Kerry 1-15 Cork 1-13 (original) (raw)

By Marty Morrissey

It must be the air around Kerry. Then again, maybe it's the lakes and mountains around Killarney that makes a Munster Football final something special.

Fitzgerald Stadium is my favourite venue in Ireland but last night I was genuinely concerned that the game wouldn't be played at all, so bad and persistent was the rain that fell from the heavens over Gaelic Football's greatest Kingdom.

But I needn't have worried.

The sun shone brightly on this first day of July as if God knew it was Munster Football final day against the old enemy from Cork.

By 3.30pm this afternoon, the sun's rays seemed to reflect more off the green and gold flags of Kerry than the red and white of Cork as the fans travelled back to their roots and homes.

This was a really good game of football with Kerry sneaking home with two late points in injury-time by last year's Footballer of the Year Kieran Donaghy and super sub Sean O'Sullivan.

Before a crowd of 31,420, the sides were level six times before 'Star' and Sean did their heroics.

Cork won the toss and opted to play with the breeze in the first half but it was Kerry who started well with captain Declan O'Sullivan leading by example.

Slowly, after about 15 minutes, Cork found their rhythm thanks primarily to the sharp shooting of James Masters from play and dead ball situations.

Kevin McMahon had a glorious chance of cracking home a goal in that opening period but he blazed over the bar.

Michael Cussen, the big 6' 7" full-forward from Glanmire, was finally getting some quality ball and twice within a few minutes he won possession, turned and kicked two fine points. Game on and Cork were looking good.

But every time Kerry attacked they looked comfortable on the ball, had space and time to deliver incisively or provide an overlap so that the perception was that while Cork led at half-time by 0-09 to 0-07, with wind advantage Kerry would romp home after the break.

This was a fine sporting encounter overall, although on reflection, Cork wing-back Noel O'Leary was fortunate enough not to see yellow or worse still see red for a silly entanglement with Paul Galvin while tussling for possession on the ground.

Ironically, after consultation with his umpires, referee Marty Duffy from Sligo booked the Kerryman, while O'Leary got off with no punishment.

Interestingly, Colm 'Gooch' Cooper was held scoreless in the first half but hardly had we noticed that fact when Gooch had the ball in the Cork net eight minutes into the second half.

As if indignant at not raising a white or green flag for that opening period, Cooper turned on the style and soon had 1-02 to his name and Cork were in trouble in their full-back line and making changes to prevent further damage.

In the Kingdom camp, Mike Frank Russell was playing well and scored six points with an impressive display of free taking that will leave future opponents fearful of conceding silly frees near goal.

Midway through the second half, Kerry led by five points and were visibly in control, but Cork manager Billy Morgan made some astute moves and switches that brought his beloved Leesiders back into the game.

First of all, Ballincollig's John Miskella, who came on at half-time for Fintan Goold, made an immediate impact and later in the second half Conor McCarthy for Anthony Lynch re-vitalised and energised this Cork side.

Thirdly, switching Cussen from full-forward to centre-field also paid dividends as gradually Cork got back into the game.

And then they struck gold. A quickly taken free resulted in Kevin McMahon cutting a great dash through the Kerry cover, he laid it off to Donncha O'Connor, from Ballydesmond in the barony of Duhallow, who kicked an unstoppable shot past Kerry goalkeeper Diarmuid Murphy in the 52nd minute.

The score was now 1-12 to 1-10 to the hosts.

The Leesiders were now on a roll, especially Donncha O'Connor who added two points to level at 1-12 to 1-12 after 59 minutes played.

Mike Frank and Masters exchanged points from frees and it looked like we were heading to Páirc Uí Chaoimh next weekend but then came the heroics of Donaghy and O'Sullivan.

Cork had possession but sadly Conor McCarthy's pass outside from a top of the right position went astray and Aidan O'Mahony surged forward, and in the twinkle of an eye, Donaghy kicked a great point from the sideline over the bar.

Game won, but a Sean O'Sullivan point a minute later guaranteed Kerry their 71st Munster Senior Football title.

A really good game of football but don't rule out these two great Munster rivals meeting again before the Championship ends.

The full time score: Kerry 1-15 Cork 1-13.

In the Munster Minor Football final beforehand, Cork enjoyed a 1-16 to 2-08 victory over Kerry.