Kerry 0-15
Derry 0-10
AFTER THE GAME, Kerry manager Jack O’Connor got into a discussion in the press room about the pace of the actual contest.
Kerry might have won, but it felt utterly unsatisfying. The game itself was putrid and desperate. O’Connor’s expression is usually one of a man who spends a lot of time looking into the teeth of an Atlantic gale but he looked even more pained than usual.
When a thrilling game of Gaelic football breaks out, there is a rush for people to ask what is the point of any potential new rule changes from the Football Review Committee headed up by Jim Gavin.
Well. This is Exhibit One. It began life as a slow burner. It quickened pace to become like a pitch opening. It settled into all the intensity of the little-lamented National League semi-finals.
Perhaps there were deeper reasons.
The scheduling of the game was down to it being screened on RTÉ 1; therefore the second game had to throw in at 3.15 to allow sufficient time to be decided before The Angelus.
With Donegal and Louth not finishing until 3pm, that gave both teams scant time for a proper warm-up on the pitch. Sure, they can do a bit of stretching in the warm up rooms adjacent to the dressing rooms, but these rooms are dinky affairs. Completely unsuitable to anything bar stretching.
Some might question why such an anachronism is still in place in the Year of Our Lord, 2024 with such importance attached to an All Ireland quarter final and an attendance of 47,406.
Given the funereal atmosphere that accompanied the first half, it would be kind and perhaps accurate to attribute the slow start to such a bizarre arrangement.
Either way, throughout the opening period you could hear both sets of players calling for the ball and coaching each other through the plays.
It might have been different from the very start if the first attack succeeded. Eoin McEvoy played Gareth McKinless through for a shot on goal. Last year he rattled the net against Kerry, this time he pulled it wide to the far post of Shane Ryan’s goals at the Hill 16 end.
David Clifford opened the scoring soon after, weaving past his marker Chrissy McKaigue. Conor Glass evened up from the top of the ‘D’ when left unmarked.
The lack of pressure was evident in these early stages as Tony Brosnan pointed. David Clifford didn’t get the same latitude for the next score, Diarmuid Baker and McKaigue hanging out of him as he claimed a mark and slotted over.
Derry responded by three consecutive points from Shane McGuigan. Fed by Brendan Rogers for the first one, his second was a turn and strike move under molten pressure from Jason Foley, his third was a free from distance after Ethan Doherty was victim of a forwards’ tackle by Paul Geaney.
In between those scores, Kerry might have had a goal when a Paul Murphy attempt was blocked, Gavin White followed it up and finally Tadhg Morley had a cut. All three attempts were blocked down, McGuigan and Lachlan Murray all putting in a defensive shift with excellent blocks.
With scoring slow, the big moment came on 52 minutes.
Paul Cassidy levelled the scores. Further back down the field, David Clifford and McKaigue were engaged in a ragged and ill-tempered series of exchanges. Ciaran McFaul was being pushed and hassled by assorted Kerry players very anxious to get him onto a card.
It felt at that stage that the game was going to catch light.
It was a flicker that needed coaxing. Instead it was put out with a super soaker.
In real terms, Kerry unloaded their bench. Cillian Burke added a punching threat. Killian Spillane and Dylan Geaney came on and notched points as they went.
When Derry advanced, there was nothing like the energy of old. Muscle memory took them so far, but the vulnerabilities that Donegal opened up in that Celtic Park Ulster quarter final are left as weeping sores now.
The attack as it was, is gone now.
Just after the hour mark, Tony Brosnan scored and was promptly taken off. Sean O’Shea converted frees for fouls on Clifford (Conor Glass) and Burke (Emmett Bradley).
Derry flung over tired wides from McFaul, Lachlan Murray and McGuigan. There was to be no frantic chasing down the ball. There wasn’t that manic appetite they used to be known for.
And at the final whistle, some looked relieved that it was all over.
Onwards to the semi-final for Kerry.
Scorers for Kerry: Sean O’Shea 0-3 (0-2f), David Clifford 0-3 (0-1 mark, 0-1f), Tony Brosnan 0-2, Brian ÓBeaglaíoch, Gavin White, Diarmuid O’Connor, Joe O’Connor, Paul Geaney, Killian Spillane, Dylan Geaney 0-1 each.
Scorers for Derry: Shane McGuigan 0-5 (0-2f), Brendan Rogers 0-2, Conor Glass, Paul Cassidy, Odhran Lynch 0-1 each.
Kerry
1. Shane Ryan (Rathmore)
2. Paul Murphy (Rathmore) 3. Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue) 4. Tom O’Sullivan (Dingle)
5. Brian ÓBeaglaíoch (An Ghaeltacht) 6. Tadhg Morley (Templenoe) 7. Gavin White (Dr Crokes)
8. Diarmuid O’Connor (Na Gaeil) 9. Joe O’Connor (Austin Stacks)
10. Tony Brosnan (Dr Crokes) 11. Paudie Clifford (Fossa) 12. Dara Moynihan (Spa)
13. David Clifford (Fossa) 14. Seán O’Shea (Kenmare) 15. Paul Geaney (Dingle)
Subs:
18. Cillian Burke (Milltown Castlemaine) for Moynihan (53)
23. Killian Spillane (Templenoe) for Geaney (57)
25. Dylan Geaney (Dingle) for Brosnan (62)
21. Adrian Spillane (Templenoe) for Joe O’Connor (68)
19. Mike Breen (Beaufort) for ÓBeaglaíoch (73)
Derry
1. Odhran Lynch (Magherafelt)
2. Conor McCluskey (Magherafelt) 3. Christopher McKaigue (Slaughtneil) 4. Diarmuid Baker (Steelstown)
5. Conor Doherty (Newbridge) 6. Gareth McKinless (Ballinderry) 7. Eoin McEvoy (Magherafelt)
8. Conor Glass (Glen) 9. Brendan Rogers (Slaughtneil)
10. Ethan Doherty (Glen) 11. Ciaran McFaul (Glen) 12. Paul Cassidy (Bellaghy)
13. Eunan Mulholland (Glen) 14. Shane McGuigan (Slaughtneil) 15. Lachlan Murray (Desertmartin)
Subs:
26. Niall Toner (Lavey) for Mulholland (38)
23. Niall Loughlin (Greenlough) for Murray (60)
17. Emmett Bradley (Glen) for McFaul (66)
25. Cormac Murphy (Magherafelt) for Cassidy (66)
Referee: David Coldrick (Meath)
Borefest
And this code still gets higher billing than a hurling match…. the minor final yesterday was 100 times better than that puke we witnessed today. God I remember kerry teams who played football and don’t anyone come back to me with ” oh the game has changed” no it’s still a big ball …kick it into the net for 3 or over d bar for 1. That was terrible today.
