Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Quarter-Final – Kerry 2-15 Kildare 1-8

Kerry defeated Kildare by 2-15 to 1-8 in the Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Quarter-Final on Monday August 4th at Semple Stadium Thurles.

Kerry’s Ó Sé leads Lilies a merry dance

By Eoghan Cormican for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Kerry 2-15 Kildare 1-8

Kerry minors advanced with consummate ease to the All-Ireland semi-final and, yet, you always got the feeling Jack O’Connor’s charges were operating in no more than third gear when putting Kildare to the sword yesterday afternoon. No, the Kingdom’s youngsters didn’t have to show their full hand against the Lilywhites and will head to Croke Park in three weeks knowing the limits of their capabilities have yet to be tested.

For the Mayo eyes in Thurles, there will have been a few obvious realisations. The most important: starving Tomás Ó Sé of possession is paramount to thwarting this Kerry side. The Gaeltacht forward, a world champion Irish dancer, wreaked havoc on the Kildare rearguard — 1-2 pilfered and three second-half frees earned, which Killian Spillane converted.

O’Connor was impressed by the corner-forward’s contribution. “He actually didn’t tog out for the last fortnight. He had a bit of a knock,” revealed the Kerry boss. “We thought the edge might be gone off him, but he proved today he was doing a bit of dancing at home to keep fit. He’s as good a footballer as he is dancer.”

It was Ó Sé’s goal which ultimately settled this contest, finishing a terrific individual move on 53 minutes. Fielding superbly a Brian Rayle delivery ahead of Kildare corner-back Alan Scully, Ó Sé slipped past two further white shirts before drilling low beyond keeper Tadhg Foley. The score moved Kerry 2-12 to 1-7 clear, ending Kildare’s brief comeback effort. Substitute Shea Ryan, fed by full-forward Séan Dempsey, had fisted to the net on 50 minutes, reducing the gap to four points. they could not make any further inroads.

Indeed, Ó Sé’s goal was part of an unanswered 1-4 Kerry registered on the run for home, Spillane raising three white flags with the aforementioned corner-forward also splitting the posts. I am delighted with our lads, they have answered every question that has been asked of them this year,” said O’Connor. “They weren’t as fluid as normal, but who cares about that? “The main aim was to get to Croke Park along with the seniors, it will make for a great double-header along with the Kerry v Mayo senior game. “Our aim at the start of the year was to have the lads playing into August and it is great to be bringing the lads back to Croke Park. There is a great sense of anticipation going up there.”

The winners opened smartly through Michaél Burns and Barry O’Sullivan. Kildare, though, enjoyed their most productive spell of the game thereafter, hitting four of the next five scores. Ben McCormack had the Lilywhites off the mark, with Conor Hartley, a Seán Dempsey free and a second from the right boot of McCormack adding to the tally.

Crucially, though, Brendan Hackett’s side would fail to score again until early in the second period — a 21-minute barren spell — and by which juncture they trailed 1-8 to 0-5, a seven-point swing. Jordan Kiely pounced for the opening goal of the contest before the close of the first quarter, Spillane laying the foundation with a searing run along the end line and the corner-forward dispatching clinically beyond Foley.

Points followed from Liam Carey (0-2), Killian Spillane (free) and Micheál Burns, his third of the half; Kerry enjoying a 1-7 to 0-4 interval advantage. The gap, as noted, was closed somewhat entering the final quarter nut the end result was never really in doubt.

Scorers for Kerry: K Spillane 0-6 (5f); T Ó Sé 1-2; J Kiely 1-0; M Burns 0-3; L Carey 0-2; S Ryan 0-1 (45), B O’Sullivan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Kildare: S Ryan 1-0; B McCormack 0-3 (2f); S Dempsey 0-2 (1f, 1 45); C Hartley, E O’Donoghue, M Kelly 0-1 each.

