Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final: Kerry 3-7 Galway 0-9
KERRY’S goal-scoring panache saw off a wasteful Galway and win a third All-Ireland minor title on-the-trot after a disappointing, stop-start affair.
First-half majors from Sean O’Shea and David Shaw saw the Kingdom become the first county to complete two trebles at minor level. They took a six-point lead in at the break and a stunning David Clifford effort killed off Galway once and for all with 10 minutes left. The greasy surface didn’t help and neither did the slippery ball as the game rarely rose above the mediocre and, in the end, Kerry won by a flattering seven points.
The outstanding moments of the first-half were two superb catches from Kerry full-forward Shaw. The first produced the game’s first score after two minutes, when he plucked a ball out of the clouds, was fouled by Adam Quirke and Sean O’Shea curled over a difficult free from the left touchline.
Throwing everything into attack in the second-half, Galway left themselves short at the back and a fumble deep in the Kerry half allowed Clifford - man of the match in the semi-final but quiet until this point - the chance to run. And run. He took a moment to set himself before spearing a shot past Haslam and into the top corner of the Galway goal.
Game over and, although substitute Rory Cunningham pulled one back, Moynihan scored his second of the half to settle any Kerry nerves. Galway’s John Maher was sent-off before sub Cormac Linnane and O’Shea strengthened the Kingdom’s already impregnable position.
When referee Branagan blew it up, the Kerry bench emptied, hooping and hollering in delight. On balance, they deserved their win and, while the game wasn’t a classic, their celebrations were and we’ll see several of this side in the senior ranks before too long.
MATCH STATS
Kerry: B Courtney; D Naughten, N Collins (0-1), G O’Sullivan; M Potts, D O’Brien, M Foley; M Breen, M Ryan; D Moynihan (0-2), S O’Shea (1-2, 0-2 frees), D O’Connor; D Clifford (1-0), D Shaw (1-1), B Friel; Subs: C Linnane (0-1) for Friel (47), F O’Brien for Collins (53), B Sweeney for Shaw (59), K Dwyer for Foley (64), S Okunbor for D O’Connor (66); Yellow card: S O’Shea (58)
Galway: C Haslam; L Boyle, S Mulkerrin, E McFadden; A Quirke (0-1), E McDonagh, F Garvey; C D’Arcy (0-1), J Maher; F O Laoi, E Murphy, R Forde (0-1); R Finnerty (0-3, 0-2 frees), S Raftery, D Conneely (0-2 frees); Subs: B Goldrick for E Murphy (37), R Murphy for Raftery (49), R Cunningham (0-1 free) for Finnerty (55), E Deeley for Garvey (56); Yellow card: A Quirke (36); Red card: J Maher (61)
Referee: C Branagan (Down)
