James O'Donoghue scores a penalty yesterday against Cork.
DID WE SEE the Gaelic football game of the year so far in Killarney yesterday?
No question about it in my view. Kerry and Cork served up a fantastic game.
Five goals, some great scores, really good passages of play, controversial decisions and big hits. It was brilliant stuff.
Cork got a bit of a kicking since their league final display and it was set up for them to produce a really strong response. They surprised me with the way they went about their business.
The intensity they played with was huge. The one thing they learned from Dublin game, was putting pressure on the kicker as they never let Kerry build from their half-back line.
The Cork boys will wake up this morning feeling a bit hard done by though, particularly over that controversial penalty being awarded against them.
It wasn’t a first cousin to a penalty. Mark Collins had both hands stretched to go for the ball with himself and James O’Donoghue then brushing off each other.
Mark Collins reacts in disbelief to yesterday's decision. Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
James threw his hands in the air and you’d expect a forward to try that. The instinct is to try to get any advantage you can.
From a refereeing point of view, you don’t make a decision like that, unless you’re 100% sure. It was a bad call by Padraig Hughes at a time when Cork were in the driving seat.
There was plenty talk last week focusing on Kerry’s bench. The strength of it, the amount of All-Ireland winners and the impact it would have in settling yesterday’s Munster final.
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Instead it was a starting defender who saved Kerry. What a score by Fionn Fitzgerald at the end. Looking at it again last night, I’m not sure was he trying to just float it in, but it sailed between the posts and it was an inspiring score to draw level.
You’d have to be very complimentary towards Kerry with how strong-minded they were. There was a good few occasions where you felt Cork could have kicked on but Kerry weren’t going to let go of the game too easily.
Kerry's Marc Ó Sé and Cork's Colm O'Neill Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Cork played some fantastic stuff and they raised a lot of questions about Kerry’s defence. We saw Kerry adapting their game for an All-Ireland final against Donegal last year, maybe to an extent beating Donegal at their own game. They didn’t seem to have that defensive structure in place yesterday.
Alan O’Connor was a major plus for Cork, a colossus at midfield. You hear of players playing like it’s their last game, that was how Alan O’Connor looked yesterday. He drove Cork on and set up guys like young (Barry) O’Driscoll to run at the Kerry defence.
His finish to the net was excellent and Patrick Kelly when he came on, made a massive difference. He’s a cool head who seldom wastes a ball.
Cork's Patrick Kelly. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
We often hear of the underdog getting one shot and you’d have to think Kerry will have improved. Their teamsheet could be different for starters.
Cork will be very disappointed with the outcome but they need to park that. Brian Cuthbert must get them together and they must realise there’s an awful lot of positives to take from this game. A Munster title is still there for them.
Kerry's Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Cork's Brian Cuthbert Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Elsewhere it was a weekend for teams getting back on track.
Offaly was always going to be a tricky clash for Kildare. There’s local rivalry there and both of them are going to be in Division 3 next year. Offaly always seem to raise their game against Kildare and there was a good bit of negativity around Kildare after such a drubbing like they got against Dublin.
It was about getting the job done and getting the result. Kildare did that but they’ve little time to recover to get the minds and bodies right with Longford coming up next Saturday.
Going to Ennis and getting a result like Longford did on Saturday was very impressive. Kildare went down to Cusack Park last year and struggled big time. There was a lot of relief in Kildare at coming out of that game.
Jack Sheedy seems to have done a good job with Longford in sorting their heads out after that Dublin defeat. Paul Barden was their driving force for a long time but Michael Quinn and Brian Kavanagh have taken it on now.
Longford boss Jack Sheedy celebrates at the final whistle in Ennis Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
They’d have liked to play in Pearse Park as it’s been a little bit of fortress for them. You’d still feel a sense that Longford won’t be lacking in confidence facing Kildare.
There was plenty made of the two lads leaving the Kildare panel last week but it’s easy to jump to conclusions. Nobody knows what situation the lads are in and I’m sure they’d have thought a lot about heading to America.
From the outside it’s not a good sign as you’d like to see the whole team stick together, particularly when things aren’t going their way. I couldn’t have seen the lads departing if we’d beaten Dublin so that would have disappointed me.
But they’re young and they obviously felt it was an opportunity they couldn’t turn down.
Kildare manager Jason Ryan with Mark Sherry after their victory over Offaly Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
It’s going to be a difficult game for Kildare but sometimes when our backs against the wall, we’ve tended to pack a bigger punch. It’s going to be an interesting weekend with Kildare-Longford senior sides in opposition on Saturday night and then the county’s two minor sides playing in the Leinster final on Sunday.
Roscommon were probably the other major success story from the weekend. It was a good, hard fought victory over Cavan.
It’s pleasing for John Evans to see his team show character building stuff like that when things don’t go well. The whole country expected them to dismiss Sligo in Connacht but they fell short.
Roscommon's John Evans and Cavan's Terry Hyland after last Saturday's clash. Tommy Grealy / INPHO
Tommy Grealy / INPHO / INPHO
Sometimes there can be a tendency to feel sorry for yourself in that situation. Roscommon got back in order quickly and didn’t let the hangover set in.
