Victory for Kerry in their first All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final, but at what cost?
A nine-point win over Cavan was a neat reversal of the nine-point defeat to Meath the previous week that put Kerry in this pickle, but injuries to Mike Breen, before the game, and Diarmuid O'Connor, at the throw-in, will have soured the result.
Bar a short spell in the second half when Cavan cut a 12-point deficit to six, the Ulster men played a poor second to a much improved Kerry, but whether this performance will be good enough to beat more Ulster opposition next week in Croke Park is the big ask of the Munster champions now.
Kerry will play one of Monaghan, Tyrone or All-Ireland champions, Armagh, in next week's quarter-finals but as the injuries continue to mount so do the question marks over their All-Ireland title winning credentials.
Mike Breen, Paul Geaney and Tony Brosnan are among those on the treatment table, but the Kingdom limp on regardless.
Responding to last week’s drubbing by Meath in the way they did here is the response Jack O’Connor would have wanted from his troops, and Kerry did it well for the most part.
David Clifford’s hat trick of goals eased Kerry to victory, and on the surface things are going in the right direction in the Kingdom. But there were as many goal chances squandered – Clifford as culpable as anyone – and there was a spell in the second half when Cavan cut a 12-point deficit to six in with three shots.
Clifford’s first goal arrived in the sixth minute, skinning Niall Carolan along the end line and coolly finishing past Liam Brady to make it 1-02 to 0-02, and he was at it again in the 19th minute when Paul Murphy set him to make it 2-06 to 0-02.
Cavan had Carolan in the sin bin for the period, but even with their full complement restored, Kerry were much the better side, leading by 10 at the interval, 2-12 to 0-08, with Paddy Lynch scoring all but one point of Cavan’s total.
The Ulster men won the second half by a point, Evan Crowe getting their goal in that little period when they halved that 12-point deficit with help from Jason McLoughlin’s two-pointer and a Padraig Faulkner point.
It was as close as Kerry came to a scare, but Clifford’s third goal made it 3-16 to 1-15 on the hour mark and the home side saw it out from there.
Kerry at their best? Not really, but it was good enough to see off a Cavan team who have been spiralling downward since their win away to Mayo a month ago.
Paddy Lynch carried the fight best for the visitors with 12 points, but it is Kerry who are Croke Park bound next week to face more Ulster opposition. A sterner examination awaits.
Kerry: Shane Ryan 0-03 (tpf, 0-01 45); Paul Murphy, Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan; Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Tadhg Morley, Gavin White; Joe O’Connor, Sean O’Brien; Diarmuid O’Connor, Sean O’Shea 0-04 (1 tp, 0-01f), Graham O’Sullivan 0-01; David Clifford 3-07 (2 tp, 0-01f), Conor Geaney 0-01, Dylan Geaney 0-02.
Subs: Mark O’Shea for D O’Connor (inj, 3), Dylan Casey for T Morley (43), Paudie Clifford for C Geaney (56), Killian Spillane 0-01 for D Geaney (56), Evan Looney for G O'Sullivan (temp, 61-ft), Tomas Kennedy 0-01 for B O Beaglaoich (66).
Cavan: Liam Brady, Niall Carolan, Brian O’Connell, Cian Reilly, Oisin Kiernan, Ciarana Brady, Padraig Faulkner 0-01, Jason McLoughlin 0-03 (tp), Evan Crowe 1-00, Gerard Smith, Dara McVeety, Oisin Brady, Cormac O’Reilly, Paddy Lynch 0-12 (2 tp, 2 tpf, 0-04f), Sean McEvoy.
Subs: Luke Fortune for C Reilly (inj, 8), Cian Madden for S McEvoy (43), Ryan O’Neill 0-01 for O Brady (56), Ryan Donohue for J McLoughlin (60), Killian Brady for B O’Connell (64)
Referee: Jerome Henry (Mayo)
