Tomás Ó Sé leads Kerry to Munster U-20 title after Kingdom sweep Cork aside
Kerry 1-15 Cork 0-12
Kerry players celebrate with the cup after beating Cork. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Kerry are Munster Under-20 football champions for the third year running after an impressive win over Cork in Tralee, a result that sends the Kingdom to an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Meath in 10 days.
Having beaten Cork by four points in Phase 2 of the championship a fortnight ago in Pairc Uí Chaoimh, Kerry were in no mood to be turned over on their own patch, and from early on they looked the more motivated and technically better team.
A couple of Daniel Kirby points helped Kerry to a 0-5 to 0-1 lead after 15 minutes, and while Cork saw plenty of the ball, they lacked real precision in the final third, not helped by some stout Kerry defending that will surely have pleased their manager Tomás Ó Sé.
Hugh O’Connor, Dara Sheehy and Rory O’Shaughnessy mined points for the visitors but a couple of frees and a ’45’ from Cormac Dillon helped Kerry to a 0-9 to 0-5 half time lead against a stiff breeze and into a low sun.
Kerry got what Cork needed at the start of the second half: a goal. Tomas Kennedy – a Kerry minor last year – played a neat one-two with Luke Crowley, who hurled with the Kerry seniors at the weekend, and smashed the ball past Mikey O’Connell.
Points from Dillon (2) and Gearoid Evans followed to open up a ten-point lead, 1-12 to 0-5, and there was no way back for Cork.
Cork worked hard and won the remainder by seven points to three but the new Noel Walsh Cup – named in honour of the former Munster Council chairman from Clare – goes to the Kingdom for the first time.
Scorers for Kerry: C Dillon 0-6 (4f, 1m), T Kennedy 1-0, D Kirby 0-2, G Evans 0-1, C Keating 0-1, O Ferris 0-1, L Crowley 0-1, A Crowley 0-1, R Diggin 0-1, C Brosnan 0-1
Scorers for Cork: H O’Connor 0-3 (1f), D Sheehy 0-2, C Molloy 0-1, R O’Shaughnessy 0-1, O Corcoran 0-1, D O’Brien 0-1 (f), E Myers 0-1, G Kearney 0-1, R Corkery 0-1 (‘45’)
KERRY: M Tansley; M Lynch, D O’Callaghan, G Evans; C Keating, D O’Connor, C Lynch; R Stack, E Healy; D Kirby, O Ferris, T Kennedy; L Crowley, A Crowley, C Dillon.
Subs: R Diggin for O’Callaghan (38), A Segal for O’Connor (46), C Brosnan for Ferris (49), P Lane for A Crowley (49), E Boyle for Healy (57).
CORK: M O’Connell; D Twomey, C Molloy, M Óg O’Sullivan; G Daly, D Buckley, S Copps; R O'Shaughnessy, M McSweeney; D O'Brien, H O’Connor, J O'Neill; O Corcoran, E Myers, D Sheedy.
Subs: G Kearney for McSweeney (38), R Corkery for O’Brien (41), S O’Connell for Twomey (49), M Maguire for O’Shaughnessy (55), L O’Herlihy for Sheedy (61).
Referee: Niall Quinn (Clare)
