Christy Ring Cup S-Final Replay – Kerry vs. Carlow

Carlow overpower Kerry

From the GAA.ie web site

Saturday, June 13th

Christy Ring Cup Semi-Final:

Carlow 6-10 Kerry 2-11

Kerry put up a decent first half showing against Carlow in their Christy Ring Cup semi-final, but were ultimately blown away in the second half.

Kerry led 1-8 to 1-5 at the break having surprised the Leinster side with a gutsy display at Austin Stack Park.

However, Carlow managed five second half goals to completely outclass their opponents and move into the final.

Kerry grabbed the game’s first goal on 10 minutes, full-forward James McCarthy smashing to the net. The Kingdom’s talisman Shane Brick was in outstanding form, clipping over five points to further punish Carlow’s slackness.

However, Carlow managed to keep things tight enough when Rory Dunbar hit a free straight to the net just shy of half-time. Then, points before the whistle from Dunbar, Craig Doyle and Robbie Foley reduced the gap to three.

After the break, Foley pointed again for Carlow to narrow things further and they took the lead for the first time when Andrew Gaul struck to the net. That made it 2-6 to 1-8 and Kerry never recovered once their relinquished their precious buffer. Paudie Kehoe knocked one over for the visitors, and then Robbie Foley hit his first goal of the game. Doyle then grabbed a major of his own hot on the heels of an Edward Byrne point to put nine points in it.

By now, there wasn’t even a spark of contest in the game and Robbie Foley and Craig Doyle partied in the Kerry wreckage, both knocking in their second goals to complete the rout.

Smashing Carlow hit the Kingdom for mighty six

CHRISTY RING CUP SEMI-FINAL REPLAY

From the Nationalist newspaper

Carlow 6-10 Kerry 2-11

A SIX-gun salute rang round Tralee on Saturday afternoon as Carlow unleashed a hidden weapon to mow down Kerry in an extraordinary Christy Ring Cup semi-final replay. Talk about the proverbial game of two halves. Four minutes shy of the break the tentative visitors, being bossed all over the park, had registered just a single point from play. Trailing 1-8 to 1-2, Andrew Gaul’s superb ninth minute point from the stand sideline had been an exception to a rule that ordained a fired-up Kerry controlled proceedings.A pointed 65 by full-back Shane Kavanagh and a goal off a well-struck Ruairi Dunbar 20m free (awarded for a foul on Gaul as he tried to collect a dropping ball from Mark Brennan) were the source of Carlow’s only other scores.

While Dunbar’s goal could be viewed as the turning point, providing the holders with a badly needed boost, the fact of the matter is Kerry reeled off the next three points to restore their six-point advantage. In the 31st minute Kerry’s big centre-half forward Gary O’Brien, the influential sub of the drawn game, drove over an inspirational point from inside his own half. That opened up that 1-8 to 1-2 gap and the champions looked in deep trouble. The match then entered the realms of Ripley’s Believe it or not. Amazingly, from the 31st minute of the first half to the 31st minute of the second half Carlow outscored Kerry by a massive 4-8 to 0-1. Yes, 4-8 to 0-1 and that from a free.

If we cast doubt on Dunbar’s goal as the turning point, there is no doubt that his next score has all the credentials of a match-changing moment. From the puck-out after O’Brien’s mammoth point, Carlow very nearly scored a goal of their own. Craig Doyle latched on to Frank Foley’s delivery and soloed towards the Dunne Stores end posts before hand-passing inside to Dunbar whose first-time effort just cleared the bar. As a previous ‘Styler’ run and pass almost led to a Robbie Foley goal, the full forward mistiming his first-time pull, the two spurned goal-chances still gave us a glimmer of hope. However the fact that Dunbar’s point was quickly followed by points from Doyle (a sweet score from the terrace wing) and Foley (after a great catch of a Paudie Kehoe delivery) gave Carlow momentum for the first time.

Going in at half-time just 1-8 to 1-5 in arrears having played poorly, the wind to come, the champions were in with a chance. No one, though, could have envisaged the incredible transformation that took place on the restart. It was a completely different Carlow team, attitude wise, that emerged from the Austin Stack Park dressing rooms. Gone was the lethargy normally alien to the squad, replaced by the usual vim and vigour, fighting spirit that carried the red, yellow and green to Ring Cup glory last year. This change was obvious from the throw-in and within four minutes Carlow were in front, another Robbie Foley catch-and-turn point the prelude to the first of five second half goals for the Scallion Aters. A Shane Kavanagh clearance dropped close to the stand sideline, the ball breaking off Paudie Kehoe’s hurl into the path of Ruairi Dunbar. The number 10 made tracks for the posts before slipping a pass inside to Andrew Gaul, the Duke dinking a first jab in the Kerry rigging. After Paudie Kehoe confidently pointed a 50m free and Mark Brennan rifled over a fabulous point from the terrace wing, Carlow stuck for another goal in the 46th minute. Jacko Rogers broke up a Kerry raid, found James Hickey whose long cross-field delivery located Robbie Foley in the right corner, the number 14 cut in to leave a strong low shot in the Kerry net.

On as a blood sub, Eddie Byrne scored a rousing point and though Shane Brick’s pointed free finally opened Kerry’s second half account, it was but a brief halt to a Carlow scoring spree cheered to the echo by their loyal travelling army. Paudie Kehoe’s incisive run and hand pass fashioned the opening for Craig Doyle to lash a 53rd minute goal that opened up a three-goal gap and effectively ended the game as a contest. Mindful, though, of Kerry’s rallying powers the previous day, Carlow went for the jugular. A fantastic Jacko Rogers catch and clever clearance located Paudie Kehoe who drifted over a magnificent long-range point before Robbie Foley netted again in the 62nd minute, this time from the edge of the square having been put in possession by a hand pass from Eddie Byrne, ‘Feathers’ having collected a crafty low-ball from Mark Brennan.

That completed the stunning 4-8 to 0-1 35-minute blitz and left Carlow leading 5-10 to 1-9. Shell-shocked Kerry did manage a couple of consolation scores towards the finish, including a John Mike Dooley goal. Carlow, though, fired the last shot, Craig Doyle pouncing on an error in the left corner to pick-and-go and drill home goal number 6.

Carlow: Frank Foley; Willie Hickey, Shane Kavanagh (.-. ..), Dessie Shaw; Eddie Coady, John Rogers, Richie Coady; Damien Roberts, James Hickey; Ruairi Dunbar (.-., .-.f), Craig Doyle (.-.), Mark Brennan (.-., Capt); Andrew Gaul (.-.), Robbie Foley (.-.), Paudie Kehoe ( .f). Subs: Derek Byrne for R Coady (..mins), Eddie Byrne (.-.) for Dunbar, Dunbar for E Byrne (temp ..-..mins), Eddie Byrne for Hickey (..mins), Colin Hughes for R Foley (..mins), Paul Kehoe for Roberts (..mins).

Kerry: John Healy; Padraig O’Grady, Aidan Healy, Colin Harris; Jason Casey, Tom Murnane (Capt), James Godley; Eoin Sheehy, John Griffin; Evan Sweeney (.-.), Gary O’Brien ( Shane Brick (.-., .f); Billy Brick (.-.), James McCarthy (.-.), John Mike Dooley (.-.). Subs: M Hanafin for C Harris (HT), J Fitzgerald for M Hanafin (..mins) S Young for G O’Brien (..mins), E Fitzgerald for P O’Grady (..mins).

Referee: D O’Driscoll (Limerick)