O’Driscoll points Kerry past Clare

Still, the fans stayed away, opting instead for the beach or the barbecue while he players seemed cranky.
Clare appeared on the pitch with every player, the goalkeeper excepted, wearing incorrectly numbered jerseys. If this was some sort of strategy, it failed. It also gave the impression of a team thrown together for a picnic softball game.
Kerry were on the board first when a good Dave McCarthy pass set up Bingo O’Driscoll. Before the match ended, O’Driscoll had put a 10 spot on the board, scoring all but 0-2 of Kerry’s total. Clare’s Mike Keaveney pointed two frees for Clare and the match began to take on a nasty edge. With Kerry leading 0-5 to 0-4, tempers finally boiled over and midfielders John Golden of Kerry and Paul Higgins of Clare received yellow cards.
Late hits and high tackles were the order of the day, extending even beyond the halftime whistle. Referee Tom Fahey awarded Kerry a free just before the halftime buzzer. O’Driscoll drove it over the bar from just under 50 yards and Kerry led 0-7 to 0-5 at the break.
But wait. Someone took a slap at O’Driscoll and the row was on. Fahey consulted with his umpires but apparently nobody saw anything and we went to the break.
On the restart, O’Driscoll sent Kerry out to a 0-9 to 0-5 advantage before Eoghan Lawlor joined D.J. Fleming as non-Bingos on the Kerry score sheet. Twice more O’Driscoll pointed from frees and Kerry were cruising 0-12 to 0-6.
Clare tried to come back and three more Keaveney frees narrowed the deficit to just a goal, 0-12 to 0-9. But they would get no closer and had to finish the match with 14 men when Martin Slowey picked up a second yellow card for a needless and obvious foul in the waning moments of the match. The loss drops Clare to 2-2, while Kerry are sitting pretty at 4-1.
The Kingdom were without Pa Murphy, a big loss, but Eoghan Lawlor did well in his stead. Derek Riney and Eanna Kavanagh were outstanding in the Kerry defense, and Don Murphy and John Golden are developing into a good midfield combination. Up front Bingo did almost all of the scoring but the rest of the front six can play and Kerry continue to impress.
Man of the Match: Bingo O’Driscoll
Kerry: Finbarr Flood, Adrian Finn, Derek Riney, Paudie Mulvihill, Collie Fearon, Eoghan Lawlor (0-1), Eanna Kavanagh, Don Murphy, John Golden, Ray Keane, Dennis Carroll, Dave McCarthy, Stephen Flynn, Bingo O’Driscoll (0-10, 6 frees), D.J. Fleming (0-1). Sub: Willie O’Donnell.
Clare: Evan Byrne, Niall Corbett, Cathal Loughnane, Dan Downey, Owen Loughnane, Paul O’Connor, Rory Sweeney, Paul Higgins, Martin Slowey, Gary Dowd (0-1), J.P. Boyle (0-2 ,1 free), John Madigan, Gerry Scully, Niall Dillon, Michael Keaveney (0-6, all frees).