Allianz Football League Division 1 – Mayo 0-15 Kerry 1-6

Mayo punish wayward Kingdom

Report from the GAA.ie web site

Mayo 0-15 Kerry 1-6

Last year’s beaten All-Ireland finalists, Mayo, made the perfect start to the new season, and their 2013 Allianz Football League Division I campaign, by beating a very disappointing Kerry side at Elvery’s MacHale Park on Sunday. Although Kerry were short a number of high-profile names due to injury and Dr. Crokes’ involvement in the All-Ireland Club Championship, much was still expected of the Kingdom in Éamonn Fitzmaurice’s first game in charge. However, the new manager will be gravely disappointed by his side’s performance, especially in the second half when Kerry failed to register a single score. It’s a damning statistic that looks even worse when you consider the visitors’ final point of the game came from the boot of Conor Cox before the half hour mark, the youngster giving his side a 1-6 to 0-7 lead after James O’Donoghue’s 17th minute goal had helped peg Mayo back after the Westerners made by far the better start. Mayo fought back before half-time, with points from Jason Doherty, who scored 0-5 in the first half alone, and Kevin McLoughlin leveling matters at the break, 0-9 to 1-6.

Although Kerry did have to face into a reasonably stiff breeze in the second half, their failure to register another score was down to far more than just the elements. Anthony Maher’s dismissal for a second yellow card on 49 minutes didn’t help, but Kerry were already in big trouble at that stage. Kerry dug in and 16 untidy minutes’ play elapsed before Mayo began to press home their numerical advantage. Michael Conroy fired over his third of the afternoon to end the stalemate, while Enda Varley came off the bench to light up the Mayo attack in the closing stages. Varley boosted his hopes of more permanent inclusion in the Mayo team with two late points that helped the home side to a deserved victory, and to two Allianz League points. It was a very disappointing performance from a young Kerry outfit unable to call on the experience of Colm Cooper, Tomás Ó Sé and Kieran Donaghy. With Dublin the visitors to Killarney next Sunday, things won’t get any easier for the Kingdom in Round 2.

Scorers for Mayo: J Doherty 0-6 (5f), M Conroy 0-3, K McLoughlin 0-3 (2f), E Varley 0-2, R Feeney 0-1

Scorers for Kerry: J O’Donoghue 1-0, M O’Donoghue 0-2, C Cox 0-1, A Maher 0-1, J Buckley 0-1 (1 ’45) D O’Sullivan 0-1

Mayo: D Clarke, S McHale, G Cafferkey, K Higgins,T Cunniffe, C Boyle, C Barrett, A O’Shea, S O’Shea, L Keegan, R Feeney, C Freeman, K McLoughlin, J Doherty, M Conroy. Subs: A Freeman for C Freeman, B Moran for S O’Shea, E Varley for R Feeney

Kerry: B Kealy, M O Se, A O’Mahony, S Enright, J Lyne, P Crowley, K Young, A Maher, J Buckley, M Geaney, D O’Sullivan, M O’Donoghue, J O’Donoghue, P Curtin, C Cox. Subs: BJ Keane for Cox, B Sheehan for Geaney, S O’Carroll for M O’Donoghue.

Referee: P Hughes (Armagh)

Mayo cruise as Kingdom off the pace

By John Fogarty for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Mayo 0-15 Kerry 1-06

The annals of Kerry football were consulted in MacHale Park late yesterday afternoon to track down the last time their senior team went a half of competitive football without scoring. The search is continuing this morning. What’s concrete is that this was one of the poorest performances by a Kerry team since their All-Ireland semi-final loss to Meath in 2001. In total, they went close to 43 minutes without raising either flag, Conor Cox’s 31st minute point, which had then put the visitors two points ahead.

Kerry aren’t the first team not to score in a second half of a league game in Castlebar. Such was the verbal abuse he received, Tomás Quinn was forced to change his phone number after a day to forget nine years ago this month when Dublin went the 35-plus minutes scoreless. But this being Kerry, the general view of Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s early reign will be scrutinised more keenly after this setback. And that’s exactly what it was. At the same time, maybe there will be a tad more sympathy for him and his management too. Kerry, at full strength, are a force but beyond their strongest 15 lies the problem, as was so acutely emphasised yesterday.

Fitzmaurice wasn’t going to question the faith he has in his young players, certainly not after one defeat, no matter how galling it was, but in hindsight it was a second rate Tipperary team Kerry had beaten in the previous weekend’s McGrath Cup final. Having two clubs involved in All-Ireland series mightn’t affect a bottomless pool like Dublin’s but on top of injuries Kerry suffer without the likes of Messrs Cooper, Donaghy and Galvin. What about Mayo? In recent weeks, James Horan has complained about the lack of credit dished out to his team.

If most of the attention is focused on Kerry this morning, he can have no qualms. Mayo weren’t super yesterday, just adequate, in inflicting a third consecutive defeat over their All-Ireland jinxes in front of the 7,124 crowd. Up until the 63rd minute, Kerry were still in the game at least on the scoreboard, trailing 1-6 to 0-12, before Kevin McLoughlin and a brace from Enda Varley extended Mayo’s lead to six. No, this was a defeat all of Kerry’s own making. All they could muster in the second half was two shots past David Clarke’s dead-ball line, the latter an awful effort from a Bryan Sheehan free.

