All-Ireland SFC: Clifford inspires Kerry in Killarney

All-Ireland SFC Preliminary Quarter-Final

Kerry 3-20 (3-4-12) Cavan 1-17 (1-5-7)

By Paul Brennan at Fitzgerald Stadium

Kerry are into the All-Ireland quarter-finals next week after a nine-point win over Cavan.

Whether it is Monaghan, Tyrone or All-Ireland champions, Armagh, that Kerry will play remains to be seen, but it looks certain they will go into that game without midfielder Diarmuid O'Connor who was forced out of this preliminary quarter-final with what looked like a reoccurrence of the shoulder injury that has sidelined him for much of the season.

Mike Breen, Paul Geaney and Tony Brosnan are also among those on the treatment table, but the Kingdom limp on regardless.

Responding to last week’s nine-point drubbing by Meath with a nine-point win over Cavan is what Jack O’Connor wanted from his troops, and Kerry did what they needed to do here.

David Clifford is back doing David Clifford things. A hat trick of goals eased the Munster champions to a nine-point win, 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 1-2 to 0-2, and he was at it again in the 19th minute when Paul Murphy set him to make it 2-6 to 0-2.

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 0-8, 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.

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 stern examination awaits.

Scorers for Kerry: D Clifford 3-7 (2 tp, 0-1f), S O’Shea 0-4 (tp, 1f), S Ryan 0-3 (tpf, ’45’), D Geaney 0-2, G O’Sullivan 0-1, C Geaney 0-1, K Spillane 0-1, T Kennedy 0-1

Scorers for Cavan: P Lynch 0-12 (2 tp, 2 tpf, 4f), E Crowe 1-0, J McLoughlin 0-3 (tp), P Faulkner 0-1, R O’Neill 0-1

Kerry: Shane Ryan; 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, Graham O’Sullivan; David Clifford, Conor Geaney, Dylan Geaney.

Subs: Mark O’Shea for D O’Connor (inj, 3), Dylan Casey for T Morley (43), Paudie Clifford for C Geaney (56), Killian Spillane for D Geaney (56), Evan Looney for G O'Sullivan (temp, 61-ft), Tomas Kennedy for B O Beaglaoich (66).

Cavan: Liam Brady, Niall Carolan, Brian O’Connell, Cian Reilly, Oisin Kiernan, Ciarana Brady, Padraig Faulkner, Jason McLoughlin, Evan Crowe, Gerard Smith, Dara McVeety, Oisin Brady, Cormac O’Reilly, Paddy Lynch, Sean McEvoy.

Subs: Luke Fortune for C Reilly (inj, 8), Cian Madden for S McEvoy (43), Ryan O’Neill for O Brady (56), Ryan Donohue for J McLoughlin (60), Killian Brady for B O’Connell (64).

Referee: Jerome Henry (Mayo).