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Honours even in Newbridge as Kildare snatch deserved draw

Published

4 years ago

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Adam Moynihan reports from St Conleth's Park

National League: Division 1

Kildare 0-13 Kerry 1-10

HT: Kildare 0-6 Kerry 1-7

A rousing second-half fightback saw Kildare snatch a point against Kerry in Newbridge this afternoon, and not even the most devout Kerry fan could deny that the hosts were worthy of their draw.

Two late points by the excellent Jimmy Hyland drew The Lilywhites level and although Kerry had a chance to win it at the death, Tom O’Sullivan was unable to drive his soccer-style snapshot through the posts.

It was an eventful return to Kildare for Kerry boss Jack O’Connor. There were some positives – particularly in the opening period – but ultimately he will be left frustrated by the fact that his new team only managed three points in the entirety of the second half.

VOCIFEROUS

Cheered on by a vociferous home crowd, Kildare burst into life right from the throw-in and early points by Paul Cribbin and Kevin Flynn gave them a 2-0 lead.

Kerry needed a settler and they got the perfect remedy in the sixth minute when Killian Spillane manufactured a shot from a tight space in front of goal. His effort rather trickled over the line but they’re all worth three, and Kerry were off the mark for the 2022 campaign.

Seán O’Shea, operating i lár na páirce in the absence of a number of midfield candidates, pointed a great effort from distance to make 1-1 to 0-2 in Kerry’s favour. The lively Hyland pulled one back for Kildare before O’Shea tagged on another point, this time from a free.

Paudie Clifford stretched Kerry’s lead out to three with a fabulous score and then Hyland and O’Shea exchanged another couple of frees. It was around this time that one would be expecting a water break but those days are gone, and it must be said that the fare was all the better for it.

Jack O’Connor’s men were beginning to shift through the gears now and Tom O’Sullivan and David Clifford both outfoxed their markers within a matter of seconds to score and make it a five-point game.

Hyland was the real bright spark for the hosts and he added two more to this tally to keep his side in contention.

Kerry were dealt a major blow in the 28th minute when Gavin White had to be helped from the field after being dragged down fairly unceremoniously, but the half ended on a positive note when Clifford floated over a typically sensational point.

In fact, it could have been far worse for Kildare; on the stroke of half-time, Clifford dragged an attempt on goal wide after being teed up by Dara Moynihan.

SCRAPPY

The second half was largely scrappy but Kildare deserve huge credit for fighting their way back into the contest. Apart from fine efforts by Paul Geaney, Paudie Clifford and substitute Tony Brosnan, Glen Ryan’s defence kept their illustrious counterparts quiet for most of the second 35.

At the other end, scores by Paddy Woodgate (three), Kevin Flynn and Paul Cribbin chipped away at Kerry’s lead.

Fittingly, it was left to Hyland to finish the job, and finish it he did. His 74th-minute free after a robust challenge by Adrian Spillane levelled matters for the first time, and Kerry’s last-ditch efforts to create an opening came to nought.

A point away from home is far from fatal from Kerry’s point of view, but an improved offensive display will be required if they are to give Dublin a rattle in Round 2.

KILDARE: M Donnellan; M O’Grady, S Ryan, R Houlihan; J Sargent, J Murray, T Archibald; K O’Callaghan, K Flynn (0-2); P Tuohy, P Cribbin (0-2), B McCormack; P Woodgate (0-3, 1f), D Flynn, J Hyland (0-7, 3f).

Subs: Feely for O’Callaghan, N Flynn for McCormack, McDermott for Tuohy.

KERRY: S Murphy; D O'Donoghue, J Foley, T O'Sullivan (0-1); P Murphy, T Morley, G White; S O'Shea (0-3, 2f), A Spillane; M Burns, P Clifford (0-2), D Moynihan; K Spillane (1-0), D Clifford (0-2), P Geaney (0-1).

Subs: Ó Beaglaoich for White, Savage for Burns, Brosnan (0-1) for K Spillane, Horan for Moynihan.

