Munster MFC final: Kerry 0-18 Cork 0-9
Eight points from Kevin Griffin went a fair chunk of the way in helping Kerry beat Cork for the second time in three weeks and retain the Munster minor football title.
Indeed, this was a third provincial crown for the Kingdom in three years, and a win that will send Kerry to an All-Ireland quarter-final against the yet to be determined beaten Ulster finalists in good fettle.
Three weeks ago it was a 10-point win for Kerry in Cork, and this nine-point win in Tralee simply underlined the champions superiority over the visiting Rebels.
Playing with a strong wind in the first half, Cork needed to get to the interval with a decent lead, but instead it was Kerry who made it to half-time four in front, 0-8 to 0-4, and there seemed little way back for Cork.
That quarter-final three weeks ago in Páirc Uí Rinn saw Kerry win by 10 points and gulf in class was still present in Tralee, albeit Kerry needed a bit of inspiration from Griffin in the second half to see the champions push through.
Cork finished with 14 men after Cathal McCarthy’s sending off in the 53rd minute, which made little difference to the outcome but will see him miss the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Kerry took the lead early through points from Danny Murphy and Ben Kelliher before Cork replied through Eoin Maguire and Ben Corkery Delaney but the visitors never led in the game.
Kerry 0-5 to 0-3 to the good after 20 minutes, but Cork could ill afford a missed two-point free and a decent goal chance from Ben Corkery Delaney.
Mark O’Carroll and Maguire exchanged scores before Griffin pointed twice late in the half to give Kerry that four-point lead at the break.
Griffin’s long-range two-point free pushed Kerry six clear early in the second half, and another orange flag from the full forward had Kerry well clear by the 50th minute, 0-14 to 0-7.
There was little hope of a Cork revival at that stage, and much less so with McCarthy’s red card three minutes later, with Kerry sub Tadhg O’Connell franking Kerry’s win with a brace of points.
KERRY: R Kennedy; R Sheridan, E Joy, T Ó Slatara; D Murphy (0-0-1), D Sargent, M Clifford; M Ó Sé, J Curtin; M O’Carroll (0-1), G White (0-0-3, 3f), A Tuohy; N Lacey, K Griffin (0-2-4, 1tp, 1tpf, 1f), B Kelliher (0-0-3, 2f).
Subs: T O’Connell (0-0-2) for Lacey (46 mins), P Ó Mainnín for Tuohy (50), C McGibney for Clifford (53), J Kissane for Ó Sé (57), T O’Sullivan for Griffin (58).
CORK: R Twohig; B Coffey, A Keane, M Kiernan; E Looney, C McCarthy, B Cronin; S Kelleher Leavy, R Hayes; T Whooley (0-0-1), D Flynn, N O’Callaghan; S O’Sullivan, B Corkery Delaney (0-0-3, 1f), E Maguire (0-0-4, 2f).
Subs: J Miskella for O’Sullivan (h-t), E O’Sullivan (0-1) for O’Callaghan, J O’Leary for Looney (both 37 mins), J Hanrahan for Kelleher Leavy (53), L O’Mahony for Whooley (58).
Referee: T McGrath (Limerick).
