerry skipper Kieran Donaghy for a fortuitous goal in terms of the build-up.
Despite having the breeze Cork trailed by 1-9 to 1-5 at half-time as Bryan Sheehan started to find his range with Paul Kerrigan picking up the first of three black cards in the proceedings in the 22nd minute, Paddy Kelly coming on in his place.
Cork came right back at Kerry three minutes after the restart when Donncha O’Connor took advantage of some poor Kerry defending to hoist the ball over Kealy and make the score 1-10 to 2-6.
David Moran was black carded for Kerry in the 42nd minute with Anthony Maher coming in for the midfielder. The Rebels hit four successive points to go back in front with O’Neill’s sixth and final point of proceedings giving them a 2-11 to 1-11 advantage on the 50 minute mark.
Then came the contentious penalty award when Mark Collins was adjudged to have impeded James O’Donoghue after Donaghy put his fellow forward through.
O’Donoghue put Ken O’Halloran the wrong way to level the scores and when three of the players to miss out for Kerry in their starting line-up, Colm Cooper, Paul Geaney and Maher all scored points, Kerry looked like keeping their 20 year unbeaten record in Killarney over Cork intact.
However despite trailing 2-14 to 2-12 with six minutes left, Shields atoned for his earlier error for Kerry’s first goal in finding a way through a mass Kingdom defence and laying off to Barry O’Driscoll who scored what appeared to be a surprise match-winning goal for the visitors.
Geaney nearly added a third goal in the 67th minute for Kerry but his effort was palmed away for a 45 which Kerry did not have the luxury of Sheehan being able to take due to the midfielder being substituted seven minutes earlier.
O’Donoghue drove the kick wide and that appeared to be it for Kerry only for last year’s All-Ireland-winning captain to be the unexpected hero for the hosts in popping over the equaliser in an enthralling contest.
The sides will be back in Fitzgerald Stadium on Saturday, July 18 to try to settle the outcome.
Kerry: B Kealy, F Fitzgerald (0-1), M Ó Sé, S Enright, J Lyne, P Crowley, K Young, D Moran, B Sheehan (0-4, 0-3 frees), S O’Brien, J Buckley (0-1), D Walsh (0-1), BJ Keane (0-3, 0-1 free), K Donaghy (1-0), J O’Donoghue (1-2); Subs: C Cooper (0-1) for O’Brien (43), D O’Sullivan for Buckley (47), P Geaney (0-1) for Keane (51), J Sherwood for Sheehan (60), P Murphy for Crowley (65); Black card: Moran, replaced by A Maher (0-1) (38).
Cork: K O’Halloran, M Shields, E Cadogan, J Loughrey, Barry O’Driscoll (1-1), Brian O’Driscoll, S Cronin, A O’Connor, F Goold, P Kerrigan, D O’Connor (1-3, 0-2 frees), K O’Driscoll (0-2), C O’Neill (1-6, 0-2 frees, 0-1 45), M Collins, B Hurley; Subs: C Dorman for Cronin (59), R Deane for Goold (60), D Goulding for O’Connor (62), C O’Driscoll for Hurley (66); Black cards: Kerrigan, replaced by P Kelly (22), C O’Driscoll, replaced by J O’Sullivan (69).
Referee: P Hughes (Armagh)
Attendance: 35,651
