Rampant Kerry point the way to win over Limerick

Kerry 1-26 Limerick 3-9:THIS LATEST Munster SFC episode between Limerick and Kerry, played at Limerick Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening, was over almost before it had begun when Darran O'Sullivan slid the ball to the Limerick net to give Kerry a 1-3 to 0-1 lead after 12 minutes.

Kerry were so superior in every department against a ragged Limerick side, that most of the paltry 6,800 attendance were wondering what they were doing watching a mismatch that was only enlivened by the beauty of the Kerry movement and scores.

While Kerry were brilliant at times and clocked up a hurling score of 1-26, one sensed had they gone for the jugular they could have posted three or four more goals. Limerick, without John Galvin and Stephen Lucey, were never at the races and Kerry plundered score after score with uncomfortable ease.

Kerry boss Jack O’Connor was impressed with his side’s big total.

“We feel our forwards are really going well at the moment and they are developing a good understanding and that’s great because they are enjoying their football. It’s a big year for the Gooch and he is orchestrating things up there and the lads are revolving around him. So, overall, happy enough with the result.”

However O’Connor grimaced at the thought of conceding three goals. “We would not be too happy about conceding 3-9 and it will require some video analysis but to be fair to Limerick, they scored a very good goal before half-time but I thought possibly we had the foot taken off the pedal, psychologically, for the two second-half goals.

“But, overall, we got a lot of aspects of our play right today. We were poor against Tipperary winning ball at midfield but by half- time tonight we had won 17 out of 22 kick-outs, I think, which was massive and our backs were tight overall and did not concede too many scoreable frees, which was a big thing.”

His Limerick counterpart, Maurice Horan, was crestfallen afterwards.“It was a real baptism of fire – we got off to a terrible start and never recovered from it. We appeared very nervous at the start for some reason.

“We lost a lot of key players and we missed them and in the dressingroom beforehand, just to steady things down. But they weren’t there and Kerry were 1-9 to 0-1 ahead at one stage and we were in a deep hole. Then Kerry had a great start to the second half as well and they ran out easy winners.”

Jim O’Donovan gave Limerick the lead inside 15 seconds, but that was as good as it got for the underdogs. Once Kieran Donaghy levelled, it was all one way traffic, with Colm Cooper adding four, points, Declan and Darran O’Sullivan two apiece, while Bryan Sheehan added two points. In between, in the 12th minute, Donaghy sent Darran O’Sullivan racing through and he finished soccer style to the net.

The key battles at both ends of the pitch were being won by Kerry as Tom O’Sullivan kept Limerick danger man Ger Collins under wraps, while Donaghy completely outplayed Shane Gallagher in the air and on the ground.

When you throw in the genius of Cooper, Limerick were on the ropes for the opening half hour.

Then, with Kerry threatening to run riot, Limerick rallied in the final seven minutes of the half after three substitutions, scoring 1-3 without reply, with Seánie Buckley beating Brendan Kealy for a 28th-minute goal and then Collins adding two points, as Kerry led 1-11 to 1-4. The second half was nothing more than a training spin for Kerry as Cooper, Donaghy and Declan O’Sullivan continued to wreak havoc as they stretched 1-18 to 1-6 clear by the 52nd minute.

Limerick never gave up and grabbed goals in the 53rd minute from Collins and in the 67th minute from Séamus O’Carroll but it was a no contest. Kerry did as they pleased, with Paul Galvin playing a nice cameo off the bench as 12 different Kerry players got their names on the score sheet.

KERRY: B Kealy; S Enright, M Ó Sé, T OSullivan; A OMahony, E Brosnan (0-1), K Young (0-1); B Sheehan (0-2, 0-1 45), A Maher; Darran O’Sullivan (1-3), Declan O’Sullivan (0-4), D Walsh, C Cooper (0-7, 0-1 free), K Donaghy (0-2), K O’Leary (0-2). Subs: P Galvin (0-1) for Darran OSullivan (50 mins), BJ Keane (0-1) for Walsh, M Quirke for Sheehan, D Bohan (0-1) for OMahony (all 58 mins), D Geaney (0-1) for OLeary (60 mins).

LIMERICK: B Scanlon; S Lavin, S Gallagher (0-1), M ORiordan; P Ranahan, J McCarthy (0-1), B Fitzpatrick; T Lee, J O’Donovan (0-1); S Buckley (1-0), J Kelly, S Kelly (0-1, free); G Collins (1-4, 0-1 free), J Cooke, I Ryan. Subs: E Joy for O’Donovan (28 mins), M Sheehan (0-1) for E Joy (30 mins), E OConnor for J Kelly (32 mins), J O’Riordan for Fitzpatrick (45 mins), S O’Carroll (1-0) for S Kelly (60 mins)

Referee: R Hickey (Clare).