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2025 Munster Senior Football Championship Final – Kerry 4-20 Clare 0-21

May 4 @ 1:45 pm - 3:30 pm

Kerry defeated Clare by 4-20 to 0-21 in the Munster Senior Football Championship Final on Sunday May 4th at Fitzgerald Stadium Killarney.

Match Highlights

Four-goal Kerry cruise by Clare to win fifth consecutive Munster title

Report by Eoghan Cormican courtesy of the Irish Examiner newspaper

Munster SFC final: Kerry 4-20 (4-3-14) Clare 0-21 (0-2-17)

Munster chairman Tim Murphy, writing in the match programme, said the “exhilarating” nature of the recent Cork-Kerry semi-final was “a badly needed boost” for the often maligned and often non-competitive Munster football championship.

There was no second boost here. There was nothing remotely exhilarating about this Munster final. A stroll-in-the-sun 86th Munster crown for Kerry. A third consecutive Munster final win over Clare. The winning margin back out to double digits after Clare had the temerity to come within seven 12 months ago.

The absence of Shane Ryan, Paul Murphy, Diarmuid O’Connor, Graham O’Sullivan, and the suspended Paudie Clifford was neither lamented nor felt.

Among those drafted in their stead was a first championship start in four years for Micheál Burns. He finished a first half goal and finished the first half itself by preventing an Eoin Cleary goal at the far end.

Kerry’s so-called problem department in the middle of the field looked no problem at all. Barry Dan scored 1-1, Joe O’Connor again broke kickouts and broke perfectly timed onto attacks.

No surprise sprung by Peter Keane against his own. No getting one over on the man he was deposed for in the fractious autumn of 2021.

Briefly glancing ahead, the reality for the Kingdom is that unless Cork unsettle them for a second time at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on the Bank Holiday weekend, Kerry will once again land into the last eight of the championship significantly less examined than their fellow Sam Maguire frontrunners. Their All-Ireland series will throw-in at home to Roscommon in a fortnight.

The competitiveness and suspense of this provincial decider had been unforgivingly removed by the sixth minute. Kerry already had two goals on the board. The gap was already seven-strong. The gap stayed traveling, unbroken, in one direction.

The gap peaked on 33 minutes. Aaron Griffin was short with a point attempt for the Banner. It was their second short attempt of the half. Kerry countered. Tom O’Sullivan executed a delicious pass to Sean O’Shea. The latter was fouled and converted the consequent free.

O’Shea, starting his first game since the league defeat at home to Dublin in mid-February, opened their account with a rare two-pointer inside 22 seconds.

Goal number one of their first-half quartet arrived on four minutes. Tony Brosnan with the perfect pass, David Clifford with a shot that really should have been kept out by the goalline-stationed Clare corner-back Manus Doherty.

David Clifford scores the first goal for Kerry

Tom O’Sullivan’s was the risk-reward pass that set in train their second. Paul Geaney made the catch, Burns had the shot, which was well-saved by Eamon Tubridy, the ball eventually finding the comfort of the net from Clifford’s rebound boot.

David Clifford scores a goal on the rebound after a Micheal Burns shot hit the post

Two minutes later, Tubridy’s mistake in possession gifted Sean O’Shea his second point of a first-half. 2-3 to 0-1. Clare were not helping themselves. Emmet McMahon committed an utterly stupid black card foul on 16 minutes after Paul Geaney had been stripped of possession. But instead of a Clare turnover won, O’Shea kicked his second two-pointer of the afternoon and Kerry enjoyed numerical advantage for the ensuing 10 minutes.

It was a 10-minute period where Kerry doubled their goal count to bring green flags raised for 2025 to 21.

Clare nailed only five of their 13 scoring opportunities in the opening half. And still it was not their ugliest feature. Their passiveness was scarcely believable at times.

On 23 minutes, Shane Murphy was at his ease in getting off a short kickout. Fair enough that a 14-man Clare wanted to keep matters compact. But if you’re not going to press the opposition restart, you have to at least press the opposition when they probe. What instead materialised was Micheál Burns, played through by Brosnan, walking in goal number three.

Micheal Burns scores Kerry’s 3rd goal

The crossbar and desperate last-ditch defending denied David Clifford and Gavin White a fourth major almost immediately after.

