Bound for Navan, former Kerry captain Bryan Sheehan recently encouraged the Munster titleholders to adopt a more cutthroat approach. He highlighted their lack of goals scored in the Championship, and generally lacklustre display as a suggestion they were not on the trajectory to clinch another All-Ireland title.
So, did Sheehan’s wishes come to fruition in Navan? If numbers are to be trusted, then yes. Kerry netted two goals, specifically through the efforts of David Clifford, thus, marking off a crucial benchmark. They also limited Meath to less than 10 points.
“We achieved the objectives we set,” stated Kerry’s team leader, Jack O’Connor.
However, it wasn’t a sparkling performance by Kerry. Roughly 50 minutes into the match, they only held a slender five-point lead and initially faced considerable opposition in the third quarter as Meath trimmed down Kerry’s seven-point half-time lead to five.
But once Clifford scored the much very wanted goal by Kerry, it seemed to have lifted the pressure off. Clifford, the current footballer of the year, scored another goal in the final minute and ended the game with 2-2 overall despite sturdy defence from Meath’s experienced Donal Keogan.
From the 49th minute onwards, Kerry outpaced Meath by 2-8 to 0-4, showcasing their superior prowess and experience.
Clifford was likely plotting his exit from the field long before the final whistle. He avoided the mob of autograph seekers by heading straight for the tunnel but still took the time to sign shirts and programmes afterwards.
Regarding the stale game intensity during the initial three quarters, Kerry’s manager O’Connor was nonchalant.
He suggested the difficulty in raising their game intensity may have resulted from hearing repeatedly how Meath lacked in performance. O’Connor remarked that irrespective of how players were counselled, such notions could potentially infiltrate their mindset, causing them to assume the match would be less challenging than it was.
Although Meath were unable to intimidate Kerry during their match, Colm O’Rourke’s youthful squad, including first-time Championship players Sean Ryan, Brian O’Halloran and Michael Murphy, delivered a respectable first half. Instead of confronting the Kerry kick-out head-on, Meath decided to pull back, gather their strength, and strike when possible. While the strategy led to creating ample opportunities, conversions became their Achilles’ heel; they missed eight first-half shots and fell short on multiple other attempts.
Meath manager, Colm O’Rourke, reflected on the half noting, “Both Kerry and we took 14 shots in the first half, yet they scored 10 points and we managed only three.” It was a matter of precision; while Kerry hit their mark, Meath lacked the same accuracy.
Initially, Kerry’s Clifford and Sean O’Shea were diligently marked by Keogan and Adam O’Neill. Still, their midfielders and defenders managed to effortlessly pass their long-range shots over Meath’s fortified defence. O Beaglaoich and Tom O’Sullivan scored five first-half points between them, with Joe and Diarmuid O’Connor adding two more.
Could matching Kerry’s effective shooting have swayed the crowd of 8,224 in Meath’s favour, putting Kerry off balance? It’s a speculation left unanswered, as while Meath had a commendable first 15 minutes in the second half, it only amounted to two additional points.
Eventually, their choices backfired – the ‘green dam’ they’d built collapsed. O’Sullivan assisted Clifford in securing the first goal and a multitude of Kerry players scored points ahead of Clifford sealing their second in stoppage time.
Looking ahead, Kerry is set to face Louth in mid-June. As long as they avoid defeat, they will lead Group Four to qualify for the All-Ireland quarter-final – a progression everyone saw coming.
O’Connor confidently stated, “We’ll improve in the next match.” Meanwhile, for Meath, hope remains as they anticipate their game with Monaghan in round three. If victorious, they could advance to the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final, despite three consecutive Championship losses.
The task at hand is certainly an uphill one. Their undeniable inexperience at this stage, coupled with persisting injuries of star players and an evident lack of creative strategy in offence is clear.
“Acquiring talents such as Sean O’Shea, David or Paudie Clifford, or the formidable Dublin forwards, from the transfer market would be our dream,” admitted O’Rourke. “Our performances, unfortunately, lack the precision and edge that’s necessary. This shortcoming has been the story of our season.”
The Meath team consisted of B Hogan, Ronan Ryan, A O’Neill, and D Keogan as defenders. Midfield was manned by C Hickey and C Gray, while the offense was driven by M Murphy, D Campion and S Ryan. The team was assisted by C Caulfield, S Coffey, C O’Sullivan, M Costello, and E Frayne, who all contributed points.
Half-time substitutes included R Jones for Gray and J Morris for Murphy, and later, J O’Connor, C McBride, and Ross Ryan were sent in for O’Sullivan, Coffey and Campion respectively.
Kerry’s team featured S Ryan, T O’Sullivan, J Foley and D Casey in defence. The midfield was occupied by M Breen and G White with D O’Connor and J O’Connor as the offensive forefront. The rest of the team was bolstered by B O Beaglaoich, T Brosnan, P Clifford, C Burke, D Clifford, S O’Shea and P Geaney.
In the latter part of the game, substitutions were made to bring D Moynihan, K Spillane, D Geaney, A Spillane, and S O’Brien onto the field in place of Burke, Geaney, Brosnan, D O’Connor and Breen respectively. The match was officiated by referee L Devenney from Mayo.