Free count too big a hindrance to Limerick

Adverse weather and lenient refereeing were big factors in how the Munster football final in Killarney was played out, writes DARRAGH Ó SÉ

THERE WAS a strong breeze in Killarney on Sunday. It had a big say on how both teams went about their business in either half but the referee’s leanings, or lack thereof, gave them more to juggle.

With the wind blowing at their backs, Limerick got off to the perfect start. John Galvin punched a point straight away.

To beat Kerry they knew they had to be very aggressive but the concession of frees in kickable areas cost them dearly.

Limerick had a game plan in place and their defending was exceptional. They got clean blocks in on Killian Young and Colm Cooper.

The brother Marc will tell you a block on the Gooch in training is a seriously rare achievement.

It raises the question: after showing they could defend at this level why did Limerick concede hugely damaging frees inside the 45?

The timing of Galvin’s goal was crucial. It was his basketball skills that told, I suppose, but Séamus Scanlon will be very disappointed at turning over possession.

Galvin took the man of the match award but it was Micheál Quirke who wrestled the momentum back Kerry’s way. Micheál’s mobility may be his Achilles’ heel but he boxed clever last Sunday. Limerick had no answer to him – I know from training-ground battles over the years that this performance was in him. It just needed to come out.

I thought the Kerry half-back line was outstanding but Stephen Kelly caused plenty of damage with an energetic showing.

Stephen and Tomás had a running battle. To be fair to both of them, they shook hands afterwards and got on with it. Some of Tomás’s actions were highlighted by The Sunday Game but Stephen came out yesterday stating the referee was closer than most. Remember, this is championship football. Whatever Stephen got or gave – he seemed to get on with it.

He was crashing into fellas – giving good, quality ball into the forwards, where Ger Collins, in particular, profited. He left everything out on the field when they eventually hauled him ashore before the finish.

There was plenty of heavy hitting as two physical teams went toe to toe. An excellent contest with no quarter asked or given.

It was one of those games when you had no choice but to get stuck in.

It is a well-worn cliche, but each game takes on a life of its own.

It has always been this way. If the referee does not police matters properly – players have to do something.

Everyone is pumped up. You get roughed out of it and the referee looks through you. Are you going to lie down? Not in Killarney. Not on Munster final day.

A lot of tackles went unpunished. This suited Limerick.

A few early yellow cards and it would have calmed. The alarm bell would sound in everyone’s head. Better be careful now. The bristling body language disappears. So long as you don’t clip me, I won’t clip you.

All of a sudden you have everyone soaring and stretching for the ball. And not the man.

There was more to this game’s life than the belts. The Gooch was a joy to watch. Declan O’Sullivan came alive with three great scores.

Two incidents show what, ultimately, separated the teams. Stephen Lavin went up the field from wing back, about 25 yards out, kicking into a strong wind. He put it wide. Mike Mac had made a similar run in the first half but he stuck it over the bar.

When it really mattered, Kerry had quality in every position.

The 20-man approach was also on show. The Kerry subs all made timely contributions. Quirke for starters. Pádraig Reidy relieved Tom O’Sullivan. Barry John Keane, Kieran O’Leary and David Moran helped close out the game.

The only criticism I would level at the management was they were a little slow in introducing the reserves. It took Galvin’s equalising point on 58 minutes before Reidy, Keane and Moran came in.

That said, they showed their loyalty to David Moran and it paid off. After a bad day at the office against Cork, he grabbed a point and shaded Galvin for the last 10 minutes. This was important.

Limerick find themselves on a new plateau of respect after this performance. And rightly so. But it will matter very little if they don’t move on. They pushed Kerry all over the field so they must go make an impact in the qualifiers.

No more moral victories. The players must motivate themselves. Limerick were good, but I was even more impressed with Sligo. They leaped a massive hurdle and not just in beating Galway but in carrying the burden of expectation so well.

You see this happening time and again with the Irish rugby team – they thrive as the underdogs but the hardest thing to do is maintain winning ways when tagged as favourites.

It was a cracking game of football, especially when you consider the wind and the rain that arrived in the second half.

The crucial moment came when Galway wing back Gareth Bradshaw kicked the ball across the square for David Kelly’s goal.

I know how Bradshaw feels. I’ve done it myself, most recently against the Dubs in 2007. The ball left my boot and straight away I remember thinking: “Aw, ****! This is a bad mistake”. You know where it is going. Bradshaw knew instantly he had gift wrapped it for David Kelly.

I was lucky. My horrible error was far enough out the field that I only gave up a point.

It is an awful lonely feeling. You are the fool. You can feel eyes of everyone in the stadium glaring at you – some in delight, some in anger but they are all thinking the same thing.

Now the mark of the man was how Bradshaw reacted, immediately winning a free up the other end of the field.

A few Sligo men deserve a mention. Mark Breheny and Kelly are high-quality forwards but I was pleasantly surprised by the engine on Eamonn O’Hara. Some burst of pace for an old warrior!

Galway didn’t look too bad. For their much maligned midfield I thought Niall Coleman did very well but Pádraig Joyce was almost their saviour once again.

Joyce is similar to the Gooch in many ways. They both have exceptional feet, great vision and coolness under pressure. They can slip a foot pass through the eye of a needle.

Defenders are afraid they might go past them so they lean off. Only problem with that is they can see gaps mere mortals can only dream about.

The Joyce pass to Seán Armstrong could have been the winning of the match. Armstrong, like three Kerry players in similar positions in Killarney, took the point. If Joyce was passing to himself it would have been all over.

Having beaten Mayo and now Galway, Sligo have already won a Connacht title in most peoples’ eyes. Roscommon will love this. I’m sure Kevin Walsh will remind his players history barely remembers those who lose provincial finals.

On a lighter note, before switching over to TV3 on Saturday evening for Galway against Sligo I was tuned into BBC’s coverage of the Germans scalping Diego Maradona’s Argentina.

There is Gary Lineker and pals. All togged out immaculately. Sitting in a gorgeous bubble in the sky that covers the whole of Cape Town, including the magnificent Table Mountain and Green Point stadium. A breathtaking backdrop.

I know we are in the middle of a recession at home but the shoestring budget in Markievicz Park had one of our greatest ever footballers, Peter Canavan, and Senan Connell getting battered by the elements on the sideline. The TV3 pundits had just two umbrellas for protection as the heavens opened.

Life as a television pundit is supposed to be former players’ equivalent of being put out the stud, like Messrs Shearer and Hansen. Not this torture. TV3 are competing with RTÉ, of course. In fairness, RTÉ have been established a lot longer but try telling that to Senan and Peter as they suffered in Sligo.

Tucked up on the couch at home, I had a little giggle.

No studio, no gantry. Even in the good old days they would find a truck and put up some sort of canvas. A far cry from South Africa and life on the BBC. They will have to get onto some sponsor or other to protect the lads in future. The blue skies were not going to last forever. The World Cup is fading too. A sure sign the championship is about to get deadly serious.