​All-Ireland senior football championship quarter-final

Kerry 2-25 Tyrone 0-27

By Paul Keane at Croke Park

A classic Croke Park contest that will slip neatly in alongside any of the great Kerry-Tyrone contests from over the years.

Holders Kerry, as they have done each time they've met since the 2021 All-Ireland semi-final, ultimately came out on top, securing their passage to the last four of the Sam Maguire Cup race.

The cast of star performers was a familiar one; footballer of the year David Clifford reeling off 1-8, Dylan Geaney taking the man of the match award with 0-8, all from play, and Paudie Clifford chipping in with an important five points.

Kerry scored four two-pointers in all and capped a thrilling game with a second goal in the closing seconds, from substitute Armin Heinrich.

It was a crushing blow to a Tyrone side that fought superbly in front of 48,735.

Playing without Darragh and Ruairí Canavan again, they were rallied by Darren McCurry who picked off 10 points despite only coming on as a 44th minute substitute.

McCurry's last score left one in it and Tyrone hoped to win the subsequent kick-out and to snatch at least a draw - but it was Kerry that won the break and they added that insurance goal from Heinrich.

All the pre-game intrigue surrounded exactly what team Kerry would start with given that Gavin White, Seán O'Shea and Shane Ryan were all options again.

As it turned out, Ryan didn't make the bench despite initially being named at number 16, so Seán Broderick took his jersey.

White, wearing number 22, started at wing-back in place of Brian Ó Beaglaoich though O'Shea stayed exactly where he was named, on the bench.

That left Kerry with some serious impact options with O'Shea joined by the likes of Tony Brosnan, Killian Spillane and Tadhg Morley.

The team that started did a pretty good job of repaying boss Jack O'Connor's faith as they led by 1-11 to 0-12 at half time despite playing into a stiffening breeze.

Paudie Clifford drilled a two-pointer from a free after five minutes but it was his little brother David that quickly emerged as the game's leading performer.

Fossa wizard David had helped himself to 1-4 in the first half alone, the majority of it at the expense of man-marker Cormac Quinn.

Niall Devlin, who marked Paul Geaney for the first 25 minutes or so, was eventually switched across to mark Clifford.

The Clifford goal in the 20th minute was a thing of beauty, a mixture of raw power, determination and stunning skill as the number 13 took a pass from White, powered beyond Clarke and into a position to get a powerful left footed shot away to the corner of Niall Morgan's net.

David was the provider for an earlier Paul Geaney goal chance that Morgan blocked in the sixth minute.

At the other end, Tyrone seemed more interested in scoring two-pointers.

Conn Kilpatrick, Ethan Jordan and Kieran McGeary all raised orange flags in the first half hour.

The McGeary one was a peach as he began the move at the other end of the field by stripping Paul Geaney of possession after the Kingdom forward had intercepted a short Morgan kick-out.

But Tyrone were always going to need at least a goal to get the better of the champions and didn't carve out a single chance in the first half. Full-forward Mattie Donnelly sniped a point but his marker, Kerry full-back Jason Foley, was happy with his work overall.

Shane Murphy's precise kick-outs were a feature again of Kerry's win. Like his driven eighth minute kick that perfectly picked out a darting Mark O'Shea run, the move ending in a David Clifford point.

Another Murphy missile put Kerry on the front foot in the 40th minute and the move ended with a Dylan Geaney two-pointer.

David Clifford kicked Kerry's third two-pointer in the 45th minute - Tyrone didn't retreat after O'Brien's brilliant fetch from a Murphy kick-out and the ball was advanced into two-point range - to leave the scores 1-16 to 0-14.

Tyrone needed a lift and got it with Darren McCurry's introduction. Fresh off his six-point haul against Mayo, the Edendork man wasted little time in converting a two-pointer from a free won by McGeary.

Kerry responded by bringing on O'Shea but Tyrone kept the foot down, pinching points from Eoin McElholm and McCurry.

McElholm's 53rd minute point that left Tyrone just one behind, 0-19 to 1-17, was a let off for Kerry as the ball hit the bar and flew over.

McCurry stole the show in the final quarter, bringing his tally into double digits and doing everything humanly possible to rescue a result for Tyrone.

But Tyrone simply couldn't get ahead of a Kerry side that were always just about beyond their reach.

That was mainly thanks to points from the two Cliffords - David fisted two scores with his 'weaker' right hand - and Dylan Geaney.

McCurry's 10th score was a point from a 70th minute free. Kerry won the kick out and David Clifford cleverly retained possession down in the right corner forward position before freeing Heinrich who somehow got a shot away from a tight angle to the net.

Kerry fans rejoiced. Tyrone were left to wonder just how they'd lost by four.

Kerry scorers: David Clifford 1-8 (1 tpf, 0-1f), Dylan Geaney 0-8 (2 tp), Paudie Clifford 0-5 (1 tpf, 0-1 45), Armin Heinrich 1-0, Paul Geaney 0-3 (0-2f), Diarmuid O'Connor 0-1.

Tyrone scorers: Darren McCurry 0-10 (2 tpf, 0-2f), Ethan Jordan 0-4 (1 tp, 0-1f), Mattie Donnelly 0-3, Eoin McElholm 0-3, Conn Kilpatrick 0-2 (tp), Kieran McGeary 0-2 (tp), Seán O'Donnell 0-1, Ronan Cassidy 0-1, Michael McKernan 0-1.

Kerry: Shane Murphy; Paul Murphy, Jason Foley, Dylan Casey; Graham O'Sullivan, Mike Breen, Gavin White; Mark O'Shea, Joe O'Connor; Seán O'Brien, Paudie Clifford, Diarmuid O'Connor; David Clifford, Paul Geaney, Dylan Geaney.

Subs: Seán O'Shea for Paul Geaney 47, Keith Evans for O'Brien 56, Evan Looney for Murphy 57, Armin Heinrich for O'Sullivan 60, Tadhg Morley for Breen 67-f/t, blood, Killian Spillane for Dylan Geaney 68.

Tyrone: Niall Morgan; Joey Clarke, Niall Devlin, Cormac Quinn; Michael McKernan, Peter Teague, Kieran McGeary; Brian Kennedy, Conn Kilpatrick; Seánie O'Donnell, Ronan Cassidy, Ciarán Daly; Eoin McElholm, Mattie Donnelly, Ethan Jordan.

Subs: Michael Rafferty for Clarke 24-33 blood, Darren McCurry for Daly 44, Ciarán Bogue for Jordan 56, Frank Burns for McGeary 59, Michael Rafferty for Quinn 60, Conor O'Neill for Cassidy 66.

Referee: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon).