All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-final.
Kerry 1-20 – Galway 2-10
Corner forward James O’Donoghue pointed the way to the All-Ireland semi-final for Kerry with another great performance in Croke Park.
He finished with 1-5 to give his side the edge in a game that was right in the balance up to the closing stage, despite the scoreboard suggesting otherwise.
The 1-20 to 2-10 scoreline would seem to suggest that Kerry were dominant but that was certainly not the case as Galway paid the ultimate price for some very poor finishing when several scores looked on.
O’Donoghue was the main difference between the sides and he produced a beautiful goal when he sliced open the Galway defence after 12 minutes and finished superbly.
He went on to score five points from play as Kerry controlled the game without being totally dominant.
Substitute David Moran – introduced very early on for the injured Bryn Sheehan – was a contender for man-of-the-match as he won an enorous amount of possession and linked defence with attack with great authority.
It took Galway no less than 19 minutes to notch their first score and by that time, Kerry had registered1-5 with Donnchadh Walsh, David Moran, Michael Geaney and Declan O’Sullivan all adding to O’Donoghue’s goal and a point.
Two Paul Geaney points increased that lead but Kerry were stunned when Tom Flynn ran unopposed from midfield and finished to the net with one of the finest examples of stamina and determination you are ever likely to see.
A Johnny Buckley free gave Kerry a 1-8 to 1-3 half time lead and the same player was again on target early in the second half as were O’Donoghue and Walsh.
Kerry’s rearguard was exposed again after 41 minutes when Michael Lundy squeezed through for a goal but additional points from Paul Geaney kept Kerry ahead.
With Comer and Walsh finding their range, Galway didn’t give up hope but the timely introduction of substitute Barry John Keane kicked over three splendid points and further scores from James O’Donoghue and substitute Kieran O’Leary sealed the tie in Kerry’s favour.
Kerry: Brian Kelly, Marc Ó Sé, Aidan O’Mahony, Shane Enright, Paul Murphy, Killian Young, Fionn Fitzgerald (capt), Anthony Maher, Bryan Sheehan, Michael Geaney (0-1), Johnny Buckley (0-2), Donnchadh Walsh (0-2), Paul Geaney (0-4), Declan O’Sullivan (0-1), James O’Donoghue (1-5). Subs: David Moran (0-1) for Sheehan; Peter Crowley for O’Mahony; Darran O’Sullivan for Declan O’Sullivan; Barry John Keane (0-3) for Buckley; Kieran O’Leary (0-1) for Walsh; Mark Griffin for Ó Sé.
