Kerry make it past a passive Derry in quarter final

David Clifford and Christopher McKaigue.

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.

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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.

For now, Kerry head into the closing stages of an All Ireland championship, with no Dublin involved. He admits that he had to have a word with his players to correct mindsets after their shock defeat to Galway on Saturday night.

“That’s obviously a danger. Kerry public, there’s no better than the Kerry public to get carried away,” O’Connor said.

“And whether you like it or not it can seep into players so of course you have to block it out and you cannot fast forward anything. You have to take it step by step and this was a big step today. We needed all our attention on it, rather than looking too far ahead.”

Onwards to the semi final.

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)