Let’s not forget either that they had only two points to Mayo’s four by the 17th minute, despite a more than generous breeze at their backs. Having returned to collective training over four weeks ahead of Mayo, Fitzmaurice was only right not to blame fitness as an issue following the game. Mayo’s full-forward line were spoilt by the amount of ball that came their way against the wind and the home side should have gone in at the break better than on level terms, 0-9 to 1-6.

As a spectacle, there wasn’t much to write about this affair either. If Kerry’s scoreless gap was yawning, Mayo contributed to the drabness by going 16 minutes without a point in the second half despite the favour of the wind. There was also enough cynicism to go around but referee Padraig Hughes’ constant whistling did stagnate the flow of the game. Anthony Maher was shown to the line for a second yellow card offence in the 50th minute after becoming entangled with Aidan O’Shea, who was the stand-out midfielder on the afternoon. Although four of his six backs picked up yellow cards, Horan could be pleased with his team’s discipline, the defence conceding just two frees in scoring areas which were both missed.

He was also satisfied with how his team began the game against the wind, James O’Donoghue’s slip through Shane McHale and Tom Cunniffe for Kerry’s goal the only real blot on their copybook. “We started the game well and showed good intent and got some good scores early on,” said Horan. “We conceded a few soft goal chances and Kerry took one quite well but we responded and kept plugging away so I’m happy with a lot.”

Despite an experimental FBD Connacht League campaign and only a month’s worth of work done, Horan was confident his team would put together a display. “I had a strong feeling we’d do well today but you never know until you play. We had a good meeting yesterday and went through a few things. That was talking about it — you have to go and do it but we did today so I’d be happy.”

Scorers for Mayo: J Doherty 0-6 (5fs), M Conroy, K McLoughlin (2fs) 0-3 each, E Varley 0-2, R Feeney 0-1.

Subs for Mayo: A Freeman for Freeman (ht), B Moran for S O’Shea (61), J Gibbons for A O’Shea (blood 63-65), E Varley for Feeney (blood, 66).

Scorers for Kerry: J O’Donoghue 1-0, M O’Donoghue 0-2, J Buckley (45), Darran O’Sullivan, A Maher, C Cox 0-1 each.

Subs for Kerry: B Sheehan for M Geaney, BJ Keane for Cox (both 43), A Garnett for Curtin (61), S O’Carroll for M O’Donoghue (65), S Enright (inj 71). Red card: A Maher (50, second yellow).

Referee: Padraig Hughes (Armagh)

Team News

The Kerry Senior Football Team to play Mayo in the opening round of the Allianz Football League in Castlebar on Sunday next sees Jack Sherwood from Firies and Michael O’Donoghue from Spa make their League debuts; The team is as follows:

1. Brendan Kealy Kilcummin

2. Marc Ó Sé An Gaeltacht

3. Aidan O’Mahony Rathmore

4. Shane Enright Tarbert

5. Jonathan Lyne Killarney Legion

6. Jack Sherwood Firies

7. Killian Young Renard

8. Anthony Maher Duagh

9. Johnny Buckley Dr Crokes (Capt)

10. Michael Geaney Dingle

11. Darran O’Sullivan Glenbeigh/Glencar

12. Michael O’Donoghue Spa

13. Barry John Keane Kerins O’Rahillys

14. Patrick Curtin Moyvane

15. Paul Geaney Dingle

16. Brian Kelly Killarney Legion

17. Bryan Sheehan St Marys

18. Peter Crowley Laune Rangers

19. David Culhane Ballylongford

20. Brian Maguire Listowel Emmetts

21. Conor Cox Listowel Emmetts

22. Andrew Garnett Spa

23. Barry John Walsh Kerins O’Rahillys

24. Mark Griffin St Michaels/Foilemore

25. Shane O’Carroll Austin Stacks

26. Darragh O’Sullivan Dingle

Jack Sherwood who makes his League debut is a member of the Firies Club. He is the holder of 2 Munster Minor Championship medals with Kerry (2008, 2009) and was on the Kerry Under 21 team defeated by Cork in 2012. He won a Junior All Ireland title with Kerry in 2012. He is the first player from his Club to play with Kerry since Donal Daly and is a first cousin of his team mate Peter Crowley.

Michael O’Donoghue who makes his League debut is a member of the Spa Club Killarney. He is the holder of All Ireland medals with Kerry at Under 21 and Junior level and has a Munster Minor and 3 Munster Junior medals as well as a Munster Intermediate Club medal won with Spa. He was Munster GAA U21 Footballer of the Year in 2008 and Munster GAA Junior Footballer of the Year in 2010. He holds 3 Munster Colleges Corn Uí Mhuirí medals. Affectionately known as “Stam” to one and all, he is a nephew of former Kerry and Spa player Mick Gleeson.

The following players are unavailable for Selection:

Injuries:

Declan O’Sullivan Wear & Tear Due Back Latter Stages of NFL

David Moran Cruciate Due back latter stages NFL

Donnchadh Walsh Hip/Groin Due back Championship

Stephen O’Brien Shoulder Due Back Latter stages NFL

Other:

Kieran Donaghy Honeymoon Due back Rd 3 NFL

Tomás Ó Sé Unavailable this weekend

Club Tied:

Colm Cooper, Eoin Brosnan, Kieran O’Leary, Brian Looney (Dr Crokes). Johnny Buckley (Dr Crokes) has been released to play.

Paul Galvin (Finuge) Due back Rd 3 NFL

Paul O’Connor (Kenmare)