By Mike Fitzpatrick
Kerry 2-7, Dublin 0-5
It’s not often that the lads from Div. B get a chance to display their talents at Gaelic Park, but such is the schedule at the moment, with the senior hurlers gone back to Ireland, and the senior footballers preparing for their own assault on the All Ireland Championship.
Dublin’s junior footballers faced Kerry in this tie, and it finished as expected. Dublin have been suffering something of a lean time in recent seasons, having lost every game they played last year. Opening this season on the same sort of form, Kerry were the last team they’d have wanted to have faced when experiencing such a slump in fortunes.
The first half was a torrid affair, with neither side really able to take control of the game, and sloppy passes going amiss all over the park. In fact, going into the break, all we witnessed was a dismal four scores registering on the scoreboard with the lads from the Kingdom leading the Capital boys by a score of 1-2 to 0-1.
Tom Noonan’s goal separated the sides, and Danny Sheehan and Noel Curran added a point apiece for Kerry.
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Fergal Mulvanney replied for Dublin, leaving his side trailing by a not unassailable four points.
The second half was somewhat livelier, with both sides upping their tempos a little, and actually managing to string passes together in forward movements that led to a couple of scores going in.
Liam Hartnett and Danny Sheehan shone for Kerry, and it was Sheehan’s tally of 1-1 which really made a dent in Dublin’s hopes for a comeback.
Hartnett followed up with a couple of points of his own to leave the Dubs truly sweating. Dublin hit back a little, and points from John Kiernan and Danny McGilloway gave them at least a slight glimmer of hope.
Kerry were not to be caught though; they continued to hit them over, with Ronan Wells and Noel Curran banging in more points. At the end of the day, this eight-point victory for the Kingdom leaves Dublin in serious trouble.
Kerry: John Fogerty, Patrick Driscoll, Adrian Riney, Tommy Sheridan, Paddy Hartley, Peter Riney, Adrian Finn, Liam Hartnett (0-3), Martin McGovern, Mike Herlihy, Danny Sheehan (1-1), Timmy Foley, Tom Noonan (1-0), Noel Curran (0-2), Dan Doherty. Subs Ronan Wells (0-1), Mark Burke
Dublin: Pádraig Broderick, Dermot Rice, Kevin Rice, Damian Powderley, John Kiernan (0-2), Niall Rice, Fergal Mulvanney (0-1), Michael McCarthy, Paddy Murphy, Brian Marconi, Danny McGilloway (0-1), Naoise Boyle, Danny Doran, Gerry McCormack, Robbie Dillon Subs: Mark Tyrell, Peter Kennedy, Ronan Dolan, Danny Cauldwell, Luke Shinner
Man of the Match: Liam Hartnett (Kerry).