GAA Football All Ireland Senior Championship Quarter-Final – Kerry 0-15 Cavan 0-9

Kerry defeated Cavan by 0-15 to 0-9 in the GAA Football All Ireland Senior Championship Quarter-Final on Sunday August 4th at Croke Park.

Kerry 0-15 Cavan 0-09

Report from the RTE.ie web site

Kerry did just enough to get the better of Cavan at Croke Park this afternoon, winning by 0-15 to 0-09 to qualify for the All-Ireland semi-finals. Kerry controlled the first half, leading by 0-11 to 0-02 at the break, with points from Colm Cooper (4)and Johnny Buckley (3). Cavan fought back bravely, and points from Niall McDermott and Eugene Keating narrowed the gap, but an unconvincing Kingdom side held on, despite scoring just four points in the second half, Cooper top-scoring with six.

Cavan, having gone in as rank outsiders, earned many admirers in the way they carried the game fearlessly to the Kingdom in the second half, outscoring the Munster champions by seven points to four. Kerry failed to fire, and manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice faces a tough few weeks as he attempts to get his side back on track and re-establish their credentials as genuine All-Ireland contenders. Martin Dunne’s early point was to be Cavan’s only score of the opening quarter, and it as Kerry who seized control, dictating the pace of the game without threatening to explode into spectacular action. Donnchadh Walsh brought them level, and Johnny Buckley thumped three long range place kicks between the posts.

Kerry struggled to work the ball through Cavan’s massed defence, but did open up a 0-5 to 0-1 lead in the 15th minute when Colm Cooper stroked over a free. As the game wore on, Cavan found it increasingly difficult to track the instinctive runs of the likes of Darran and Declan O’Sullivan, Cooper and Tomas O Se, and when Declan O’Sullivan landed a superb long range score, they led by six. Kieran Donaghy and Cooper tagged on points, and the Kingdom were in cruise control, ahead by eight without hitting second gear.

Ronan Flanagan carved the opening for David Givney to kick Cavan’s first point in 27 minutes, but ace finisher Dunne remained isolated and starved of possession. Cooper slotted another couple of frees between the uprights, and the Munster champions led by 0-11 to 0-2 at the interval. The Breffni men registered the first two points of the second half, both from Niall McDermott frees, before Cooper brought his tally to five.

But Cavan were now much more competitive, and increasingly positive in their desire to commit men forward. Martin Reilly converted a ’45 and substitute McDermott landed a tidy point from play, and when Walsh and David Moran hit the target at the other end, they quickly responded with two Eugene Keating frees. Kerry were on the rack, and when Cian Mackey’s tireless endeavour was rewarded with a splendid long rang point, they now trailed by just five.

Kerry were never going to lose this one, however, despite their failure to impose themselves on the game in the second half, with Rory Dunne and Killian Clarke performing heroically at the back for the Ulster men. Kerry had gone 14 minutes without scoring when Cooper steered over his first point from play, and on a day when many of their big stars failed to shine, the Munster men survived to go through to the last four, with much work to be done between now and semi-final day.

Kerry: B Kealy, F Fitzgerald, M O Se, S Enright, T O Se, K Young, P Crowley, D Moran (0-1), J Buckley (0-3, 2f, 1 ’45), P Galvin, C Cooper (0-6, 5f), D Walsh (0-3), Declan O’Sullivan (0-1), K Donaghy (0-1), Darran O’Sullivan
Subs: P Geaney for Donaghy, K O’Leary for Walsh, P Curtin for Darran O’Sullivan, M Geaney for Galvin

Cavan: A O’Mara, T Corr, R Dunne, K Clarke, J McLoughlin, A Clarke, R Flanagan, D O’Reilly, D Givney (0-1), C Mackey (0-1), D McVeety, F Flanagan, M Reilly (0-1, ’45), M Dunne (0-1), E Keating (0-2, 2f)
Subs: N McDermott (0-3, 2f) for R Flanagan, M Argue for Corr, J Brady for Dunne, J McEnroe for Givney, K Tierney for Keating

Referee: E Kinsella (Laois)

Team News

Cavan team to face Kerry: Alan O’Mara (Bailieborough Shamrocks), Thomas Corr (Denn), Rory Dunne (Redhills), Killian Clarke (Shercock), Jason McLoughlin (Shannon Gaels), Alan Clarke (Kingscourt), Ronan Flanagan (Castlerahan), Damien O’Reilly (Belturbet), David Givney (Mountnugent), Cian Mackey (Castlerahan), Jack Brady (Ramor United), Feargal Flanagan (Butlersbridge), Martin Reilly (Killygary), Martin Dunne (Cavan Gaels), Eugene Keating (Saint Sylvesters)

Kerry (XV to face Cavan): Brendan Kealy (Kilcummin), Fionn Fitzgerald (Dr Crokes), Marc Ó Sé (An Gaeltacht), Shane Enright (Tarbert), Tomás Ó Sé (An Gaeltacht), Killian Young (Renard), Peter Crowley (Laune Rangers), Anthony Maher (Duagh), Johnny Buckley (Dr Crokes), Paul Galvin (Finuge), Colm Cooper, captain (Dr Crokes), Donnchadh Walsh (Cromane), Declan O’Sullivan (Dromid Pearses), Kieran Donaghy (Austin Stacks), Darran O’Sullivan (Glenbeigh/Glencar)

Subs: Brian Kelly (Killarney Legion), Mark Griffin (St Michaels/Foilmore), Eoin Brosnan (Dr Crokes), Bryan Sheehan (St Mary’s), Kieran O’Leary (Dr Crokes), Patrick Curtin (Moyvane), David Moran (Kerins O’Rahillys), Jack Sherwood (Firies), Paul Geaney (Dingle), Aidan O’Mahony (Rathmore), Michael Geaney (Dingle).

• The team features 11 of the side that took the field in Kerry’s defeat by Donegal in their last All Ireland Qtr Final tie last August while Johnny Buckley and Darran O’Sullivan were introduced as subs. Aidan O’Mahony, Eoin Brosnan and Bryan Sheehan, who are named among the substitutes, and James O’Donoghue who is not fully fit, are the absent foursome.

• Kerry have played in twelve quarter finals losing just two, 2010 to Down and last year to Donegal.

• The evergreen Tomás Ó Sé, in his 16th Championship season, will make his 87th Championship appearance in the Green and Gold. He has scored 3 – 35 in Championship games.

• Fionn Fitzgerald of the Dr Crokes Club in Killarney made his Championship debut against Tipperary earlier this year having made his full Allianz Football League debut against Down in Tralee in March. He played against Waterford in the Munster Semi final and was introduced as a sub against Cork in the Munster Final. Fionn, a Munster Minor medallist in 2008, has 3 County Senior Championship medals, and 2 Munster Club medals to his credit and is a nephew of former Kerry Goalkeeper, Eamonn Fitzgerald who won 2 NFL medals with Kerry in 1972 and 1973.