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

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3 weeks ago

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7 November 2025

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Paudie O’Connor National Cup (Round 1)

Utility Trust St Paul’s v GCU Brunell

Saturday 7.30pm

Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

The St Paul’s women’s team will be hoping to get their National Cup adventure off the ground on Saturday when they welcome 2024 champions Brunell to Killarney. Tip-off in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre is at 7.30pm.

Paul’s have displayed some fine early season form, although their unbeaten start in the Super League came to an abrupt end last weekend when they lost to the Trinity Meteors in Dublin. James Fleming’s side weren’t at their best on the day but they were well in contention heading into the final quarter with the scores at 47-45 in favour of the hosts. The Meteors pushed on in the fourth, however, eventually running out 63-53 winners.

St Paul’s scorers on the night were Maisie Burnham (13), Tara Cousins (12), Lorraine Scanlon (12), Lovisa Hevinder (9), Denise Dunlea (5) and Leah McMahon (2).

The Killarney club are now joint second in the table alongside the Meteors with both teams holding a 4-1 record. Killester are top having won each of their first five games.

Paul’s opponents on Saturday, Brunell, have won three out of five league matches so far.

LAKERS

The Utility Trust St Paul’s Lakers have now won three of their last four games in Division 1 of the Men’s National League following an impressive home victory over Moycullen in Killarney.

Eoin Carroll and Jack O’Sullivan made significant contributions of the Boys in Black; Carroll hit 17 points and collected 13 rebounds while O’Sullivan had 14 points, 12 rebounds and some spectacular blocks.

Steve Kelly posted 30 points and the durable Sam Grant played every second, adding 21 points along the way.

The Lakers started well before the visitors found their footing and the sides went in level at the half-time break after scores by home captain Carroll. There was still nothing to separate the teams entering the fourth quarter (68-65) but buckets by Carroll, Pablo Murcia and Grant opened up a nine-point lead. Moycullen fought back admirably, however, cutting the deficit to just four, but Luke O’Hea’s charges held firm to prevail by eight (88-80).

Next up is a cup tie against the Tipperary Talons, a side they defeated by 30 points just a couple of weeks ago. The cup can be very different to the league, though, and they will need another solid performance to advance to the next round. Tip-off in in Killenaule is at 6.30pm on Saturday.

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Chances of Kerry v Cork Munster final in 2026 decrease as Munster GAA delay seeding plan

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4 weeks ago

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7 November 2025

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After facing a backlash from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipperary players, Munster GAA have postponed their plan to keep Cork and Kerry separate in the 2026 Munster Football Championship.

The new seeding system – which gives the two highest ranked Munster teams in the National League byes to separate semi-finals – will now come into play in 2027, twelve months later than initially planned.

This will give Clare and Limerick a chance to earn promotion to Division 2 of the league, potentially overtaking Cork if the Rebels were to get relegated to Division 3.

Despite traditionally being the two main contenders for Munster football honours, Kerry and Cork haven’t met in a provincial decider since 2021. The Kingdom have won each of the finals since then (one versus Limerick and three versus Clare) by an average margin of 15.75 points.

More high-profile Kerry v Cork finals might be desirable for fans of those teams, businesses in Killarney and Cork, and neutrals alike but Munster GAA’s plans to effectively keep the great rivals on opposite sides of the draw understandably drew criticism from the other participating counties. A statement by the GPA confirmed that players from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipp had met via Zoom to discuss the matter. They were said to be “deeply disappointed and concerned” by the decision.

The 12-month delay will at least give two of those disaffected teams an opportunity to benefit from the new seeding process.

The draw for the 2026 Munster Football Championship will take place on November 27 under the old rules. As 2025 finalists, Kerry and Clare will get byes to the last four (but they will not necessarily be kept apart).

Nine members of Kerry’s squad are up for All-Stars at tonight’s awards ceremony in Dublin with Joe O’Connor and David Clifford also in contention for the prestigious Footballer of the Year award.

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