Wild Munster football rollercoaster delivers Kerry relief and Cork regret

WHERE TO START with a wild rollercoaster of a football night in Cork?

The Páirc Uí Chaoimh floodlights were required for two and a half hours after the first throw-in, to illuminate the action in a game that was a slow-burner before exploding midway through the second half.

The nuts and bolts of it at the end were this. Kerry progressing to a sixth Munster final on the spin, where they will renew acquaintances for thie third year in a row with Clare. Cork bowing out of the province again at the hands of Kerry, after a performance that was superior on previous offerings they have served up against their neighbours, consistent and persistent in their challenge to the last.

And yet this will hurt Cork all the more, given the nature of the defeat, a game that generated a pile of regrets that they couldn’t quite close it out.

Cork’s last championship success over Kerry was engineered by that Mark Keane thunderbolt in 2020, preceding their 22-point annihilation the following summer when revenge was tellingly exacted in Killarney.

There has been a trend to the last three meetings of Cork starting brightly and packing plenty spirit into their display before faiding away. 12 points separated the teams in Páirc Uí Rinn in 2022, two points in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 2023, and three points in Fitzgerald Stadium in 2024.

Those scorelines indicated some steady Cork improvement, but in truth Kerry held a sense of control in the finale of those encounters, expertly shutting the match down.

Last night felt different. Kerry nerves were frayed as their night swerved off course. Their anxiety was only soothed by the wonderful thumping finish to the nef from Joe O’Connor, the Austin Stacks man that is developing into such a force around the middle for Kerry.

Even then Cork patiently held possesesion as the hooter blasted into the night sky, prising open half a yard for Cathail O’Mahony to attempt a two-pointer with the final act of the game, a shot that just veered wide.

It was in keeping with the theme of Cork’s display as the game wore on. Creating chances wasn’t an issue, converting them was a problem. Their game analysis will hone in on that period of extra-time when a series of point shots went off target. Chris Óg Jones, who drilled home a fine goal in normal time, nearly added another but for a vital touch by Shane Murphy to divert the ball around the post, while Conor Cahalane slipped another past the post later on after a incisive run.

The 9-0 wide count in their favour during extra-time is the statistic that Cork will agonise over. On a night where the greasy surface made it problematic at times to produce flowing football, Cork struggled more on the ball, their lack of poise contributing to a succession of costly turnovrers early in the second half.

Game-defining moments were plentiful on the night. Kerry had cause to complain over the severity of Paudie Clifford’s red card, Cork equally so with Sean Brady’s dismissal in extra-time. The loss of regular netminder Shane Ryan was a setback Kerry needed to absorb and after encountering difficulties on kickouts for a large chunk of the game, Cork got a grip in attacking Kerry’s restarts, fuelling their comeback.

Cork’s admirable grit surfaced as they repeatedly dug out a route back into a game that was firmly moving away from them.

Kerry bossed the first half, confidently surging 0-11 to 0-4 clear by the 28th minute, yet Cork fired five points without reply before the break. They were level early in the second half and then Kerry shifted into a higher gear once more, both Cliffords weaving their attacking magic, and the endurance of Paul Geaney helping him to a valuable tally of 1-3.

The sending-off of the elder Clifford helped Cork wrestle back momentum to hit 1-5 without reply, and even though Sean O’Shea cut through for a goal, despite the suspicion of over-carriyng, Cork fired the last two points of normal time.

Cork’s kicking was more assured as the game progressed. They were a graphic advertisement for the FRC’s hopes for the two-pointer rule. Brian O’Driscoll has been one of the best exponents during the league and he two stunning shots early in the game. They hit six two-pointers in all during the match, Eoghan McSweeney again a hub of creativity against Kerry off the bench, just like he was two summers ago at this venue, and Cathail O’Mahony offered a salient reminder of how stronger Cork are with his presence, the Mitchelstown man rebounding from recent injury travails.

Kerry found a way to get the job done. The latest instalment of David Clifford facing the tenacity of Daniel O’Mahony saw his influence curbed as the night went on, but he still struck nine points, including the best two-pointer of the night in extra-time.

This was a gut-check for Jack O’Connor’s charges, markedly changed from the comfort of their league final win against Mayo. They will hope it will aid them down the line, yet it also conjured up a fresh set of questions as their form unravelled in the face of Cork’s emergence.

John Cleary’s team were left with that familiar sinking feeling from these games. A major opportunity to land a knockout blow could not be realised, but harnessing the good stuff in this display for the All-Ireland series, simply must be the target now. Cork have set a high mark for their performance levels, now they must meet it on a repeated basis.