Louth's Ryan Burns and Kerry's Diarmuid O'Connor and Tom O'Sullivan in All-Ireland SFC action. Photo by Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
All-Ireland SFC Group Four
Kerry 2-21 Louth 1-10
By Paul Brennan at Laois Hire O'Moore Park
An All-Ireland quarter-final for Kerry in a fortnight, and a ‘home’ preliminary quarter-final for Louth next weekend, and everyone leaving Portlaoise happy enough, one imagines.
A 14-point beating is a 14-point point beating, but it is only half the hammering Louth took from Kerry last year at the same venue, so that must signal some sort of progress for the Wee county.
In any event, Ger Brennan’s side knew they would be playing Championship football beyond this weekend, and Louth will take some positives from this Group Four game against Kerry, not least that they were more than competitive for all of the first half, created several good goal chances, and look to have come through unscathed for whatever those preliminary quarter-finals throw at them next weekend.
As for Kerry, they will be equally pleased to have come through a tough, but not bruising encounter. Overall, it wasn’t quite the gut-check Jack O’Connor might have wanted for his team as they head for Croke Park in a fortnight, but Louth asked plenty of questions of the Munster champions, not least those three or four clear goal chances, the only one of which was converted in the seventh minute before a decent attendance at O’Moore Park.
Kerry led by five at the turnaround, 0-13 to 1-5, but Louth would have been quietly pleased with how they had performed. In the corresponding game last year Louth were 18 behind at the break so there was that.
Early points from Joe O’Connor, Sean O’Shea and Tony Brosnan got Kerry up and running but then, seven minutes in, Donal McKenny gathered a high dropping ball over Tadhg Morley and slipped it past Shane Ryan to level the score.
Louth’s game plan was to defend in big numbers, but counter-attack quickly with plenty of players pouring forward. The only problem was some handling errors and poor shot execution betrayed the Leinster finalists.
Meanwhile, Kerry were happy enough absorb the pressure, counter-attack quickly and pick off the points with scores from David Clifford (4), Paudie Clifford (2), Brian Ó Beaglaioch (2), Paul Murphy and Diarmuid O’Connor pushing Kerry to their 0-13 to 1-5 half time lead.
Louth’s points came from Craig Lennon, Ciarán Byrne, Conor Grimes, Sam Mulroy (free) and Bevan Duffy.
Sean O’Shea and David Clifford points extended Kerry’s lead soon after the restart – in between which Craig Lennon missed a goal chance from 10 metres when played through by Ciaran Keenan.
In the 47th minute, Kerry struck for their first goal, Diarmuid O’Connor pouncing on the rebound to find the net after Niall McDonnell had saved Jason Foley’s shot, as Kerry went 1-17 to 1-7 ahead.
Keenan wasted another Louth goal chance in the 55th minute, blazing his shot over the bar from close range, and seven minutes later Sean O’Shea set up Tadhg Morley for Kerry’s second goal to seal the win.
Scorers for Kerry: D Clifford 0-7 (5fs), D O’Connor 1-1, T Morley 1-0, B Ó Beaglaíoch 0-3, J O’Connor 0-2, P Clifford 0-2, S O'Shea 0-2 (1f), P Murphy 0-1, T O’Sullivan 0-1, T Brosnan 0-1, D Moynihan 0-1.
Scorers for Louth: S Mulroy 0-3 (2fs), D McKenny 1-0, C Grimes 0-2, C Lennon 0-1, B Duffy 0-1, P Mathews 0-1, C Keenan 0-1, C Byrne 0-1.
Kerry: Shane Ryan; Paul Murphy, Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan; Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Tadhg Morley Gavin White; Diarmuid O’Connor, Joe O’Connor; Tony Brosnan, Paudie Clifford, Dara Moynihan; David Clifford, Sean O’Shea, Paul Geaney.
Subs: Cillian Burke for T Brosnan (55), Killian Spillane for P Geaney (55), Dylan Casey for J Foley (67), Mike Breen for T Morley (67), Barry Dan O’Sullivan for J O’Connor (67).
Louth: Niall McDonnell, Donal McKenny, Dan Corcoran, Dermot Campbell, Conall McKeever, Anthony Williams, Craig Lennon, Tommy Durnin, Bevan Duffy, Paul Mathews, Ciaran Keenan, Conor Grimes, Ryan Burns, Sam Mulroy, Ciarán Byrne.
Subs: Leonard Grey for C Lennon (50), Conor Early for P Mathews (52), Tom Jackson for R Burns (60), Liam Jackson for C Byrne (67), Peter McStravick for B Duffy (67),
Referee: Conor Lane (Cork).
