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Kerry v Louth Preview: Kingdom need result and performance in Portlaoise

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2 years ago

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Kerry manager Jack O'Connor would love to get one over on his old rival, Mickey Harte. Photo: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile.

All-Ireland Group 1

Kerry v Louth

Sunday at 2pm

Portlaoise

For the first time in 2023, Kerry’s season is on the line.

Following a disappointing defeat to Mayo at home and a hard-fought win away to Cork, The Kingdom know that they could be eliminated from the championship if they lose their final group game against Louth.

With that in mind, Jack O’Connor has named as strong a team as possible. The only change from the last outing sees Mike Breen replacing All-Star half back Gavin White. The Dr Crokes player has been omitted from the matchday 26 due to a calf injury.

The Kerry manager will provide an official update on White’s status tomorrow but the unofficial word is that he is expected to feature in the knockout phase - that's if Kerry get there.

Louth, who are currently on zero points, would jump ahead of Kerry on head-to-head with a win in the midlands on Sunday. However, if Cork were to lose to Mayo (Sunday 2pm, Limerick) they would also finish up on two points. Then Kerry, Louth and Cork would need to be be separated by points difference.

Cork (+3) hold the advantage over Kerry (-3) and Louth (-3) at the moment, but the margins are fine and they will naturally shift if that sequence of results were to occur.

Looking at it from the other angle, Jack O’Connor’s men will secure a preliminary quarter-final – at worst – if they manage to win at O’Moore Park. Victory would eliminate Louth and guarantee qualification for both Kerry and Cork, alongside Mayo who are already safe.

Kerry will end up on four points if they beat the Wee County with the final standings then hinging on Cork’s result against Mayo. If Cork lose, it’s straightforward enough. Mayo will top the group on six points and advance directly to the All-Ireland quarter-finals; Kerry will finish second on four points and secure a home preliminary quarter-final; and Cork will wind up third on two points, also securing a preliminary quarter-final, albeit away from home.

If Cork and Kerry both win, however, things could get complicated. That will mean that the top three – Cork, Kerry and Mayo – will have four points apiece. If this happens, the final standings will be decided based on points difference. Mayo hold the upper hand as things stand (+6).

A draw between Kerry and Louth would leave Kerry with a home preliminary quarter-final if Cork lose or draw and an away preliminary quarter-final if Cork win.

Whatever the permutations, Kerry will be aiming for victory and an improved performance against Mickey Harte’s outfit. Louth have risen through the ranks in impressive fashion and in Sam Mulroy they have a legitimate scoring threat. They will get bodies behind the ball and try to frustrate their more illustrious opponents so patience and focus will be crucial from Kerry’s perspective.

The match will not be shown on RTÉ or on GAAGO. Follow @AdamMoynihan on Twitter for updates.

KERRY TEAM TO PLAY LOUTH: S Ryan; G O’Sullivan, J Foley, T O’Sullivan; P Murphy, T Morley, M Breen; D O’Connor, J Barry; D Moynihan, S O’Shea, A Spillane; P Clifford, D Clifford, P Geaney.

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Numbers Game: How Kerry can reach league final – or get relegated for first time in 24 years

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2 days ago

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22 March 2025

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by Adam Moynihan

Men’s NFL Division 1

Galway v Kerry

Sunday 3.45pm

Salthill

Live on TG4 YouTube

Kerry travel to Galway on Sunday knowing that defeat could well consign them to relegation for the first time since 2001. Win and they could be Croker-bound. It’s that tight heading into the final day of Division 1 of the National Football League. Anything could happen.

Let’s get the lay of the land before we wade into the murky waters of permutations. We currently have a three-way tie at the top of the table with Galway, Dublin and Donegal all level on eight points. Next up are Mayo on seven, followed by Kerry on six, Armagh and Tyrone on five, and already-relegated Derry on one.

PWDLPDPts
1Galway6321178
2Dublin640288
3Donegal640248
4Mayo6312-37
5Kerry6303116
6Tyrone621305
7Armagh6213-85
8Derry6015-291

In the seventh and final round of the league, Galway play Kerry, Mayo are at home to Donegal, Armagh host Derry, and Tyrone welcome Dublin to Healy Park, Omagh. All four matches are being played simultaneously at 3.45pm on Sunday.

So, who will be joining the Oak Leafers in Division 2 in 2026?

If Kerry lose they will remain on six points, which means that if Armagh and Tyrone both win, they will move onto seven points, relegating the Kingdom. However, if Kerry lose they will stay up if one or both of Armagh or Tyrone lose.

If Kerry lose and either Armagh or Tyrone draw and the other win, Kerry are safe on the head-to-head rule. If Kerry lose and both Armagh and Tyrone draw, there will be a three-way tie on six points. In this event, points difference will come into play, and Kerry will survive if they lose to Galway by less than 20.

If Kerry draw with Galway, they will almost certainly be safe. Such a result would move them up to seven points, and even if Armagh and Tyrone both win, Kerry’s superior points difference would, barring an incredible set of results, see them over the line. Kerry are currently on +11 with Armagh on -8 and Tyrone breaking even on zero. So Armagh would need to beat Derry by 20 points and Tyrone would need to beat Dublin by 12 for them both to overtake Kerry.

Now, let’s fix our gaze upwards rather than down. A place in the league final is also on the cards – if all those cards fall kindly.

If Kerry win, they will wind up on eight points, guaranteeing their status as a Division 1 team for the 24th year in a row. If they win by three points (or more), that’s where things get interesting. Such a margin of victory would see them overtake their direct opponents, Galway, on ‘points for’ (if they win by three) or ‘overall points difference’ (if they win by more than three).

It would also guarantee that they would slip in between Mayo and Donegal, with the winner of that game moving into first, and the loser missing out on the league final. (A draw would be enough for Donegal, but not enough for Mayo.)

Kerry’s fate (again, if they win) would then depend on the result in the Tyrone v Dublin game. If Dublin win, they will advance to the league final. If Dublin draw, they will advance to the league final. But if Dublin lose, they will be passed out by Kerry, and Jack O’Connor’s men will sneak into the Croke Park decider via the side entrance.

That would be a remarkable turn of events considering the team’s spotty form up to this point, but the main priority will simply be to win and ensure survival. Anything on top of that would be a hard-earned bonus.

Tyrone v Dublin will be shown on TG4 with all other Division 1 and Division 2 games available live on the TG4 YouTube channel.

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Spa GAA Club unveil hi-tech solar panels

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3 days ago

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22 March 2025

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This week has seen Spa GAA swap their traditional blue and gold colours to go green, all for the sake of climate change and the environment.

In partnership with solar energy specialist REC Ireland they have just installed a 28.5 kW Solar PV system at their club grounds in Tullig.

The system, comprising 60 PV panels and supported by 10 kW battery storage, is mounted on the south-facing roof of their multi-purpose sports hall. It represents a state-of-the-art installation and it comes on foot of the club being one of the first GAA club recipients of Kerry County Council’s Climate Action Grant Scheme, launched in 2024.

“This is a hugely positive initiative in terms of reducing our on-site carbon footprint, promoting renewable energy and reducing our dependency on oil and gas,” club chairman Tadhg Hickey said.

In a further sign of Spa’s commitment to the green agenda, the club have recently been shortlisted as the only GAA club in Kerry in the Shared Island Sports Club Electrical Vehicle charging scheme, under which funding is provided to install a network of publicly accessible chargers for communities through local sports clubs.

Along with ramping up public EV charging facilities in local communities, the scheme offers significant potential for clubs to generate income, and is another example of the positive contribution of sports clubs in their locality.

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