Championship

Kerry beat Monaghan --1-12 to 1-11

August 14th, 2007
by Weeshie Fogarty

 Any time you have a football chat with Valentia's Mick o Connell the doyen of Kerry midfielders you always come away with a little nugget of sense. So it was at some time in the past when dwelling on the problems of the modern day hand passing, swarming game that we witness so often that Mick uttered the words, "Whatever about the way the game is played today one thing is certain, most All Irelands are won in the air and the high catch is still the most spectacular aspect of our game", How right he was. And last Sunday in my opinion this latest win over Monaghan was won in the air through some spectacular fielding. Kerry as expected were a little bit rusty following the four week lay off and Monaghan were well in touch mid way through the second half when in the space of five minutes this game was one and lost. Monaghan were on a roll, a succession of points saw them draw level 0-10 each. Both Monaghan corner forwards Ciaran Hanratty and especially Tommy Freeman had been giving the Kerry defenders a torrid time with their darting, jinxing, piercing runs. Hanratty came flying in from the left bearing down on Diarmuid Murphy net. A goal looked a distinct possibility but the Fag An Bealach man blazed low and wide across the face of the goal. A huge grown of disappointment went up from the Northern supporters. 

The general consensus in the aftermath interviews and debate was that this miss was the defining moment of the game. Not for me however. I believe the goal was not on. Hanratty was at a very acute angle and the huge frame of the Dingle Kerry net minder had cut the angle to such a degree that the fordward had little space to shoot at. The proper decision was to fist the ball over the bar and Monaghan would have been ahead. The chance of tightening the screw on the kingdom was gone. On such incidents games are won and lost. Kerry were laboring at mid field around this period. Monaghan were winning breaking ball and fielding some big ones. The Kerry selectors a little late I thought then moved. Kieran Scanlon had covered every blade of Grass in Croke Park and was very visibly tiring. Tommy Griffin came on and his first contribution to the cause was a magnificent high catch in the middle of the field. He fed Owen Brosnan who had also just entered the fray. The Croke man careered through in one of those trade mark driving runs, passed to Kieran Donnaghy who cool, calm and collected picked his spot and the man in the white coat reached for the green flag. Brilliant stuff and a great finish by the Chelsea supporter.

Dara o Se then thundered into the game and fielded majestically on two occasions driving Kerry fordward. Two points resulted from this and Kerry were home and dry. Staying with the theory of high fielding the tactic of the "Twin Towers" duo of Kieran Donnaghy and Tommy Walsh reveled one evening in Fitzgerald Stadium training. Kerry won 1=12 to 1-11. 

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