Sport
Crafty Kerry down Derry and march on to All-Ireland semi-final
Adam Moynihan reports from Croke Park
All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Final
Kerry 0-15 Derry 0-10
It wasn’t pretty but Kerry overcame Mickey Harte’s Derry in Croke Park today to book their place in the last four of the 2024 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
A game that was plagued by cautious, sleep-inducing football was only partially redeemed by a rousing final quarter in which the Kingdom outscored their Ulster opponents by seven points to two.
The lively Tony Brosnan and substitute Killian Spillane kicked crucial scores as Jack O’Connor’s men finally pulled away from their determined opponents, with in-form half back Brian Ó Beaglaoich and young sub Cillian Burke also influential.
Kerry join Armagh, Galway and Donegal in the last four and there will be no need for a draw as Armagh cannot play Galway or Donegal again. That means Kieran McGeeney’s men in orange now stand between Kerry and their third All-Ireland final appearance in a row.
There is always room for improvement but Jack O’Connor will be relatively satisfied with the manner in which his side ground out the victory. Fans will be happy with the result but hoping for better fare when they return to Dublin in two weeks’ time.
HARMLESS POSSESSION
With both sides content to sit back and tempt the other into a potential turnover situation, harmless possession 50-plus metres from goal was the order of the day. Goal chances were few and far between although Gareth McKinless, who rocked Kerry with an early goal in the 2023 semi-final, went close in the very first minute. Luckily for the Kingdom, his low, right-footed shot whizzed past Shane Ryan’s right-hand upright.
Kerry had the better of the opening exchanges with David Clifford’s magnificent solo opener getting them up and running in the second minute. Conor Glass equalised shortly after but a beauty by Tony Brosnan and a well-claimed mark by Clifford made it 3-1 with eight minutes on the clock.
This two-point lead would be the largest either side would hold in a tight and cagey first half.
Derry soon closed the gap thanks to two super kicks by the lively Shane McGuigan, one with his left from the left-hand side and one with his right from the right-hand side.
Like McKinless, Gavin White bagged an early goal last July and, like McKinless, he missed a great opportunity to do likewise this afternoon. When Paul Murphy fisted off the post, White was on hand to gather and shoot but the wing back was denied by a magnificent block by McGuigan.
The Slaughtneil club man added another point at the other end, this time from a free, to give Derry their first lead of the day before fisted efforts by Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Joe O’Connor made it 5-4 to the Munster champions.
Derry finished the half well with the impressive Brendan Rogers and McGuigan both pointing either side of a well-taken score by the hungry Paul Geaney, all of which left the scores at a lousy enough 0-6 to 0-6 at the break.
MORE OF THE SAME
The travelling supporters were subjected to more of the same in the third quarter as Kerry opted to keep the ball rather than attack and run the risk of falling into Derry’s trap.
Six minutes had elapsed by the time McGuigan kicked the first score of the second half, and that was from a free.
Diarmuid O’Connor broke forward within a matter of seconds to split the posts after good work by David Clifford, and then Clifford (free) and Paul Cassidy exchanged points to make it eight all heading into Q4.
Much like the 2023 clash between the teams, this is when Kerry showed their class as Seánie O’Shea and Killian Spillane kicked important scores, prompting Rogers to bite back with his third of the day. It was 0-10 to 0-9 now and it felt like the next point would be huge.
Thankfully from Kerry’s perspective, it was the energetic Tony Brosnan who took the initiative, jinking by his man and popping over a trademark point under severe pressure.
O’Shea stretched the lead to four with two frees resulting from brilliant work by Ó Beaglaoich and the effervescent Burke. The Milltown/Castlemaine man was a thorn in Derry's side as he put in his most impactful championship performance of his rookie season so far.
The unmarked Odhran Lynch managed to pull one back for Derry but replacement Dylan Geaney and White put the final nails in the coffin in stoppage time.
In the end it was Kerry’s craft and ability to make smart decisions that shone through and they will now go into the semi-finals as All-Ireland favourites following Dublin’s shock defeat to Galway.
That Dublin loss will energise all remaining competitors, though, and this Kerry squad have been on the road long enough to know that another huge effort will be required to clear the next hurdle on the second weekend in July.
KERRY: S Ryan; P Murphy, J Foley, T O’Sullivan; B Ó Beaglaoich 0-1, T Morley, G White 0-1; D O’Connor 0-1, J O’Connor 0-1; T Brosnan 0-2, P Clifford, D Moynihan; D Clifford 0-3 (1m, 1f), S O’Shea 0-3 (2f), P Geaney 0-1.
Subs: C Burke for Moynihan; K Spillane 0-1 for P Geaney; D Geaney 0-1 for Brosnan; A Spillane for J O’Connor; M Breen for Ó Beaglaoich.
DERRY: O Lynch 0-1; C McCluskey, C McKaigue, D Baker; C Doherty, G McKinless, E McEvoy; C Glass 0-1, B Rogers 0-2; E Doherty, C McFaul, P Cassidy 0-1; E Mulholland, S McGuigan 0-5 (3f), L Murray.
Subs: N Toner for Mulholland; N Loughlin for Murray; E Bradley for McFaul; C Murphy for Cassidy.
