Kerry evolve their way to a 37th All-Ireland title

Kerry 2-9 Donegal 0-12 A lovely September autumn afternoon in Croke Park ended like so many others down the decades.

Kerry, the greatest of adapters in football’s evolutionary history, took on the latest northern challenge and turned the game of claustrophobia, massed defence and fast-breaking counterattacks against Donegal to claim a 37th All-Ireland title.

Champions for the first time in five years, the team was tactically assured and, individually, the players by and large did their jobs. The swing issue was expected to be how their full forwards, Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s most threatening unit, would get on in the company of their parsimonious markers, and the outcome effectively decided the match.

Kerry got 2-2 from play out of their inside line and whereas there might have been surprise beforehand to be told that James O’Donoghue would not alone not be among the goals but wouldn’t score at all, the Legion corner forward made a good contribution, coming out the field to get on ball and working a strong enough shift, linking and probing, to leave his status as Footballer of the Year-elect undiminished despite being held scoreless.

The team also showed nerve and unflappable calm by never flinching when the momentum looked to have switched against them, and on two occasions – just after Donegal had taken the lead for the first time in the 38th minute, and in the 57th minute after three points in three minutes had cancelled out Kerry's catastrophic second goal and reduced the deficit to a point – they responded with great points from wing back Paul Murphy and wing forward Johnny Buckley to steady the ship.

Howler of a kick-out

And there was also luck. Donegal goalkeeper Paul Durcan’s howler of a kick-out in the 52nd minute almost perfectly bisected his two intended receivers and went within arm’s length of Donaghy who controlled the ball and rammed back past the goalkeeper into the net.

With the match poised at the time, 1-5 to 0-7, the score tolled the bell for the Ulster champions.

Kerry also finished with greater determination. Killian Young worked hard and Peter Crowley put in a terrific block. Donaghy fisted a point and Bryan Sheehan kicked a long-range free just after coming on.

If the football was less than lovely the contest was compelling, but in chess parlance Kerry were always one move ahead.

That process began early and the difference at the end was the margin established in the first minute when Paul Geaney plucked a ball kicked in by Stephen O’Brien over the head of Paddy McGrath and squeezed his shot into the Canal End goal to shock a Donegal side, who pride themselves on keeping a secure net.

Ominously, a few minutes later the Ulster champions again dealt nervously with a high ball and Kieran Donaghy, whose threat was expected to be a big part of what menace Kerry would pose, helped himself to a point when the ball broke.

Yet the pattern of the match was that Donegal struggled to perform and lacked urgency, needing extreme stimulus to respond – like the goals that they uncharacteristically conceded.

Familiar attrition

After the fourth-minute Donaghy point, Kerry scored just twice more before half-time.

In the familiar attrition that became the match’s governing tempo, Donegal rebuilt their composure and got back into the game.

This was chiefly through the agency of Michael Murphy’s free-taking. None of them were simple but he nailed all three to keep Kerry in sight in the first quarter of the game.

It wasn’t, however, the Donegal captain’s best of days. He wasn’t deployed to any great effect on the inside line nor was he his assertive self when switched out around the middle.

Veteran Aidan O’Mahony stoically stuck with him and made the task of rising to the occasion that bit more difficult.

This wasn't all that was going wrong for Jim McGuinness's team, though. Karl Lacey looked sluggish and was receiving the attentions of a physio before the throw-in. Colm McFadden came off distinctly second-best in his duel with Marc Ó Sé, and at one point Eamon McGee was turned over for possession on a counter-attack.

New blood

The new blood in the team didn’t course vigorously. Paul Murphy tightly marked Ryan McHugh and both he and Odhrán Mac Niallais were replaced.

Leo McLoone was the sole provider of dynamism for much of the first half but the arrival of Christy Toye near the half-hour mark, as in the semi-final with Dublin, galvanised the effort.

They still looked vulnerable to aerial attack, though, and Geaney could have had a second goal in the 27th minute when put in by O’Donoghue, but he shot over the bar.

Level at the break, 1-3 to 0-6, Donegal had the chance to take control but instead just swapped points with Kerry after taking the lead, as centrefield supremacy on the restarts swung from Donegal to Kerry – and Neil Gallagher faded after an industrious first half – but for 12 minutes neither side scored as attacks went one way and then another with nothing productive to show for them.

Barry John Keane’s two frees after he came on were breathing space but Donaghy’s goal provided the difference.

Donegal’s replacements in general did well.

Paddy McBrearty scored a couple of points but also hit wides, and Dermot Molloy added another, but they were always chasing with little conviction that they would arrive.

Desperate dying seconds

Murphy did try to raise the team in the second half and in the desperate dying seconds he launched a barnstorming run at the defence – which could equally have been penalised for charging – that set up a snap chance for McBrearty, which Kelly parried and Colm McFadden’s fisted attempt at the rebound hit the post with time nearly gone.

Johnny Buckley was black-carded in what time remained, but the day was done. KERRY: 1 Brian Kelly; 2 Marc Ó Sé, 3 Aidan O'Mahony, 4 Fionn Fitzgerald (capt); 5 Paul Murphy (0-1), 6 Peter Crowley, 7 Killian Young; 8 Anthony Maher, 9 David Moran; 12 Donnchadh Walsh, 10 Stephen O'Brien, 11 Johnny Buckley (0-1); 13 Paul Geaney (1-2, one free), 14 Kieran Donaghy (1-2), 15 James O'Donoghue. Subs: 18 Michael Geaney for O'Brien (half-time), 21 Barry John Keane (0-2, frees) for P Geaney (49 mins), 17 Shane Enright for Fitzgerald (55 mins), 19 Declan O'Sullivan for Walsh (57 mins), 20 Bryan Sheehan (0-1, free) for Moran (68 mins), 23 Kieran O'Leary for Donaghy (73 mins). DONEGAL: 1 Paul Durcan; 3 Neil McGee (0-1), 4 Eamonn McGee, 4 Paddy McGrath; 5 Anthony Thompson, 6 Karl Lacey (0-1), 7 Frank McGlynn; 8 Neil Gallagher, 26 Rory Kavanagh; 9 Odhrán MacNiallais (0-1), 11 Leo McLoone, 12 Ryan McHugh; 15 Colm McFadden (0-1, free), 14 Michael Murphy (capt; 0-4, three frees), 17 Darach O'Connor. Subs: 10 Christy Toye (0-1) for O'Connor (28 mins), 13 Patrick McBrearty (0-2) for McHugh (46 mins), 24 Martin McElhinney for MacNiallais (52 mins), 18 David Walsh for McLoone (57 mins), 20 Dermot Molloy (0-1) for Kavanagh (64 mins). Referee: Eddie Kinsella (Laois)