Kerry completed the double over Cork at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh this season by defeating their nearest rivals 1-28 to 0-20 in this All-Ireland SFC round-robin Group 2 clash.
It leaves John Cleary and his players hanging by a thread in the championship, and desperately needing a result against Roscommon in two weeks if there's going to be any type of knockout football played on Leeside in 2025.
Cork led 0-13 to 1-07 at the interval, and then got wiped out by a Kerry drive that saw Jack O’Connor’s players hit three two-pointers during a 0-08 run in nine minutes.
The coach will only have one concern after this showing and that is the fitness of Mark O’Shea and Dylan Geaney after the pair went off injured in the first half.
They were instrumental in a quickfire start that saw Kery surge into a 1-04 to 0-02 lead inside 11 minutes.
The Kingdom were ruthless and a 90-second burst confirmed this as David Clifford raised his first white flag and the corner-forward followed it up by beating Brian O’Driscoll to Micheál Aodh Martin’s kick-out, running through and hitting the back of the net at the City End.
Paul Walsh jabbed for Cork and this was met with another brace by David Clifford, Kerry silencing the home crowd once again.
Then came Brian Hurley’s first of the day, a free, and Paul Walsh added to that by raising an orange flag.
The Rebels kept the drive alive with a Mark Cronin goal chance that was saved and the loose ball went out to Hurley, who cleanly put it over and made the scoreboard read 0-06 to 1-04.
The entire vibe in the ground shifted with it, even after Sean O’Shea curled over a free, as Cork had a feeling of belief.
Colm O’Callaghan and Chris Og Jones were the first to capitalise on it, and a Brian Hurley free put the home side in front for the first time at 0-09 to 1-05. It was end to end from there, with Paudie Clifford twice ensuring parity before an injury forced the half-forward off in the 31st minute.
The half came down to a Brian Hurley two-pointer from the edge of the arc and that put Cork in front at 0-13 to 1-07.
A brawl erupted by the tunnel that led to Paul Walsh and Joe O’Connor receiving black cards.
The Rebels actually extended their lead as things settled down after the break, through a Mark Cronin free.
The Kingdom hit back with orange flags raised by David Clifford and Sean O’Shea, and they two teams were level for the fifth time in the 39th minute.
That was when the dial shifted, something that was helped by Killian Spillane’s arrival at half-time. The forward bagged two quick points, and this kick-started a run that included Sean O’Shea getting 0-03 from two frees, which pushed Kerry in front at 1-21 to 0-16.
It happened very quickly, to the point where a solitary Mark Cronin free felt like swimming against the current.
A missed two-pointer attempt from placed ball by Brian Hurley did not help in the 55th minute. This was start of a prolonged series of frustrations for the home supporters, with the high point being a missed Cronin penalty in the 63rd minute.
The Rebels did manage to force a few goalmouth scrambles late on, but at that stage Kerry were holding a commanding nine-point cushion. Their job was done.
Cork: Micheál Aodh Martin; Seán Meehan, Daniel O’Mahony, Maurice Shanley, Brian O’Driscoll, Sean Brady, Matty Taylor, Ian Maguire, Colm O’Callaghan (0-02), Paul Walsh (0-03, 1 2tp), Sean Walsh, Seán McDonnell, Mark Cronin (0-06, 5f), Brian Hurley (0-07, 2 2tp, 2fs), Chris Óg Jones (0-01).
Subs: Sean Powter for Meehan (42); Ruairi Deane (0-01) for McDonnell (49), Cathail O’Mahony for Hurley (60), Luke Fahey for Taylor (64), Eoghan McSweeney for Paul Walsh (65),
Kerry: Shane Ryan; Dylan Casey, Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan (0-02, 1 2tp), Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Mike Breen, Gavin White, Joe O’Connor, Barry Dan O’Sullivan, Graham O’Sullivan (0-01), Paudie Clifford (0-01), Seán O’Shea (0-09, 3tp, 6f), David Clifford (1-08, 2 tp, 3f), Paul Geaney (0-02), Micheál Burns.
Subs: Mark O’Shea for Dan O’Sullivan (21); Dylan Geaney (0-01) for Paudie Clifford (31), Killian Spillane (0-02) for Paul Geaney (HT), Tony Brosnan (0-02) for Burns (58), Tadhg Morely for Ó Beaglaoich (65)
Referee: Derek O Mahoney (Tipperary)
