Munster final Sunday has become no more than a box-ticking exercise for all in green and gold
KERRY 4-20 (4-3-14) CLARE 0-21 (0-2-17)
Munster chairman Tim Murphy, writing in the match programme, said the 'exhilarating' nature of the recent Cork-Kerry semi-final was 'a badly needed boost' for the often maligned and too often non-competitive Munster football championship.
There was no second boost here, no second spectacle. There was nothing remotely exhilarating about this Munster final. Served up instead was apathy and another Kerry annihilation.
The crowd of 13,181 was the smallest in living memory for a provincial decider at Fitzgerald Stadium. The Kerry majority within that number couldn't even be bothered to encroach the pitch afterwards.
And fully understandable was their post-match muteness. Equally so was the understated behaviour of their players on the field.
Munster final Sunday has become no more than a box-ticking exercise for all in the green and gold corner. The numbers bear out this argument. This latest Sunday was the fourth time in the last five years where their margin of victory on the concluding day of provincial business sat in double digits.
Try these for lotto numbers: 22, 23, 14, 7, and 11. Has a five-in-a-row ever been so comfortably achieved? A stroll-in-the-sun 86th Munster crown. A stress-free 12th in 13 years.
After Clare had the temerity to come within seven last May, they and their former Kerry boss were duly whipped here. Embarrassed, even, at times in the opening half when the gap ran to 15 points and threatened to run out of control.
The Kerry and Clare players march behind the Millstreet Pipe Band in the parade before the Munster GAA Football Senior Championship final. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.
No surprise sprung by Peter Keane against his own. No getting one over on Jack, or anyone else from back home for that matter. His knowledge of local weaknesses from his three years at the helm did not lead to any exploitation of such.
Indeed, such was the utter one-sidedness that the absence of the injured Shane Ryan, Paul Murphy, Diarmuid O'Connor, Graham O'Sullivan, and suspended Paudie Clifford was neither lamented nor felt. There was ample breathing space to hand championship debuts, off the bench, to Mark O'Shea, Evan Looney, and Keith Evans.
Among those drafted in for the aforementioned missing quintet was a first championship start since 2021 for Micheál Burns. He finished a first-half goal and finished the first half itself by preventing an Eoin Cleary goal at the far end.
Seán O'Shea started his first game since the League defeat to Dublin on February 15. It was as if he'd never been away. Inside 22 seconds, he'd kicked only Kerry's second two-pointer in five games.
'Seánie has had a frustrating time with a knee issue, but it just shows the reservoir of fitness he's built up, because he doesn't have a huge amount done. I was amazed he was going as well as he was for fifty minutes, but he's a great lad and got a great attitude,' said Jack, post-match.
Kerry's so-called problem department in the middle of the field looked no problem at all. Barry Dan pinched 1-1 and pulled down kickouts. Joe O'Connor again broke restarts and broke perfectly-timed onto attacks.
Because there is so little of a contest to reflect upon, let's instead focus on the reality ahead for the Kingdom. Unless Cork unsettle them for a second time at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on the June Bank Holiday weekend, Kerry will once again land into the last eight of the championship significantly less examined than their fellow Sam Maguire frontrunners. Deep down, the Kerry camp knows as much. So, how will Jack stir the juices?
'I'll tell you now, the best way to keep fellas' feet on the ground; there were four or five fellas who missed out today, and they'll all be training next week. Bobby Knight said long ago, if a fella thinks his arse is going to be on the seat, that will focus his mind pretty quick.'
The reverse of that is the fellas who missed yesterday must have been getting anxious in the stand at how they were going to dislodge teammates from a side that kept Clare to five points in the opening 26 minutes, while at the same time posting 4-7.
Suspense had been unforgivingly removed by the sixth minute. Kerry already had two goals on the board. Tony Brosnan and Tom O'Sullivan with the risk-reward passes. David Clifford, both times, with the finish.
Clare did not help themselves. Keelan Sexton blazed over a first-half penalty. They converted only five of 13 first-half scoring opportunities from play. Emmet McMahon committed a stupid black card foul on 16 minutes after Paul Geaney had been stripped of possession.
But instead of a Clare turnover won, O'Shea kicked his second two-pointer and Kerry enjoyed numerical advantage for the ensuing 10 minutes. It was a 10-minute period where Kerry doubled their goal count through Burns and Barry Dan.
Their lead peaked at 15. That was the interval difference, 4-10 to 0-7. Their second-half easing off was, in keeping with the afternoon's theme, expected and understandable.
An exhilarating semi-final, an evisceration of a final. Local business again taken care of. Now comes the real business.
Scorers for Kerry: D Clifford (2-5, tp, 0-1 free); S O'Shea (0-8, tp free, tp, 0-3 frees); BD O'Sullivan (1-1); P Geaney (0-4, 0-1 free); M Burns (1-0); D Geaney (0-2).
Scorers for Clare: E McMahon (0-8, 2tp frees, 0-2 frees); M McInerney (0-6, 0-2 frees, 0-1 '45); K Sexton (0-1 pen), B McNamara (0-2 each); M Doherty, D Walsh, A Griffin (0-1 each).
Kerry: S Murphy; D Casey, J Foley, T O'Sullivan; B Ó Beaglaoich, M Breen, G White; J O'Connor, BD O'Sullivan; T Brosnan, S O'Shea, M Burns; D Clifford, P Geaney, D Geaney.
Subs: T Morley for Foley (27-32, temporary); R Murphy for Brosnan, K Spillane for O'Shea (both 52); T Morley for Breen (54); M O'Shea for BD O'Sullivan (55); K Evans for Burns (59); E Looney for Ó Beaglaoich (64, temporary).
Clare: E Tubridy; M Doherty, R Lanigan, C Brennan; A Sweeney, C Rouine, I Ugweuru; B McNamara, D Walsh; A Griffin, E McMahon, D Coughlan; M McInerney, K Sexton, E Cleary.
Subs: C Meaney for Sweeney, S Griffin for Walsh (both 54); E Cahill for Sexton (58); R McMahon for Rouine (62); D Burns for Cleary (68).
Referee: N Mooney (Cavan).
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