2022 Joe McDonagh Cup Hurling – Down 1-19 Kerry 0-18

Down defeated Kerry by 1-19 to 0-18 in Round 1 of the Joe McDonagh Cup Hurling on Saturday April 16th at Austin Stack Park Tralee.

Kerry suffer damaging McDonagh Cup defeat as Shane Nolan calls it a day

Report by Murt Murphy for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Joe McDonagh Cup: Kerry 0-18 Down 1-19.

KERRY’S ambition of making it three Joe McDonagh Cup final appearances in a row suffered a huge blow when they were deservedly beaten by a fired up Down side at the Austin Stack Park.

Down made an explosive start when they won the throw in and when the ball was sent in towards Daithí Sands in the corner. He availed of a slip by his marker and gaining possession he fired the ball low to the Kerry net with just fifteen seconds on the clock.

The goal unsettled Kerry without their defensive talisman Mikey Boyle and now retired Shane Nolan in attack. Indeed it was left to the unerring accuracy of Shane Conway and Podge Boyle to keep the Kingdom in touch. Paul Sheehan then converted a 65 and a free with Shane Conway responding with two frees. Podge Boyle then scored Kerry’s only point of the opening twenty minutes from play as Down looked hungrier and worked harder for each other.

The gap was always three points until the 25th minute when Down led by 1-7 to 0-7 with Paul Sheehan adding a succession of frees as Kerry’s indiscipline beginning to cost them. Kerry rallied before half time thanks to two Shane Conway frees and a point each from Podge Boyle and Michael Leane saw them lead 0-11 to 1-7.

Down were again the better in the second period with Sheehan unerring from frees while Kerry were reliant on Conway and Boyle to keep in touch. Down were holding a three point lead with Matt Conlon and the Sands brothers working hard but with time running out, they were awarded a penalty when Daithí Sands was upended by Paudie O’Connor who received a black card. Down tapped the penalty over the bar to push their lead out to four. Incredibly Kerry were awarded a penalty a minute later but Stephen Keith brilliantly saved Shane Conway’s well struck effort and Kerry’s day of misery was complete.

Long serving Kerry star Shane Nolan did not tog out and Kerry boss Stephen Molumphy confirmed post-match that Nolan had contacted him Thursday to express his disappointment at being dropped.

The Kerry manager said that Nolan was now officially retired and he wished Shane well.

Scorers for Kerry: S Conway (0-11, 8f), P Boyle (0-5, 3f), M Leane, N Mulcahy (0-1 each).

Scorers for Down: P Sheehan (0-14, 12f, 2 ‘65’), D Sands (1-1), P Óg McCrickard (0-2), M Fisher, O McManus (0-1 each)

KERRY: L Dee; F McCarthy, C O’Keeffe, E Leen; E Ross, F Mackessy, C Walsh; M Leane, P O’Connor; G Dooley, D Collins, C Harty; P Boyle, S Conway, M O’Connor.
Subs: N Mulcahy for M O’Connor (48), S Weir for C Walsh (63), B Lonergan for G Dooley (66).

DOWN: S Keith; M Hughes, J McManus, T Murray; B Trainor, M Conlon, C Taggart; P Óg McCrickard, L Savage; R McCusker, P Sheahan, D Mallon; D Sands, C Egan, E Sands.
Subs: J Doran for R McCusker (10, inj), M Fisher for C Egan (43), D McCartney for M Hughes (54), G Hughes for T Murray (58), O McManus for P Sheehan (67).

Referee: K Jordan (Tipperary)

An interesting Saturday afternoon beckons in the Joe McDonagh Cup

— The GAA (@officialgaa) April 15, 2022