@sean bourke: Gaa Top brass and pundits make Football the B all and of coverage and filled with Kerry and Dublin pundits. In fairness to other counties there is a 50/50 chance either Dublin or Kerry will win it. Currently football is game destroyed by the obsession with possession
Football has lost its soul. It was as bad a spectacle as I can recall. This new process driven, possession obsessed system is killing the game. It needs 2 points for scores from distance immediately to compromise the blanket system. Players are afraid to take a punt ..
@JJB: ya it sure has lost its soul. They be better off taking the word foot out of the name and just call it ball. And the saddest part is that this muck is being coached into kids as young as 8 all over the country. The GAA are doing its best to destroy the game of hurling, and the GAA don’t have to do anything to destroy football as they have coaches the length and breath of the country destroying the game for them
@WqM9AAv3: agree the football coaching is sickening something needs to change fast today was appalling and players back slapping they won a shite game
I broke my golden rule of not watching a football match before the semi final stage. Absolute waste of time watching that. Inter county forwards from two top teams struggling to kick a point from 30 yards out.
Terrible game but a win is a win.
Kerry played a mirror to Derry in the first half and didn’t allow them the transitions they wanted.
The better team won it in the second half.
You could see when they forced Derry out they were able to break through
Kerry were always going to pull away at the end. Better all round footballers. Having only managed to correctly predict 3 of the 4 quarter finals, I’ll try for the 100% in the semis. Donegal v Kerry final.
@Ray Ridge: My neighbours Jack Russell would have predicted Donegal and Derry today.
Armagh was the only one you got that wasn’t a fairly sure thing.
But I know well you want to be wrong about Donegal.
@Bert Carolan: it’s amazing how lads always focus on the 1 wrong and ignore all the rest. Human nature, I guess. What’s Jack’s predictions for the semis then?!!
@Ray Ridge: He’s more into basketball funny enough.
England not going so well, we’ll see what they’re like when they have to score.
@Bert Carolan: Has the height for it!! This was danger for England going a goal down. You called it. They’ll have no choice but to go for it now.
@Ray Ridge: Footballers? would ye give over.
@Ray Ridge: No cohesion, balance, players full of fear. Trippier gave a single forward pass in that half. They have to throw off the shackles second half. England I mean.
@Bert Carolan: True. However, I’ll be amazed if they don’t get that one goal needed to keep them in the tournament. Most lightly a scrappy goal from a corner or free kick.
@Ray Ridge: yeah as if Louth and Derry were ever going to win. You’d swear you predicted the lotto numbers.
How’s your beloved England doing. Easy path to the final you said. They’re muck and yet another prediction wrong from you.
@Kevin Dillon: Whats that Kevin? As I said they only need to score 1 goal to stay in the tournament. The guy who is always wrong, just happens to be right yet again. Amazing.
@Ray Ridge: What do you make of that Bert?
@Ray Ridge: They got the goal in fairness.
More urgency in the second half as you’d expect but they still don’t convince me.
@Ray Ridge: Still fancy them for the final Ray?
@Bert Carolan: They don’t need to convince. This is cup football now. It’s about getting the job done. I fully expect them to be in the final, and they have every chance to win it.
@Ray Ridge: but you were impressively, some would even say heroically wrong with that one, weren’t you Ray?
Football is a brutal watch two terrible games all about who can hold the ball longer. The quicker the laws are changed to prevent passing the ball back past the halfway line once you’ve gone forward. Or standing in the same position hold the ball and no more than 4 hand passes in in any possessions. Otherwise just don’t televise games and play them behind closed doors.
Efforts that were going over for Derry last week weren’t today. Cynical play on David Clifford as well. Kerry will have to be better to win it out but you feel that they will.
@Bert Carolan: dongeal will win it now
@Alan Moloney: Alan you really haven’t a scooby doo.
@Cian O: kerry have nothing won yet
75 minutes, I’ll never get back. Role on the hurling.
Football is finished even Kerry are playing puke football. Terrible match.
I have no interest in this so called sport but surely that thing about the angelus can’t be true in2024, If it is true it’s just plain bizarre
Modern player may be fitter but very few attempt a point from 30 metres..can be hard on the eye at times with all the handpasses.
Imagine having paid €45 to watch that muck. At least Donegal-Louth had a bit of go about it.
Kerry-Derry was the worst game of anything I’ve seen in the last 20 years. Both sets of players should hang their heads if they think that’s how you play football.
Thank god we have the hurling semis next weekend.