LAST UPDATE | 10 Jul 2022
JACK O’CONNOR HEAPED praise upon match-winner Seán O’Shea after his magnificent pointed free settled today’s All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park.
O’Shea nailed the kick into Hill 16 to send Kerry past Dublin with the Kingdom manager scarcely believing the Kenmare man had found his range.
“Personally, from the line, I didn’t think it was kickable to be honest with you, straight up. I didn’t think a man could get the distance because Seanie Shea had emptied the tank.
“He had given a ferocious performance up to then. To have the resilience and the strength and more importantly the technique to kick that with the in step and just glide it in from the right hand past, into the breeze and into the hill.
“So that has to be one of the best pressure kicks we’ve seen here, and we’ve seen a lot of kicks, that I’ve seen here in Croke Park in a long, long time. I don’t think the penalty affected him because he was playing very, very well. He had a great start in that game. He had kicked 1-2 before he missed the penalty. Seanie is a resilient character, that was never going to affect him.
“But like, that last kick there’s very few players in the country…you go back to the Maurice Fitzs and the Bryan Sheehan’s of this world to kick like that, but particularly the last kick and the amount that he had given in the game.”
O’Connor felt his team were resilient in a heart-stopping finale.
“It was a good test of the heart anyway. The old ticker was going fairly fast near the end, It felt on the line that it was a fantastic game, a great battle. Dublin threw everything at us like the great team they are and their big players came to the fore in the last 15 minutes.
“Just delighted with our fellas, with the resilience they showed. That game was going against us. I think the absolute key to it was in the last 10 minutes, when Dublin were pressing our kick-outs Shane Ryan got off all our kick-outs. I think that was hugely significant. If they turn over one of those kick-outs I thought we were done. Fellas like Brian O Beaglaoich must have shown short for four or five of those kick-outs and more importantly broke out and broke the line and got us moving again.
“We were still creating a bit down the other end, even though we were a bit wasteful. But what a battle, Dublin are a great team. Probably the greatest team of all time so you can imagine how much it took for us to finally get over the line. Tony Griffin has worked an awful lot with the boys on the mental side of the game. Staying resilient, when you get setbacks, just driving on to the next ball or whatever and it took all that focus and resilience to keep going.”
Kerry missed a chance to net from a penalty in the first half but O’Connor was unhappy with the delay to taking that kick.
“There was a bit of pressure on Seanie for that kick because the goalie obviously stayed down for a considerable period of time. This craic that you can lie down and waste three minutes off a black card, that’s ridiculous. To what degree can you exploit that? If that’s the case sure everyone could get players lying down for five minutes and waste half the black card, do you know what I’m saying? Ye’d agree with that? That’s a rule that needs to be tweaked isn’t it?”
After all the injury talk beforehand, David Clifford produced an exhibition of shooting as he bagged 0-6.
“He jarred his ankle and it was swelled after the Mayo game,” revealed O’Connor.
“He basically didn’t train for the following week. But he did a bit last Tuesday. And we did a little bit Thursday, but it was some performance by him considering. He had missed a bit of time before the Mayo game with a calf injury time, so some performance considering the amount of time he had missed.”
While Kerry’s joy was understandable at the finish after ending their losing streak at the hands of Dublin, O’Connor is wary of the final challenge ahead that Galway will pose.
“Sure of course it’s significant psychologically but Mayo were in this exact same position last year and I had the feeling that Mayo had made a huge breakthrough but they didn’t get over the line in the final. You have to go the distance. Getting there isn’t enough. That’ll be a big, big incentive for us over the next two weeks to finish the job now. At Christmas this game will be forgotten about if we don’t get over the line in the final.
“It’s an ecstatic dressing room but we’ll have to get the boys down to level ground again. You can imagine the Galway dressing room a couple of weeks ago when they beat Armagh in an epic like. They’ve had a similar enough experience to us. We have to do a lot of work on the boys in the next couple of weeks to convince them that this job isn’t done. This job is far from done.”
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We’re definitely building momentum at the moment and the confidence seems to be back in a big way… None more so than Marcus Rashford! I’m thoroughly enjoying watching this team for the first time in quite a while. Onwards and upwards!
@G Bot: you are easily pleased. Rashford only one performing at elite level.
@roderick: you obviously don’t look at football your narrative doesn’t make sense, did you ever hear about de gea, casemiro, varane, eriksen, shaw?? Just asking??
I’m expecting this United team to win now and that’s a very dangerous mindset lol
@Aidy McBride: it’s one game calm down … that’s coming from a utd fan ..
@Ciaran: and the previous 7 games.
@Ciaran: one defeat in 17 games, 7 wins on the bounce. Where are you getting 1 game from?
@Ciaran: congratulations been on this app for a while now and some of the comments on here are mind blowingly terrible but you my man just one first prize well done the most stupid comment I have ever read on this app.
@Ciaran: 100% would not be getting too carried away alot to work on. Everton could of easily won that game tonight. If people think martial is the saviour well we are in big trouble.
@Pauly Kel: no one thinks martial is the saviour I literally have not heard one person say that.
@A$AP ETH: one game in the FA Cup.. and going to win it already .. do me a favour …
@Aidy McBride: one game in the FA cup played and United are going to win it already.. do me a favour ..
