Tipperary falter late on as Kerry unload the bench in McGrath Cup opener in Tralee

2024 McGrath Cup - Group B

Tipperary 0-10

Kerry 3-20

By Mortimer Murphy

Defeat marked the start of the 2024 campaign for the Premier County, falling to a 19-point deficit in the opening round of the McGrath Cup against Kerry at Austin Stack Park in Tralee on Wednesday evening.

The concession of two early goals had Tipp very much on the back foot however, the scoring exploits of Sean O’Connor rallied the troops in the latter stages of the opening half to trail 2-7 to 0-7 at the interval.

Losing Rian Quigley and Paudie Feehan both to injury in the opening half was a blow. In the second half with Kerry using their strong bench to see out proceedings Tipperary were unable to find those scores to cut the deficit.

An opening defeat for Paul Kelly as manager of the side, with plenty of key names missing from the ranks. Certainly having had to wait 211 days to play a competitive game did no favours going up against the Kingdom, for large parts of the game certainly tested the Kingdom, but wilted as the second half wore on.

While Tipperary did have a marginally low wide count in the contest, Kerry did defend well to limit just four points conceded from play. Kerry could themselves have added further scores also in the contest, some heroic blocks denying goal chances in both halves.

Attention will now turn to Templetuohy on Sunday week as Limerick provide another test in this competition as the preparation continues before the National Football League campaign gets underway later this month. 

Kerry had the optimum start to the contest as with less than a minute on the clock. A brand of kick passing worked wonders to launch the attack, Graham O’Sullivan up from the half-back line slipped a pass inside for the roaming Dylan Geaney. Ghosting through the Tipp rearguard he had all the time and space to place a shot low past Evan Comerford for the opening score.

Paddy Creedon replied with a point from an acute angle to get Tipp on the board a minute later, Kerry looked strong in attack, and when they threatened soon after the green flag was unfurled for the second time. Cillian Burke sending a ball long into Geaney, opting against calling for a mark he struck for goal, Comerford denied the Dingle native a second goal with a point-blank save, Killian Spillane however was quickest to pounce on the rebound and palmed it to the back of the net for the second goal. The Tipperary net minder could do little to prevent the second attempt from rippling the back of the net.

By the quarter's end Kerry moved ahead 2-2 to 0-2, Stephen O’Connor kicked the second point from a free and was the main fulcrum in that Tipperary attack. Converting a second free and claiming a superb mark as half-time was approaching the margin was 2-5 to 0-4.

Tipp rallied late and with Stephen Grogan and O’Connor pointing early in stoppage time the deficit was five points. Kerry were a little wasteful late in the half but efforts from Barry Dan O’Sullivan and Sean O’Brien cancelled out two points from O’Connor as the opening half drew to a close.

Jack O’Connor made seven changes at the break, shuffling the deck to bring a host of regular faces onto the field such as Sean O’Shea who managed 0-6 in his 35-minute cameo. O’Connor closed the gap with the opening score of the half on the 42nd-minute mark, Kerry would however soon take control.

Tipp were down to 14 following a black card for Cathal Deely and they were punished when a third goal arrived with 47 minutes on the clock. Sean O’Brien offloaded to Gavin White and he played a superb ball across the goal and Joe O’Connor arrived at the back post to palm the ball into the net. 

Kerry kicked five points in succession before O’Connor registered a score on the hour mark from another free to get the Premier back on the board. As the final minutes ticked by Kerry who looked sluggish after making those changes rattled over score after score as O’Connor managed another converted free shy of the end of normal time.

Scorers: Tipperary: Sean O’Connor (0-8, 0-5fs, 0-1m), Paddy Creedon, Stephen Grogan (0-1 each).

Kerry: Sean O’Shea (0-6, 0-2f, 0-2m), Dylan Geaney (1-1), Killian Spillane (1-1, 0-1f), Joe O’Connor (1-0), Micheál Burns, Sean O’Brien, Darragh Roche (0-2 each) Dylan Casey, Barry Dan O’Sullivan, Paul Murphy, Ronan Buckley, Adrian Spillane, Conor Geaney (0-1 each).

Tipperary: Evan Comerford; Shane O’Connell, Jimmy Feehan, Rory O’Dowd; Stephen Grogan, Colm O’Shaughnessy, Kieran Costello; Teddy Doyle, Paudie Feehan; Emmet Moloney, Jack Kennedy, Cathal Deely; Rian Quigley, Paddy Creedon, Sean O’Connor.

Subs used: Darragh Brennan for R Quigley (4, inj); Shane Neville for P Feehan (24, inj); Michael Lowry for D Brennan (HT); Manus McFadden for C O’Shaughnessy (HT); Diarmuid Looby for J Kennedy (52); Darragh O’Leary for E Moloney (56, inj); Kyle Shelly for C Deeley (57); Tadhg Condon for R O’Dowd (59).

Kerry: Sean Coffey; Joey Nagle, Dylan Casey, Damien Bourke; Graham O’Sullivan, Mike Breen, Sean O’Brien; Joe O’Connor, Barry Dan O’Sullivan; Keith Evans, Dylan Geaney, Cillian Burke; Killian Spillane, Darragh Roche, Micheál Burns.

Subs used: Gavin White for G O’Sullivan (HT); Jason Foley for J Nagle (HT); Stephen O’Brien for C Burke (HT); Sean O’Shea for D Geaney (HT); Ronan Buckley for B.D. O’Sullivan (HT); Dara Moynihan for M Burns (HT); Conor Geaney for K Spillane (HT); Paul Murphy for D Bourke (48); Stefan Okunbor for M Breen (48); Paudie O’Leary for K Evans (48); Adrian Spillane for J O’Connor (48).

Referee: James Regan (Cork)