Kerry 1-11 Limerick 0-9During the optimistic week leading up to yesterday's Bank of Ireland Munster football final, Limerick got on-message with the insistent mantra that Kerry might beat them but that they wouldn't beat themselves.Accordingly what happened in Fitzgerald Stadium Killarney must have come as an immense disappointment.
The inability to convert copious possession into scores, the failure to make a one-man advantage for most of the second half pay any sort of dividend and the soul-destroying waste of two missed penalties all contributed to a demoralising defeat.
And to make it worse they ended up losing by only five points despite a performance that will surely be a watershed: either the point at which the dream died or, on the basis that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, an instructive experience.
Kerry weren't hectic themselves but it's hard to be too critical. All that Paidi O Se's team needed to do was win and it must have been hard for the players to get revved for a match that from the second quarter looked beyond Limerick. It is O Se's sixth Munster title in eight years but more accurately it's a ticket to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
It was obvious that Kerry were confident enough when Darragh O Se was kept in reserve. A year ago, although also then injured, O Se was required to come off the bench in order to help his side to get a grip on Limerick's centrefield. Despite being dominated in the area for most of yesterday's first half, Kerry's management held their nerve and decided not to risk aggravating the injury.
For a while the temptation must have been considerable. John Galvin was dominating the middle with assistance from Jason Stokes. Stephen Kelly's lightning sprints from broken play were scalding Tom O'Sullivan, Kerry's fastest defender and for over 15 minutes Limerick monopolised the ball.
There were two things that weren't expected going into this match. One was that the occasion wouldn't get to them and secondly that their forwards' accuracy would not be a factor. Anyone who saw them clinically dispatch Cork two months ago wouldn't have recognised the Limerick forwards yesterday. Maybe they froze but Kerry played a role by denying them the sort of space gifted by Cork.
Time and time again Limerick's often extremely laboured approach play was hounded and harassed every step and hand-pass of the way. There were no easy possessions in attack either with everything contested and from centrefield back Kerry were happy to foul to stall Limerick's fluency.
Chances did arise. Within 30 seconds Kelly had scorched through on goal only to send the ball wide. A one-two between Galvin and Stephen Lucey got Limerick on the board, Kelly added a second and Conor Fitzgerald a third. Colm Cooper took what was virtually Kerry's only chance of the first quarter but as an omen of his side's greater economy it cast a shadow.
In the 12th minute a long delivery from Damien Reidy, the one Limerick player who seemed to consider quick ball a matter of urgency, broke for Stokes who was hauled down by Eoin Brosnan. Micheal Reidy's penalty was too casual, his couple of steps' run-up insufficient to power the kick and Declan O'Keeffe blocked it.
Having gone into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead in the 15th minute, Limerick wouldn't score again for over half an hour. In the interim the match had moved beyond their despairing grasp. Wides and shots dropped short combined to present an ever more vivid picture of a side letting chances slip.
After a slow start Kerry began to emerge. Declan O'Sullivan's switch to the 40 enlivened the attack before a strangely pivotal incident saw a clash of heads between Brosnan and Kelly.
The Limerick flier never really recovered and was eventually replaced whereas Brosnan went off for a lengthy pit stop only to return with a bandaged head looking like Basil Fawlty in the Germans' episode - and ended up causing nearly as much mayhem for Limerick.
His enlivened form did most damage in the 34th minute when a fine catch and solo created the chance for Dara O Cinneide - who had missed a similar opportunity a few minutes previously - to slip home the goal that tolled the bells for Limerick. Having levelled the match at 0-3 each on the half hour, Kerry added 1-3 in the minutes before the interval.
Still Limerick shouldn't have fallen away as drastically as they did. Only six minutes after the break Kerry's Seamus Scanlon was shown a red card for persistent fouling but instead on going up a gear, Limerick's play became more ponderous. John Quane, the only veteran of the counties' previous Munster final meeting, came on in the second half but the value of his industrious link work was compromised by the lack of movement in the forwards.
The second half was eerily lacking in atmosphere with Limerick supporters thronging the exits long before the end. Kerry picked off the odd point to keep the match safe but bizarrely a late Limerick push closed the gap to four points in injury time. It could have been less but Muiris Gavin cannoned a 66th-minute penalty, awarded for a foot block on Pat Ahern, off the crossbar.
It was forgettable stuff. At one stage Kerry had all but one of their team behind the ball as Limerick were organising another relay team to mount the latest attack. It won't bother Kerry as the season's business gets serious but it may well haunt Limerick for a while.
KERRY: D O'Keeffe; M Ó Sé, S Moynihan, M McCarthy; T Ó Sé, E Fitzmaurice, T O'Sullivan; S Scanlon, E Brosnan; S O'Sullivan, D Ó Cinnéide (1-6, five frees), L Hassett (0-2); MF Russell, D O'Sullivan, C Cooper (0-1). Subs: A MacGearailt (0-1) for Russell (49 mins), J Crowley (0-1) for Cooper (55 mins), P Galvin for S O'Sullivan (67 mins).
LIMERICK: S O'Donnell; M O'Riordan, D Sheehy, T Stack; D Reidy, S Lucey (0-1), C Mullane (0-1); J Stokes (0-1), J Galvin; S Kelly (0-1), M Gavin (0-2, two frees), S Lavin; C Fitzgerald (0-2), M Reidy (0-1), J Murphy. Subs: P Ahern for Kelly (35 mins), J Quane for D Reidy (half-time), P Browne for Murphy (58 mins), C Hickey for M Reidy (63 mins).
Referee: B Crowe (Cavan)
