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Mike O’Halloran went to Mallow on Sunday to see Kerry take on Cork in the Munster Senior League match. He was impressed with Kerry’s effort…
Cork 1-20
Kerry 0-18
Action from the match in Mallow on Sunday. Photo by Mike O’Halloran
For the second week in a row Kerry hurlers put 18 points on the score board, but again they came up just short losing out to a Cork team who were playing their second game in 24 hours.
The opening eight minutes began well for Cork when they led by eight points before the very busy Brendan O Leary pointed for Kerry, his brother Michel added two more from play.
Shane Nolan also had two points from placed balls by the 20th minute. Cork had struck for a goal in between when Luke O’Farrell volleyed to the net after being at the end of a complex series of inter-passing by the Cork attack, leaving the score Cork 1-7 points Kerry 0-6.
Continued below…
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A feature of the Cork game all day was their attempt to play the ball around prior to shooting at the target. At halftime the score line read Cork 1-11 Kerry 0-9, Shane Nolan had two pointed frees and Colum Harty had a point. Kerry could have been closer were it not for a couple of poor wides.
Cork fans expected their team to push on in the second half and the Cork players seemed to be obliging when they shot over two points in quick succession from Luke O’Farrell and the excellent Conor Lehane.
Kerry had other ideas and came into the game and upped their challenge. Jordan Conway led that challenge with a wonderful point he set up Michael O’Leary for another with a deft pass, in-between Colum Harty had tapped over for The Kingdom.
The Kerry panel in Mallow on Sunday. Photo by Mike O’Halloran
So intense was the Kerry challenge that even the Cork supporters were rising to their efforts. Kerry were chasing, hooking and blocking as well as keeping the scoreboard ticking over.
Michael Boyle was introduced along with James O’Connor for Keith Carmody and Paudie O’Connor. Michael had an immediate impact with his ability to challenge for ball in the air. On twenty one minutes and with Cork only leading by six points, a high ball was lobbed into the square up goes Boyle’s hand the ball sticks to it he is upended, penalty for Kerry. Shane Nolan took on the one on one, he shot low and left but it was saved by Declan Dalton.
Nolan was injured a few minutes later and was replaced by young John Buckley and shortly after his introduction the Lixnaw star pointed for Kerry.
Michael O’Leary had a long range point for Kerry at the end bit Seamus Harnedy had the last say with a pointed free.
Both sides ended with 14 players on the field when both Darren Dineen and Alan Cadogan were red carded for a little “coming together”. How the referee selected them for sanction out of the sixteen who also took part in the exchange of handbags, I don’t know.
The Munster League is a great stage to audition players for bigger challenges to come in the national hurling League and the Leinster Championship.
The O’Leary brothers Michael and Brendan were very impressive and in Division 1 Kerry will need powerful skilful men like them to compete.
Darren Dineen was introduced from the start in place of Thomas Casey who was injured in the warm up showed why he is one of the top hurlers in the county he was solid and aggressive in defence and full of vision with his ball distribution.
Jordan Conway is not big in stature but he is brave, skilful and always seems to know when to shoot for a score or pass it to another player in a better position. Put Jordan beside ball winners like the O’Learys or Michael Boyle and he will score.
Another big plus for Kerry is the return of Tom Murnane, he had a cameo role today when he replaced Dougie Fitzell.
Kerry have a great pool of young talent to call on in the coming years, but in order to survive in Division 1 they will need to mix the young with the more experienced.
Kerry travel to Sixmilebridge next Wednesday night for their third away game in this competition. I was going to say that it is not fair to do that to the weaker counties but Kerry is now in Division 1 so we can’t have it both ways, anyway this bunch of hurlers will play anywhere home or away.
That display today has really enthused me for the season ahead.
Kerry. Martin Stackpoole, Sean Weir, Bryan Murphy, Dougie Fitzell (Tom Murnane) Daniel Collins, Darren Dineen, Jason Diggins, Paudie O Connor (James O Connor), Philip Lucid, Colum Harty, Brendan O Leary, Shane Nolan (John Buckley), Keith Carmody (Michael Boyle), Michael O’Leary, Jordan Conway.
Scorers. Shane Nolan 5 points (5 frees) Michael O’Leary 5points, Colum Harty 3 points, Philip Lucid 2 points, Jordan Conway 1 point, John Buckley 1 point.