@Ciaran: he didn’t say that, and aren’t fans allowed be pleased when their team wins anymore?
@rory: *won first prize.
One game in the FA cup played and United are going to win it already.. very ambitious but I can see where you are coming from. Confusing one with won. Man Utd have only played ONE game in the FA cup this season.. they haven’t WON the FA cup.. primary school level English there pal..
@Ciaran: You clearly misinterpreted his comment. As a United fan who’s seen far too many false dawns in the last few years I know exactly what he means!
@A$AP ETH: read the initial comment .. “I’m expecting this utd team to win it now” .. so he did say it
@Ciaran: maybe you should start following a different team mate, just a thought.
@Ciaran: that’s not what I said. Put the bottle down and go to bed mate.
@Ciaran: he said, ‘i’m expecting this utd team to win now’. Not win ‘it’ now Which 99.9% of people would take as being confident in the teams ability to win – not just confined to one comp, but shur whatever you think yourself.
@Ciaran: Jesus mate, who s41t in your handbag this evening??
@rory: he is the center forward now, I realise what he brings to the team with he’s pressing and working as a unit but he is not going score the 20 goals a season what is needed.. Taking off last 7 games he has started? A few friends of mine(season ticket holders) think he’s the man? I beg to differ.!!
@Ciaran: spot on!
@Aidy McBride: Very sad to see you arguing with your own now. Where will it end.
@Damien Leen: Obsessed
Scoreline flattered united a bit in the end. Good to get the win though. Rashford looking better with every game. Real test are the next two, still looking a bit dodgy at the back. Hopefully martinez gets a start next game.
@A$AP ETH: first game in a few that Utd looked shaky. Was like looking at them last year. Plenty of the ball around the box with no penetration. Really really need a good striker, or even a half decent one. Still a win is a win. Everton look doomed. Playing terrible and just seem to be throwing themselves to the group when they run out of ideas.
@Cormac Flanagan: hopefully it is just shaw being a bit inexperienced at cb. It’s worked the last few games, but i don’t think he’ll cut the mustard in there against city and arsenal. I suppose dalot was bit rusty as well.Right about a striker, I was hoping they would throw in a bid for toney, but they might be put off by the betting stuff.
@A$AP ETH: How is is the real test? United beat Arsenal and got hammered by City. United are going to be the only team to have played Arsenal and City, twice in their first 19 games.
@Alan Kenny: don’t really understand your point. I don’t think it’s too unreasonable to say that playing city and arsenal will represent a bigger test than any of the opposition they have had so far post world cup.
We’ve made good progress from where we were this time last year. If we keep up this momentum 4th spot is achievable especially when the likes of Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea haven’t been as consistent as we have. This isn’t a team that can win the league we’re at minimum a year or two away from that but if we can at least establish ourselves as a team who can make at least make top 3 and maybe a domestic cup win or something it’s a step in the right direction. And that’s just from the on field perspective as we can only speculate on what may occur if the owners sell. And sure maybe I’m just enjoying being optimistic as a United fan for the first time in a long time but it feels nice
Not a bad win for a ten man outfit #martialisalazywastergetridofhimyesterday
@Liam P Dunne: manager says otherwise… But I’m sure you know best…
@Markonline: I know he’s the worst I’ve seen in 44 years.
@Liam P Dunne: after all that time you’d think they’d listen to you so…..or maybe not?
I seem to remember Ole having a great start too. How did that end up?
@Eoin McCarthy: ‘There’s only two types of manager. Those who’ve been sacked and those who will be sacked in the future.’
@Eoin McCarthy: absolutely fantastic to see fans of other teams obviously starting to worry about Manchester United again. All trying to convince yourselves that they aren’t improving. Will they win the league this season? No. City might well beat them easy next weekend but without doubt United are improving
@Brian Dunne: it’ll be a hard task to beat city and arsenal, I think both games will be close. The improvement in Uniteds play is the most obvious thing in the premier league so far but some just refuse to see it.
@Eoin McCarthy: I was mistaken before, bots are getting more thick
@Brian Dunne: I’m not worried. I’m just fascinated by recency bias. If, after 38 games, United qualify for the champions league, well then fair play to ETH. But he’s achieved nothing yet. Ole’s first 18 games, United looked great. The middle part of the 2019/20 season, they looked great. The middle part of the 2020/21, they looked great. United fans were singing Ole’s praises during those periods just like they are of ETH now and yet, there were no trophies.
@Eoin McCarthy: for recency bias, read ‘being a football fan’. You are allowed be pleased when your team are doing well, even if they’ve won nothing. Trophies are the ultimate aim and would be great, but it’s ok to celebrate individual games and moments too. Most united fans are more realistic then you give them credit for. Don’t think many are expecting a trophy fest this season, but securing top 4 and maybe one of the cups would represent a great season for ETH imo.
@A$AP ETH: exactly. If a football fan can’t get excited by his team doing well then I’ll give it up and watch bowls instead. United have genuine world class players now in varane and casemiro. They have top class playere such as ericksen, bruno, rashford, martinez etc. They have a young excellent coach, jaysis even the glazers are talking about selling! Exciting times for United fans.
I’m getting a nice few quid atm by backing Rashford “shots on target”. Lost my stones over the last year with “Ronaldo specials”. Keep the pressure off for a while.