Munster SFC semi-final
Kingdom's giants show no mercy
Kerry 2-15 Waterford 0-4
Kerry?s Colm ?Gooch? Cooper has the strength of his jersey tested by Waterford?s Shane Briggs in the Munster SFC semi-final at Dungarvan yesterday
Forget the 'David v Goliath' metaphors.
At times during the first half, when Waterford were completely overrun, this looked more like Kerry bombarding David's pig-tailed little sister, and the resultant romp was exactly what the hosts had hoped to avoid.
The Decies' wheels wobbled badly when Eoin Brosnan blasted his first goal in the 20th minute and came off completely when he rattled the net again six minutes later.
With Colm Cooper, debutant Pádraig Reidy and Michael Quirke also in flying form, it was over as a contest by half-time ( 2-9 to 0-1) even though Waterford's possession improved radically when they took the wind advantage after the break. But again they shot themselves in the foot repeatedly with some terrible kicking (eight wides and four more efforts into the 'keepers' hands) as they nervously continued to take the completely wrong options.
Considering how much better a game they gave the All-Ireland champions in Killarney last year, it is safe to say that, despite their protestations, the media attention and hype garnered by their first championship victory in 19 years really got to them.
For the first 30 minutes, playing against the stiff wind, they were like startled deer in the live television headlights, running up blind alleys every time Kerry, inevitably, crowded them out. Truly, this was like Godzilla versus Bambi.
Manager John Kiely will have to wonder if he didn't help Kerry's cause by playing a forward (Brian Wall) as a sweeper for long periods.
Holding
The intent may have been a 'Donaghy Trap' but actually Thomas O'Gorman handled the big man well enough on his own, even though referee Gearóid Ó Connamha let him away with a ridiculous amount of holding and jersey pulling.
Ultimately, playing so defensively surely helped one of the most attacking half-back lines in the game more open space to gallop through than Frankie Dettori on Derby Day.
The siting of Gary Nurney at full-forward from the off also back-fired, though that was remedied early when it became clear that Waterford's two-man full-forward line would not prosper against a rock-solid defence in which debutant Reidy was in outstanding form.
Justin Walsh, at corner-back, was one of the few Waterford players to find his true form, yet it speaks volumes for the All-Ireland champions' ambition that manager Pat O'Shea, making his own championship debut, was not euphoric in victory.
He was delighted with his defence but "not convinced" elsewhere.
When Kerry clicked, as they did for Brosnan's two goals - both scored when their half-backs took flight and he powered home on an off-load - there was simply no stopping them, but their rhythmic perfection was a little staccato.
With just one score - from midfielder Mick Ahearne - by half-time, there was never a way back for Waterford.
Outscored
They actually outscored Kerry by 0-2 to 0-1 in the opening 16 minutes after the re-start, and were unlucky not to grab a goal in the dying stage when Brian Wall hit the upright and then Gary Hurney crashed the rebound off the crossbar. But the arrival of fresh substitutes like Paul O'Connor and Seán O'Sullivan showed just why the competition for a Kerry jersey is often as great as their players ever encounter wearing it.
Indeed, at one stage, it looked like those two Kerry subs alone would match Waterford's scoring.
Stung by being dropped for last year's All-Ireland final, Brosnan is definitely out to prove a point and looked set for a hat-trick in the second half until a timely Eddie Rockett intervention.
The Gooch's 0-5 (0-2f) showed he's returning to form and, at 6'7", dual star Michael Quirke, actually starting his first championship game for Kerry, managed to dwarf Darragh Ó Sé in stature and form in his brave efforts to gain a foothold in midfield.
But, as Kerry acceded, it is easy to decimate Bambi with a bazooka and Munster's heavy artillery has still to come.
Sadly, given the boost their defeat of Clare gave them, Waterford footballers, in some respects, now have a much tougher mountain to climb.
SCORERS - Kerry: E Brosnan 2-2, C Cooper 0-5 (0-2f), P Galvin 0-2, P O'Connor 0-2 (0-1f), M O Se, T O Se and S O'Sullivan 0-1 each, MF Russell 0-1 (f). Waterford: M Ahearne 0-2, A Hubbard 0-1, B Wall 0-1f.
TEAMS PLAYER RATINGS
KERRY - D Murphy 8; P Reidy 9, T O'Sullivan 8, M O Se 8; T O Se 9, A O'Mahony 7, K Young 7; D O Se 6, M Quirke 8; Declan O'Sullivan (Capt) 7, E Brosnan 9, P Galvin 9; C Cooper 9, K Donaghy 7, MF Russell 6. Subs: P O'Connor 8 for Russell (42), Darren O'Sullivan 6 for Declan O'Sullivan (58), Sean O'Sullivan 8 for Galvin (59), S Scanlon 7 for Quirke (63), M Lyons for Young (68).
WATERFORD - T Wall 8; J Walsh 9, T O'Gorman 8, S Briggs 7; P Ogle 6, E Rockett 6, J Phelan 6; M Ahearne 7, J Hurney 7; W Hennessy 6, A Hubbard 7, G Power 6; B Wall 5, G Hurney 7; L O Lionain 7. Subs: E Walsh 8 for Ogle (h-t), L Lawlor 7 for Ó Lionain (54), A Ahearne 7 for J Hurney (51), M O'Gorman for Power (65), J Ryan for Phelan (65).
REF- G O Connamha (Galway).
Att: 4,000 (est).