The wait for that fourth was neither long nor nervous. Another Clare mistake. Cillian Rouine intercepted by Paul Geaney. Geaney with the final assist to the onrushing and falling Barry Dan O’Sullivan. 4-7 to 0-5. 26 minutes gone. An exhilarating semi-final, an evisceration of a final.

The second half was a non-event. Clare outgunned their hosts 0-14 to 0-10. Emmet McMahon raised orange flags and Mark McInerney white. There should be nothing read into that. Kerry had long taken care of the bigger picture. A most uncompetitive picture.

Scorers for Kerry: D Clifford (2-5, tp, 0-1 free); S O’Shea (0-8, tp free, tp, 0-3 frees); BD O’Sullivan (1-1); P Geaney (0-4, 0-1 free); M Burns (1-0); D Geaney (0-2).

Scorers for Clare: E McMahon (0-8, 2tp frees, 0-3 frees); M McInerney (0-6, 0-2 frees, 0-1 ‘45); K Sexton (0-1 pen), B McNamara (0-2 each); M Doherty, D Walsh, A Griffin (0-1 each).

KERRY: S Murphy; D Casey, J Foley, T O’Sullivan; B Ó Beaglaoich, M Breen, G White; J O’Connor, BD O’Sullivan; T Brosnan, S O’Shea, M Burns; D Clifford, P Geaney, D Geaney.
Subs: T Morley for Foley (27-32 inj); R Murphy for Brosnan, K Spillane for O’Shea (both 52); T Morley for Breen (54); M O’Shea for BD O’Sullivan (55); K Evans for Burns (59); E Looney for Ó Beaglaoich (64, temporary);

CLARE: E Tubridy; M Doherty, R Lanigan, C Brennan; A Sweeney, C Rouine, I Ugweuru; B McNamara, D Walsh; A Griffin, E McMahon, D Coughlan; M McInerney, K Sexton, E Cleary.
Subs: C Meaney for Sweeney, S Griffin for Walsh (both 54); E Cahill for Sexton (58); R McMahon for Rouine (62).

Referee: N Mooney (Cavan).

Ticket Details

Tickets for the Munster Senior Football Championship Final are now on sale.

O’Sullivan Stand
Adult – €30
Student / OAP – €25
Juvenile / Under 16s – €5

Terrace
Adult – €25
Student / OAP – €20
Juvenile / Under 16s – €5

Click here to buy tickets

Match Day Information

Attention match-goers! As Killarney town gears up for an exciting match day, we want to provide you with updated parking options and key details to help you plan your visit:

🚦 Traffic Advisory: Expect heavy traffic throughout the day. We recommend arriving early, as some parking areas may fill quickly.

🅿️ Parking Availability:
In addition to regular car parks at:

– New Street
– Glebe
– Fair Hill
– High Street
– Rock Road
– Lewis Road Car Park

✅ Additional match-day parking will be available at:

– The field near St. Mary’s Cathedral
– The Old Robbie Field after bypass

We hope this helps you plan your day. Enjoy the match and come early to avoid the rush!

Team News

Match Preview

KERRY: Shane Murphy; Dylan Casey, Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan; Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Mike Breen, Gavin White; Joe O’Connor, Barry Dan O’Sullivan; Tony Brosnan, Seán O’Shea, Micheál Burns, David Clifford, Paul Geaney, Dylan Geaney
Subs: Seán Coffey, Tadhg Morley, Damien Bourke, Killian Spillane, Ruairi Murphy, Mark O’Shea , Armin Heinrich, Seán O’Brien, Conor Geaney, Evan Looney, Keith Evans.

CLARE: Eamon Tubridy; Manus Doherty, Cillian Brennan, Ronan Lanigan; Cillian Rouine, Ikem Ugweuru, Alan Sweeney; Brian McNamara, Daniel Walsh; Aaron Griffin, Emmet McMahon, Dermot Coughlan; Keelan Sexton, Eoin Cleary, Mark McInerney
Subs: Tristan O’Callaghan, Fionn Kelleher, Conor Meaney, Shane Griffin, Gavan Murray, Darragh Burns, Rory McMahon, Evan Cahill, Diarmuid O’Donnell, Cormac Murray, Darren Nagle.

Details

Date:
May 4
Time:
1:45 pm - 3:30 pm

Venue

Fitzgerald Stadium

GAA Units

Clare GAA
Cork GAA
Kerry GAA
Limerick GAA
Tipperary GAA
Waterford GAA
US GAA