KERRY: S Ryan (Rathmore); C Coffey (Kerins O’Rahillys), B Ó Beaglaíoch (An Ghaeltacht), T O’Sullivan (Dingle); D O’Donoghue (Spa), A Barry (Na Gaeil), B Sugrue (Renard); B O’Sullivan (Dingle), M O’Connor (Dingle); M Flaherty (Dingle), L Carey (Beaufort), M Burns (Dr Crokes); J Kiely (Dr Crokes), K Spillane (Templenoe), T Ó Sé (An Ghaeltacht).
Subs: B Rayle (Lispole) for Burns (38), L Kearney for (Spa) for O’Conor (41), R Wharton (Renard) for Sugrue (49), S O’Sullivan (Templenoe) for Carey (53), I Parker (Churchill) for Kiely (59), J Foley (Ballydonoghue) for O’Donoghue (59).

KILDARE: T Foley (Athy); S Healy (Moorefield), M Hyland (Athy), A Scully (Sarsfields); J Flynn (Round Towers), P Mescal (Maynooth), S Ryan (Sarsfields); R Feely (Athy), C Kavanagh (Sarsfields); E Flynn (Round Towers), C Hartley (Sarsfield), S Lawlor (Rathangan); B McCormack (Sarsfields), S Dempsey (Sarsfields), A McConville (Round Towers).
Subs: J Healy (Sarsfields) for S Healy (27, bc), M Kelly (Athy) for McConville (29), P Murray (Maynooth) for Lawlor (29), E O’Donoghue (Clane) for McCormack (42), M Brusey (Raheens) for Feely (Athy) (56).

Referee: N Cullen (Fermanagh)

Team News

The Kerry Minor Team Vs Kildare is announced http://t.co/2RDflNCSbO http://t.co/msyH2JQ3EN

— Kerry GAA (@Kerry_Official) August 1, 2014

The Kerry Minor Team to play Kildare in the Electric Ireland GAA Minor Football Championship Quarter Final in Semple Stadium on Monday (3:45) shows two changes in personnel from the side that defeated Cork in the Munster final.

Andrew Barry of Na Gaeil comes in to anchor the defence at No. 6 with Mark O’Connor moving to midfield in place of Liam Kearney to partner his Dingle clubmate Barry O’Sullivan while Liam Carey of Beaufort comes in at centre forward in place of Brian Rayle.

There are also changes to the substitutes list with Eoin O’Connell (St Senans), Sean Ryan (Austin Stacks) and Jason Foley (Ballydonoghue) coming into the match day panel.

The team, which will be captained by Spa’s Dan O’Donoghue, will line out as follows:
1 Shane Ryan Rathmore
2 Cormac Coffey Kerins O’Rahillys
3 Briain Ó Beaglaíoch An Ghaeltacht
4 Tom O’Sullivan Dingle
5 Dan O’Donoghue (C) Spa
6 Andrew Barry Na Gaeil
7 Brian Sugrue Renard
8 Barry O’Sullivan Dingle
9 Mark O’Connor Dingle
10 Matthew Flaherty Dingle
11 Liam Carey Beaufort
12 Micheál Burns Dr Crokes
13 Jordan Kiely Dr Crokes
14 Killian Spillane Templenoe
15 Tomás Ó Sé An Ghaeltacht
Fir Ionaid
16 Eoin O’Connell St Senans
17 Liam Kearney Spa
18 Brian Rayle Lispole
19 Stephen O’Sullivan Templenoe
20 Robert Wharton Renard
21 Jack Morgan Austin Stacks
22 Ivan Parker Churchill
23 Sean Ryan Austin Stacks
24 Jason Foley Ballydonoghue

Bainistíocht:
Bainisteoir: Jack O’Connor (Dromid Pearses)
Roghnoirí: Micheál O’Shea (Castlegregory), John Galvin (Dr Crokes), Eamon Whelan (St Senans).
Tréanálaithe: Alan O’Sullivan and Arthur Fitzgerald.
Logistics: Ger O’Mahony
Physio: Kieran O’Shea
Doctor: Dr Dave Geaney

Extended Training Panel Members

Roibeárd Ó Sé An Ghaeltacht
Aaron Murphy Dr Crokes
Conor Geaney Dingle
Gavin White Dr. Crokes
Cathal Bambury Dingle
Brian Ó Seanacháin Ballydonoghue

Results to Date:
Munster Qtr Final April 16th Clare 0-7 Kerry 2-16 Cusack Pk
Munster Semi Final May 7th Tipperary 0-7 Kerry 2-18 Semple Stadium
Munster Final July 6th Cork 2-13 Kerry 2-17 Páirc Uí Chaoímh