MOST people leaving Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday evening were in acceptance that a draw was the fairest result in the county senior football final between Kerins O’Rahillys and Mid Kerry.
No doubt the officers of the Kerry County Board were delighted with the result as not only will they have additional income from the replay on Sunday week but they are also under no pressure to play the game immediately.
So they are in a good position, and this will allow Kerins O’Rahillys an extra week to prepare, considering that they have played so many matches over the recent weeks.
Leaving Fitzgerald Stadium, I felt that Mid Kerry had played the better football for most of the hour, but O’Rahillys showed, just as they did against South Kerry and Rathmore, that they have great fighting spirit. They never throw in the towel until the final whistle sounds.
The draw will give Mid Kerry that extra game, which they hope will give them an extra edge, while it gives the Strand Road side a little bit of breathing space that will enable them to rest, recover and be refreshed for the replay.
Mid Kerry gave a wonderful display of football all the way through the first half. They never allowed O’Rahillys to settle.
Ciarán Kelliher was outstanding at centre back. His anticipation, his leadership throughout the opening 30 minutes and his intelligent use of the ball was a joy to watch.
A close second to him was Aidan O’Shea at full back. The deploying of Aidan at full back to pick up Tommy Walsh was an excellent move and he really put the shackles on the talent Strand Road forward.
Aidan may be a latecomer to Kerry football but I believe he has the ability to make it big time in the Kerry jersey. He has the height, the strength and the skill, he reads the game very well and, above all else, he has the pedigree, being the son of the great Jack O’Shea.
Jack O’Connor could do a lot worse then look at him as a potential Kerry full back.
These two players were ably assisted by Damien Murphy, Fergal Griffin and Joe McGillycuddy - all three were out in front of their men, cutting out the supply to them and held the Strand Road forwards to just two points from open play in the first half.
Mike Burke and Donnacha Walsh were working very hard around the middle of the field, while Darran O’Sullivan was always dangerous, scoring his side’s first point.
It was Kieran Foley’s opportunism that was the difference between the sides in the first half.
His first goal came from redirecting a ball from Donnacha Walsh attempt that was going wide, and his second came when he finished a Sean O’Sullivan crossed powerfully to the net.
During the first half, Mid Kerry were guilty of kicking far too many wides.
On the evidence of the first half, Strand Road were fortunate to just be two goals down at the break, 2-5 to 0-5. But O’Rahillys really stepped up their performance in the second half.
Both David Moran and Michéal Quirke began to have a far greater influence on the game. They were getting far more ball into Tommy Walsh, Declan Quill and Barry John, who were beginning to look a lot more dangerous than they were in the opening half.
Their big break came when a high Quirke kick was broken down, and finished to the net by the incoming Tommy Walsh. This kick-started the comeback.
Mid Kerry may have become a bit too defensive in the second half. I felt that they did not have the required shape up front, as there were times during the second period when they just had Kieran Foley up in the full forward line.
They were times when they played high ball into him, and he is not the tallest of players. If given the right delivery, Foley has shown himself to be very effective in front of the posts.
If Mid Kerry could have afforded the luxury of being able to play Donnacha Walsh at number 14, where he has been picked, this would have provided them with the required shape up front, especially in the second half.
Mid Kerry also had to play without the experience of Milltown/Castlemaine back, Alfie Giles, due to a family bereavement. He was a major loss to them in defence.
Of the two teams on Sunday, Mid Kerry will be the most disappointed with the draw, having led by seven points at one stage in the second half. They will have felt that they did enough to win.
On the other hand, O’Rahillys will be delighted that they have lived to fight another day.
This is the first county senior football final replay since 1997, and Kerry football supporters can now look forward to another exciting county final.
