Fionan Mackessy impressed for Kerry. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Joe McDonagh Cup
Kerry 3-13 Meath 1-10
By John O'Dowd at Austin Stack Park
Two first half goals, allied to a Meath red card, helped Kerry to end Stephen Molumphy’s three-year managerial reign on a winning note, as the Waterford man bowed out following this dead-rubber Joe McDonagh Cup game at a rainy Austin Stack Park.
With the breeze to their backs in the first half, the home side hit the ground running, Gavin Dooley firing over an early point, before an opportunistic Michael Leane goal, batting home a Brandon Barret delivery, raised the first Kingdom green flag in the fourth minute.
The Royals, already resigned to relegation to next season’s Christy Ring Cup, were overly dependent on the free-taking accuracy of wing-forward James Murray. Indeed, he registered their entire first half tally, through frees, and a clinically-converted 10th minute penalty.
That spot-kick brought Meath within a point of their opponents, 1-3 to 1-2, but with Dooley in electric form in the Kerry attack, finishing with composure for the Kingdom’s second goal in the 17th minute, Molumphy’s charges led by five points at the interval, 2-7 to 1-5.
Meath were now facing an uphill battle on the resumption, especially with wing-back Eoin Donegan having been issued with a straight red card for a frontal collision on Leane in the 28th minute. Indeed, their first score from play, didn’t arrive until ten minutes into the second half, through Murray.
Top scorer Dooley hammered home Kerry’s third goal, from close range, in the 50th minute, while dual star Luke Crowley fired over a brace of points in an impressive cameo. The winners, however, finished with 14 men themselves after substitute Tomás O’Connor received a straight red in the 62nd minute.
Scorers for Kerry: Gavin Dooley 2-3, Brandon Barrett 0-4 (4fs), Michael Leane 1-0, Luke Crowley 0-2, Fionan Mackessy 0-2 (0-1 ’65), Evan Murphy 0-1, Dan Goggin 0-1,
Scorers for Meath: James Murray 1-7 (6fs, 1-0pen), Simon Ennis 0-1, Karl Rogers 0-1, Sean Geraghty 0-1.
Kerry: Louis Dee; Eric Leen, Daithi Griffin, Flor McCarthy; Bill Keane, Evan Murphy, Kyle O’Connor; Ronan Walsh, Colin Walsh; Gavin Dooley, Dan Goggin, Killian Hayes; Brandon Barrett, Fionan Mackessy, Michael Leane.
Subs: Luke Crowley for Leane, temp (29-35), Darragh Shanahan for R Walsh (HT), Tom Doyle for Leen (HT), Crowley for C Walsh, inj (HT), Niall Mulcahy for Hayes (46), Tomás O’Connor for McCarthy (57), Dara Kearney for K O’Connor (68).
Meath: Philip O’Brien; James Kelly, Shane Whitty, Ronan Byrne; Eoin Donegan, Daire Shine, Sean Geraghty; Ethan Devine, Kris Gorman; James Murray, Tom Shine, Damien Healy; David Murtagh, Eamon Og O Donnchadha, Mark Horan.
Subs: Simon Ennis for Murtagh (HT), Michael Burke for Devine (49), Niall McLarnon for Horan (54), Sean Martin for O Donnchadha (59), Karl Rogers for Healy (63).
Referee: Conor Doyle (Tipperary).