Sport
Jack O’Connor’s Kerry squad is looking deeper and stronger (but the proof will be in the eating)
As we reach the midway point of the 2025 season, Adam Moynihan takes a close look at Kerry’s strength in depth
As the Kerry players, management team and backroom staff huddled together for a photo with the Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh Cup in front of the Hogan Stand, one of the photographers raised his fist in the air, trying to illicit something resembling a celebratory scene. No joy.
Victory over Mayo had been secured in convincing enough fashion but winning the league has never been grounds for buoyant celebrations as far as Kerry are concerned. Retaining Division 1 status and unearthing some new talent is generally enough to tick the springtime box ahead of the serious business of the championship. Once that has been achieved, anything else is gravy.
Going by the disappointing loss to Armagh in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, the need for new blood was especially great heading into the 2025 season. The team faded badly down the stretch and into extra time against the Orchard County with overdependence on core players glaringly obvious. It wasn’t the only reason they lost but Kerry simply didn’t get enough from their supporting cast on the day.
With that in mind, Jack O’Connor knew he had to work on the depth of his squad during this league campaign, and you’d have to say he made a pretty good fist of it.
Starting in goal, the situation here is clear with Shane Murphy providing back-up to Shane Ryan.
Moving out the field, in recent years Kerry have generally gone with Jason Foley at full back, Tom O’Sullivan at left corner back, and one of Paul Murphy or Graham O’Sullivan at right corner back.
After making his debut in the league in 2024, Damien Bourke has emerged as a genuine right corner back alternative with some strong performances that have vastly enhanced his reputation. Not many Kerry players came out of the Dublin defeat with extra credit to their name but Bourke was brave and tenacious, bursting out of defence and using the ball wisely. He was replaced as a starter by the experienced Murphy in later rounds but the Tralee man capped his league with a goal off the bench against Galway in Salthill.
Dylan Casey also got extended game time in the absence of Tom O’Sullivan and he acquitted himself professionally. He has a solid head on his shoulders and you get the impression that Jack O’Connor would now be comfortable throwing him into any given situation without hesitation.
The versatile Graham O’Sullivan is also an option at corner back and it looks like he’ll need to slot in somewhere other than his natural position of half back as Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Gavin White are nailed on starters at 5 and 7. O’Sullivan lined out at half forward against Galway and Mayo, underlining his flexibility and importance to the team.
There could be a changing of the guard taking place at centre back with Mike Breen seemingly shaking off the injury woes that have held back his progress with Kerry to date. With regular number 6 Tadhg Morley unavailable for selection for most of the league, Breen slotted seamlessly into that crucial central role, and he looked really confident against Mayo on Sunday. As things stand, Morley will be doing well to displace Breen but either way Kerry should have two good centre back options heading into the summer months.
Midfield has been a head scratcher for Kerry for a number of years but in Diarmuid O’Connor and Joe O’Connor they appear to have found a winning combination. Diarmuid was playing the best football of his career up to his injury against Armagh in Round 6 so getting his shoulder right for championship is of paramount importance to Kerry’s chances.
Joe is a guaranteed starter too but his assured display at wing forward against Armagh was interesting in that it opens the door for a third midfielder to start. Seán O’Brien and Barry Dan O’Sullivan both applied themselves admirably when called upon in the league and the manager should feel like he can trust them more now than he did 12 months ago.
Joe O’Connor’s arrival as a half forward candidate has improved Kerry’s options to the extent that it’s difficult to predict how they will line out from 10 to 12 in the Munster Championship. Micheál Burns has done quite well upon his reintroduction to the team after being dropped from the panel in 2024, and Paudie Clifford is looking sharp at centre forward. Tony Brosnan and Dylan Geaney are options along this line too, although Dylan has been operating as a withdrawn inside forward to date – a role Tony is also capable of playing.
Of course, Seánie O’Shea will have to fit in somewhere in this department when he fully recuperates from his knee ligament injury, so it will be interesting to see how Jack O’Connor works this conundrum out. File under ‘good problems’.
Dara Moynihan is still recovering from a hip injury and has not yet featured in 2025. He would naturally be an option at 10 if he can get back up to speed. Meanwhile, Darragh Lyne, Ruairí Murphy and Cathal Ó Beaglaoich all featured at half forward in the league.
David Clifford and Paul Geaney will play at 13 and 14 with Dylan Geaney in pole position to start at 15 on the back of a really good run of form, perhaps excepting the league final in which he was relatively quiet. Tony Brosnan is a prime candidate to challenge Dylan for that spot; the Dr Crokes player has kicked some fantastic scores in each of his last three appearances as a substitute.
As for out-and-out inside forwards, Conor Geaney and Killian Spillane are likely to be used as impact subs.
All told Kerry do appear to have better depth than they had last year, particularly with the emergence of second season players like Bourke, O’Brien and Dylan Geaney as legitimate options, and with Breen beginning to fulfil his potential. Burns’ comeback and Joe O’Connor’s newfound ability to play the 12 position also help.
As always, though, the proof will be in the eating. We will have to wait for the suffocating heat of do-or-die championship matches to find out if this squad is as deep and dependable as it looks on paper.
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