Gearóid White of Kerry, centre, and team mates celebrate after the Electric Ireland Munster GAA Football Minor Championship final match between Kerry and Cork at Austin Stack Park in Tralee, Kerry. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.
Electric Ireland Munster Minor Football Final
Kerry 0-18 (0-2-14) Cork 0-9 (0-0-9)
By Paul Brennan
Kerry are Munster minor football champions for the third year in a row after seeing off Cork for the second time in less than three weeks.
Eight points from man of the match Kevin Griffin, and some superb individual and collective defending from the home side, ensured the provincial title stays in the Kingdom for the third consecutive year, though Cork still go through to the All-Ireland quarter-finals where they will face the Ulster champions.
Playing with a strong wind in the first half, Cork needed to get to the interval with a decent lead, but instead it was Kerry who made it to half time four in front, 0-8 to 0-4, and there seemed little way back for Cork.
That quarter-final three weeks ago in Pairc Ui Rinn saw Kerry win by 10 points, and that gulf in class was still there in Tralee, albeit Kerry needed a bit of inspiration from Griffin in the second half to see the champions push through.
Cork finished with 14 men after Cathal McCarthy’s sending off in the 53rd minute, which made little difference to the outcome but will see him miss the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Kerry took the lead early through points from Danny Murphy and Ben Kelliher before Cork replied through Eoin Maguire and Ben Corkery Delaney but the visitors never led in the game.
Kerry 0-5 to 0-3 to the good after 20 minutes, but Cork could ill afford a missed two-point free and a decent goal chance from Ben Corkery Delaney.
Mark O’Carroll and Maguire exchanged scores before Griffin pointed twice late in the half to give Kerry that four-point lead at the break.
Griffin’s long-range two-point free pushed Kerry six clear early in the second half, and another orange flag from the full forward had Kerry well clear by the 50th minute, 0-14 to 0-7.
There was little hope of a Cork revival at that stage, and much less so with McCarthy’s red card three minutes later, with Kerry sub Tadhg O’Connell franking Kerry’s win with a brace of points.
Scorers for Kerry: K Griffin 0-8 (2p, 2pf, f), B Kelliher 0-3 (2f), G White 0-3 (3f), T O’Connell 0-2, D Murphy 0-1, M O’Carroll 0-1
Scorers for Cork: E Maguire 0-4 (2f), B Corkery Delaney 0-3 (1f), T Whooley 0-1, E G O'Sullivan 0-1
KERRY: Ruairi Kennedy; Ronan Sheridan, Eoghan Joy, Tadhg Ó Slatara; Danny Murphy, David Sargent, Marcus Clifford; Maidhc Ó Sé, John Curtin; Mark O’Carroll, Gearóid White, Alex Tuohy; Nick Lacey, Kevin Griffin, Ben Kelliher. Subs: Tadhg O’Connell for N Lacey (46), Padraig Ó Mainnín for A Tuohy (50), Conor McGibney for M Clifford (53), James Kissane for M Ó Sé (57), Tadhg O’Sullivan for K Griffin (58)
CORK: Rory Twohig; Ben Coffey, Aaron Keane, Matthew Kiernan; Eoin Looney, Cathal McCarthy, Brian Cronin; Samuel Kelleher Leavy, Ronan Hayes; Tom Whooley, Donagh Flynn, Niall O’Callaghan; Sean O’Sullivan, Ben Corkery Delaney, Eoin Maguire. Subs: Joe Miskella for S O’Sullivan (ht), Eamonn Ger O’Sullivan for N O’Callaghan (37), Jerry O’Leary for E Looney (37), Jack Hanrahan for S Kelleher Leavy (53), Luke O’Mahony for T Whooley (58).
Referee: T McGrath (Limerick)