They embraced the qualifiers and I was impressed by the way they went about their business. Fermanagh had a good win themselves yesterday but Roscommon’s focus looks to be back.
Johnny Doyle - Penalty controversy, Cork intensity, Kerry rescue and Kildare recovery
DID WE SEE the Gaelic football game of the year so far in Killarney yesterday?
No question about it in my view. Kerry and Cork served up a fantastic game.
Five goals, some great scores, really good passages of play, controversial decisions and big hits. It was brilliant stuff.
Cork got a bit of a kicking since their league final display and it was set up for them to produce a really strong response. They surprised me with the way they went about their business.
The intensity they played with was huge. The one thing they learned from Dublin game, was putting pressure on the kicker as they never let Kerry build from their half-back line.
The Cork boys will wake up this morning feeling a bit hard done by though, particularly over that controversial penalty being awarded against them.
It wasn’t a first cousin to a penalty. Mark Collins had both hands stretched to go for the ball with himself and James O’Donoghue then brushing off each other.
James threw his hands in the air and you’d expect a forward to try that. The instinct is to try to get any advantage you can.
From a refereeing point of view, you don’t make a decision like that, unless you’re 100% sure. It was a bad call by Padraig Hughes at a time when Cork were in the driving seat.
There was plenty talk last week focusing on Kerry’s bench. The strength of it, the amount of All-Ireland winners and the impact it would have in settling yesterday’s Munster final.
Instead it was a starting defender who saved Kerry. What a score by Fionn Fitzgerald at the end. Looking at it again last night, I’m not sure was he trying to just float it in, but it sailed between the posts and it was an inspiring score to draw level.
You’d have to be very complimentary towards Kerry with how strong-minded they were. There was a good few occasions where you felt Cork could have kicked on but Kerry weren’t going to let go of the game too easily.
Cork played some fantastic stuff and they raised a lot of questions about Kerry’s defence. We saw Kerry adapting their game for an All-Ireland final against Donegal last year, maybe to an extent beating Donegal at their own game. They didn’t seem to have that defensive structure in place yesterday.
Alan O’Connor was a major plus for Cork, a colossus at midfield. You hear of players playing like it’s their last game, that was how Alan O’Connor looked yesterday. He drove Cork on and set up guys like young (Barry) O’Driscoll to run at the Kerry defence.
His finish to the net was excellent and Patrick Kelly when he came on, made a massive difference. He’s a cool head who seldom wastes a ball.
We often hear of the underdog getting one shot and you’d have to think Kerry will have improved. Their teamsheet could be different for starters.
Cork will be very disappointed with the outcome but they need to park that. Brian Cuthbert must get them together and they must realise there’s an awful lot of positives to take from this game. A Munster title is still there for them.
Elsewhere it was a weekend for teams getting back on track.
Offaly was always going to be a tricky clash for Kildare. There’s local rivalry there and both of them are going to be in Division 3 next year. Offaly always seem to raise their game against Kildare and there was a good bit of negativity around Kildare after such a drubbing like they got against Dublin.
It was about getting the job done and getting the result. Kildare did that but they’ve little time to recover to get the minds and bodies right with Longford coming up next Saturday.
Going to Ennis and getting a result like Longford did on Saturday was very impressive. Kildare went down to Cusack Park last year and struggled big time. There was a lot of relief in Kildare at coming out of that game.
Jack Sheedy seems to have done a good job with Longford in sorting their heads out after that Dublin defeat. Paul Barden was their driving force for a long time but Michael Quinn and Brian Kavanagh have taken it on now.
They’d have liked to play in Pearse Park as it’s been a little bit of fortress for them. You’d still feel a sense that Longford won’t be lacking in confidence facing Kildare.
There was plenty made of the two lads leaving the Kildare panel last week but it’s easy to jump to conclusions. Nobody knows what situation the lads are in and I’m sure they’d have thought a lot about heading to America.
From the outside it’s not a good sign as you’d like to see the whole team stick together, particularly when things aren’t going their way. I couldn’t have seen the lads departing if we’d beaten Dublin so that would have disappointed me.
But they’re young and they obviously felt it was an opportunity they couldn’t turn down.
It’s going to be a difficult game for Kildare but sometimes when our backs against the wall, we’ve tended to pack a bigger punch. It’s going to be an interesting weekend with Kildare-Longford senior sides in opposition on Saturday night and then the county’s two minor sides playing in the Leinster final on Sunday.
Roscommon were probably the other major success story from the weekend. It was a good, hard fought victory over Cavan.
It’s pleasing for John Evans to see his team show character building stuff like that when things don’t go well. The whole country expected them to dismiss Sligo in Connacht but they fell short.
Sometimes there can be a tendency to feel sorry for yourself in that situation. Roscommon got back in order quickly and didn’t let the hangover set in.
They embraced the qualifiers and I was impressed by the way they went about their business. Fermanagh had a good win themselves yesterday but Roscommon’s focus looks to be back.
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