Bank of Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final
Kerry 1-17, Derry 1-11

ONE instant in Kerry’s dismantling of Derry in Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final encapsulates perfectly the difference between the 03 Kerry model and the new 04 version.

Exactly one year ago under the shadow of the Hogan Stand in that now well storied incident, three Kerry footballers, in turn, found themselves trapped underneath a great weight of red and white Ulster jerseys, as Tyrone imposed Gaelic football 2003-style on a hapless Kerry.

Fast-forward 12 months. A red and white clad Derry man cradles the ball metres from where Dara Ó Cinnéide and co were ambushed by Tyrone. Suddenly he is hit like a freight train by Paul Galvin, the ball spits from his grasp like a greased ferret, Ó Cinnéide takes it, feeds Mike Frank Russell and the substitute’s point sends Kerry four points clear.

That is the difference. That’s Kerry freshly NCT-ed by Pat Flanagan and put on the road by Jack O’Connor, driven with the engine of a Land Rover but still with the walnut whiff of a Porsche.

Kerry advanced to their 50th All-Ireland Senior Football Final courtesy of a six-point win over an ordinary Derry team that in essence were overhauled by twice that margin until Kerry pulled over to the hard shoulder to let the kids out to stretch their legs.

Halfway through this fairly pedestrian game matters were poised on a knifeedge. Enda Muldoon’s goal was keeping a lively – if limited – Derry side right up alongside Kerry, who uncharacteristically started like firemen rushing to a house blaze. Still, Derry were clinging on, going in at the break level at 1-4 to 0-8. Throw in their knowledge that Darragh Ó Sé had retired with a serious looking leg injury and there was cause for optimism in the Northerners’ dressing room.

Sadly, for them, that’s where they left it. By the time their centre back, Paul McFlynn pointed their next score in the 57th minute Kerry were seven points clear.

However, the devil is in the detail. Derry had actual travelled 32 barren minutes before Bradley’s point, the malaise sufficiently troubling for Mickey Moran to replace half forwards James Donaghy and Johnny McBride before the 50th minute.

Their colleague on the ‘forty’, Conleth Moran, would soon join them on the bench.

By and large Derry were a two-trick pony. Tether Muldoon and Paddy Bradley in the small square (with Johnny Bradley as a muted decoy) and then send them spilling out toward whatever ball was sent raking in from midfield.

For the first quarter it worked a treat. Four minutes in and Bradley spun away from Tom O’Sullivan toward the Kerry goal before finding Muldoon, whose point negated Darragh Ó Sé’s fine, first minute point.

It worked again 10 minutes later when Muldoon spat out from the huddle to win the ball, and despite losing it momentarily still managed to turn inside Marc Ó Sé and cracked a shot past Murphy to level matters at 1-1 to 0-4.

The goal drove a great wall of noise out from the Derry supporters who were the majority in the 35,457 crowd.

There was more to cheer about when Paddy Bradley added two points in quick succession to put Derry two point in front, but that little shell-burst of scores betrays Kerry’s zealous start.

With Tomás Ó Sé driving forward from wing back, and with Darragh Ó Sé and William Kirby holding their own at centrefield the Kerry forwards saw plenty of ball in the early exchanges. Eoin Brosnan’s presence on the ‘forty’ kept the Derry defence vigilant, Declan O’Sullivan roamed in and out of the corner while Colm Cooper was his usual coil of energy, and by the 13th minute Kerry were in the unusual position of leading by three.

If Muldoon’s goal unsettled Kerry, the retirement of Darragh Ó Sé rattled them, but if there’s one thing this Kerry side has nailed, it’s the power of recovery. And so by the break matters were even, with Kerry scores coming from the somewhat unlikely sources of Kirby, Galvin and Tomás Ó Sé along with a Cooper free.

If Kerry had gone off road in the first half, putting a few scratches on the paint work, the second half was all about letting the top down and hitting the open road. Mike McCarthy and Tom O’Sullivan had already nailed down Muldoon and Bradley, Aidan O’Mahony and Tom Ó Sé were harvesting every blade down their respective wings, and Brosnan seamlessly replaced the elder Ó Sé at midfield.

Brosnan and Tomás Ó Sé – with his second point – nudged Kerry 0-10 to 1-4 ahead and then came that defining tackle from Galvin, never one to shirk responsibility in a man of the match performance. Always going to be ‘out-skilled’ by Kerry, Derry now knew they could be ‘outmuscled’, and much like Ó Cinnéide’s goal deflated Dublin, that tackle – among others saw the wind leave Derry.

From there to the finish Croke Park was a coconut shy. Russell – desperate to regain his place for the imminent final – capitalised on Galvin’s industry and then added another after McCarthy galloped some 40 metres outfield, used Cooper on the link and set up Mike Frank for a score that might just restore him to his corner against Mayo.

Cooper lofted over a free, Paddy Bradley sent one wide, and by the time McFlynn found Derry’s fifth point 32 minutes and 10 Kerry points had passed them by.

With five minutes left Declan O’Sullivan glided in along the end line past defender and keeper, and seemed almost embarrassed about slipping the ball to the net from two metres. That put the Munster champions 1-17 to 1-6 ahead, allowing Jack O’Connor use his subs bench in a way he hadn’t countenanced beforehand.

Paddy Kelly got another taste of Croke Park, in what could be a dress rehearsal for the final given Darragh Ó Sé is ruled out through injury. Tommy Griffin also made a welcome return and will give the management much needed options. Oh, and Derry hit five unanswered points and nearly dribbled in a goal but they were already spilling out of the exits, Kerry snuggly back in the All-Ireland Final. Their 50th. The old order restored.

Kerry: Diarmuid Murphy (Dingle), Tom O’Sullivan (Rathmore), Michael McCarthy (Kilcummin), Aidan O’Mahony (Rathmore),Tomás Ó Sé (0-2) (An Ghaeltacht), Eamon Fitzmaurice (Finuge), Marc Ó Sé (An Ghaeltacht), Darragh Ó Sé (0-1) (An Ghaeltacht), William Kirby (0-1) (Austin Stacks), Liam Hassett (Laune Rangers), Eoin Brosnan (0-1) (Dr Crokes), Paul Galvin (0-1) (Finuge), Colm Cooper (0-6, 3f) (Dr Crokes), Dara Ó Cinnéide (0-2, 1f, 1 ‘45’) (An Ghaeltacht), Declan O’Sullivan (1-0) (Dromid Pearses). Subs: Mike Frank Russell (0-2) (Laune Rangers)for D Ó Sé (inj), Paddy Kelly (0-1) (Ballylongford)for Hassett, Tommy Griffin (Dingle)for Kirby, John Crowley (Glenflesk) for Cooper, Declan Quill (Kerins O’Rahillys)for Ó Cinnéide.

Derry: B Gillis, K McGuckin, N McCusker, S M Lockhart, F McEldowney, P McFlynn (0-1), P Kelly, F Doherty (0-1), Patsy Bradley, J Donaghy, J McBride, C Moran, J Bradley, Paddy Bradley (0-6, 4f), E Muldoon (1-1). Subs: G O’Kane for McEldowney, G Donaghy for Moran, E Burke for J Bradley, C Gilligan (0-2) for J Donaghy, M Lynch for McBride.

Referee: Brian White (Wexford)