2022 Electric Ireland GAA Football All-Ireland Minor Championship Quarter-Final – Kerry 0-8 Tyrone 1-4

Kerry defeated Tyrone by 0-8 to 1-4 in the Electric Ireland GAA Football All-Ireland Minor Championship Quarter-Final on Saturday June 11th at MW Hire O’Moore Park Portlaoise.

Kerry minors eke out victory in low-scoring Tyrone affair

Report by Eoghan Cormican for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Kerry 0-8 Tyrone 1-4

Kerry, despite going scoreless for 22 minutes of the second half, edged out Ulster champions Tyrone to secure their place in the last four of the All-Ireland MFC.

This narrow and extremely hard-earned quarter-final victory allows Kerry to move on from their 11-point Munster final hammering to Cork, while equally ensuring their season is not defined by that provincial decider horror show.

Ahead by 0-6 to 1-2 at the end of a first half dictated by Tyrone’s defence-centred set-up, Kerry stretched two clear early in the second period when midfielder Eddie Healy kicked a booming point from distance.

That score, though, was to prove their last for 22 minutes, during which time they lost half-forward Niall Collins to a black card, but still managed to hold the inside lane as all Tyrone could conjure was a solitary point.

Half-back Fionn Murphy, from the placed ball, brought an end to Kerry’s barren spell on 58 minutes, his score coming after a whole host of squandered Kerry chances that either fell short, hit the post, drifted wide, or the attack simply broke down.

Forced to emerge from their defensive shell, Tyrone gave fierce chase late on and while they reduce the gap to the minimum with an injury-time Caolon Donnelly point, they could not find an equaliser at the end of a contest that will live long in nobody’s memory.

Tyrone’s safety-first and defence-heavy approach contributed to a slow grind of a first half that didn’t really develop any semblance of flow until Kerry kicked three-in-a-row in a three-minute spell coming up on the 25th minute.

Tyrone’s 13-boy rearguard and willingness to hold onto possession for long spells without making a significant amount of yardage was a game-plan Kerry struggled to tailor their own approach to during an opening 22 minutes that produced just four scores.

The pick of those was the quarter-final’s opener, Caolon Donnelly palming a Ronan Molloy pass over the head of Kerry goalkeeper Shay O’Meara seven minutes in. It was to prove the Ulster champions’ sole score from play in the opening half an hour. Indeed, they’d not register a second score from play for another 40 minutes after the green flag.

Kerry’s opener, two minutes after the Donnelly major and provided by Cormac Dillon, epitomised the patience Kerry had to show when trying to find a chink in the populated Tyrone rearguard.

As mentioned above, they enjoyed far greater success in doing so later in the half, with a pair from Dillon arriving either side of a Paddy Lane effort to send the Kingdom in front – 0-5 to 1-1 – for the first time on 24 minutes.

Key to this succession of Kerry scores was the high press they put on Conor McAneney’s restarts, forcing the Tyrone number one to go long and hope for the best. Kerry midfielder Evan Boyle claimed back-to-back kickouts in the middle of the field, with half-back Jack O’Sullivan also winning one.

Ronan Molloy quickly had Tyrone back level on 25 minutes, but Kerry posted an immediate response as Donagh O’Sullivan landed their fourth white flag in as many minutes to leave the interval scoreline reading 0-6 to 1-2.

Scores were even less plentiful in the second period, but that’ll not concern a delighted winning manager James Costello or his players one iota as they look forward to an All-Ireland minor semi-final in a fortnight.

Scorers for Kerry: C Dillon (0-3, 0-1 free); E Healy, F Murphy (0-1 free), J Clifford, P Lane, D O’Sullivan (0-1 each).

Scorers for Tyrone: C Donnelly (1-1); R Molloy (0-2, 0-1 free), N Grimes (0-1).

Kerry: S O’Meara (Dr Crokes); M Lynch (Dr Crokes), C Browne (Austin Stacks), R Burke (Castleisland Desmonds); J O’Sullivan (Brosna), L Evans (Keel), F Murphy (Rathmore); E Healy (Listowel Emmets), E Boyle (Ballyduff); N Collins (Ballymacelligott), D O’Sullivan (Dromid Pearses), J Clifford (St Michael’s, Foilmore); P Lane (Austin Stacks), C Dillon (Duagh), O Ferris (Ardfert).
Subs: T Ashe (Annascaul) for Boyle (52); D O’Connor (Beaufort) for Collins (55); J Fitzgerald (Lios Póil) for Lane (61).

Tyrone: C McAneney (Glenelly); J Clarke (Donaghmore), B Hughes (Donaghmore), B McMenamin (Aghyaran); C Donnelly (Fintona), C Daly (Omagh), C Devlin (Ardboe); C O’Neill (Donaghmore); S Hughes (Galbally); N Farry (Trillick), R Molloy (Donaghmore), C Devlin (Ardboe); N Grimes (Donaghmore), E McElholm (Loughmacrory),M McElhatton (Cookstown).
Subs: S Fay (Eglish) for Hughes (39); R McCullagh (Loughmacrory) for McElhatton (48); C Donnelly (Trillick) for Devlin (52); L Hughes (Dungannon) for Molloy (53); N McCarney (Drumragh) for Farry (60).

Referee: J Molloy (Galway)

Team News

Team Announcement: Kerry vs Tyrone – Electric Ireland Minor Football Championship Quarter-Final

Full details here: https://t.co/2Mm6sw0any#WeAreKerry #CiarraíAbú #ElectricIreland pic.twitter.com/DENEKrQPVT

— Kerry GAA (@Kerry_Official) June 10, 2022

KERRY: S O’Meara (Dr Crokes); M Lynch (Dr Crokes), L Evans (Keel), R Burke (Castleisland Desmonds); E Healy (Listowel Emmets), C Browne (Austin Stacks), F Murphy (Rathmore); J O’Sullivan (Brosna), E Boyle (Ballyduff); N Collins (Ballymacelligott), C Dillon (Duagh), J Clifford (St.Michaels Foilmore); P Lane (Austin Stacks), D O’Sullivan (Dromid Pearses), O Ferris (Ardfert).
Subs: M Tansley (Austin Stacks), P Moynihan (Rathmore), I O’Sullivan (St. Michaels-Foilmore), D O’Connor (Beaufort), D Allman (Kenmare Shamrocks), J Burke (Laune Rangers), J Coffey (Beaufort), J Fitzgerald (Lios Poil).