Kerry Ready for Final Clash

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Irish Voice Sport

Kerry Ready for Final Clash

September 13, 2007

By Cathal Dervan

KERRY giant Kieran Donaghy has warned Kingdom fans to dismiss any recent results against Cork in the build-up to Sunday’s all Munster All-Ireland football final at Croke Park. The reigning champions have beaten Cork three times at Croke Park in the last five years, but Donaghy is adamant that previous results will count for nothing on Sunday.

“Those margins of victory have been dwindling in recent matches against them. We only won by a half-a-dozen points last season and then only by two points in Killarney in the Munster final in a game they probably should have won,” said the big full-forward.

“They have been steadily improving over the last few years and their performance against Meath in this year’s semi-final showed just how much they’ve come on. They’re stronger in some sectors than others but, in overall terms, it’s the best Cork team there’s been over the past five or six years — they’re the real deal.

“Cork will be mad keen but we have to match them in terms of the hunger and enthusiasm that they’ll bring into the final but I think if we match that hunger, our greater experience of big days out at Croke Park will pull us over the line.”

“If we’re to beat Cork, everyone has to play well. Our performance against Dublin game was as good as we’ve played all year but we have to play as well again if not even better. Everyone played well in the semifinal but if we hope to win the final we can’t have anybody slackening.

“We have to play well for longer. We only played in patches in the matches so far and that won’t be good enough to beat Cork in the final. I think it’s going to be more of a war of attrition than pure championship football.

“But at the end of the day, nobody really cares how a final goes as long as you come out on top. Hopefully it’ll be us who are smiling at the final whistle. It’s in our own hands and we won’t have anyone to blame if we don’t do the business.”

Donaghy could be asked to play at midfield on Sunday and is ready for any challenge that comes his way against Kerry’s fiercest rivals. “I don’t know what the tactics are going to be but it doesn’t matter what I’m asked to do because I’m happy either way; as long as I’m playing I’ll be happy,” he said.

“I really don’t have a problem about playing further out the field and whatever role I’m asked, I will do it to the best of my ability. Cork are pretty strong in midfield though. They are very strong, very powerful and it’ll take a big effort from all of us to stop them from building a platform there that’ll allow them to feed their forwards good ball.

“I mean you’re talking about two very fine midfielders, Derek Kavanagh and Nicholas Murphy and then you have Ger Spillane and Pearse O’Neill feeding off them. They took control of the middle very early on in the Meath match and Michael Cussen’s move from full-forward out to the middle benefited the team a lot too.”

Meanwhile, Cork have been with a hammer blow of the final with the news that defender Anthony Lynch is definitely out of the game after breaking a hand in training, but star attacker James Masters should play.

Masters came through a weekend training session with no problems and has recovered well enough from his broken jaw to put him in line for a return against the Kingdom when Lynch’s experience will be missed.

“Anthony took a knock making a tackle — it’s a completely freak injury,” said Cork team doctor Con Murphy. “As he said himself, it’s a tackle he makes every day but on this occasion, he broke a bone in his hand. He’s completely gutted, very disappointed after working so hard to get to this stage.”

The injury to Lynch could act as an inspiration to Cork according to former boss and player Larry Tompkins, who feels the Rebels will struggle to replace him.

“His absence is a serious blow to Cork and a terrible disappointment because he has put so much time and effort into his football. At least the injury came eight days before the final so it gives the players and management a chance to work things out in detail. They know Anthony won’t be playing so there will be a sense of winning it for him,” Tomkins said.

D.J. Defends

KILKENNY legend D.J. Carey has leapt to the defense of his fellow Cats after the attack on their character by Galway boss Ger Loughnane and praised their All-Ireland win earlier this month.

“This is one of the great teams of all time and certainly in my memory, it is the best I have seen,” Carey told Star Sunday. “I felt there was another gear in them in the final. They are physical and skilful in equal measure. Other teams have one or the other but haven’t got both.”

Galway boss Loughnane received a verbal lashing from Carey after suggesting that this Kilkenny side bend the rules and are over physical on the pitch.

Carey added, “It is insulting for him to say that and I cannot understand why he feels he has to go down that road. For anyone to say Kilkenny are dirty is wrong, is grossly unfair and something I definitely take issue with. They have the respect of everyone it seems except Ger Loughnane who is the one person who seems to be negative about them.”

Youth Drive

NEW Armagh boss Peter McDonnell has vowed to invest in youth after finally getting the nod to succeed Joe Kernan as manager of the Orchard County footballers.

McDonnell claimed, “There is definitely talent within this county and also the legacy of the previous panel. I would be very confident about the potential and the possibility of it being realized.

“We have this year’s under-21 team and also the side which won the All-Ireland three years ago to call upon. A lot of players are coming through and the existing experience is also an advantage.”

Galway Wins

GALWAY hit Dublin for five goals en route to an emphatic win in the All-Ireland under-21 hurling final on Sunday, much to the delight of manager Vincent Mullins.

“We had six lads chasing three positions in the full-forward line, so yes, we have a very strong panel,” said Mullins. “The important thing was to take nothing for granted against a Dublin side that had won the Leinster championship.

“Our plan was to get early goals — a bit like Kilkenny last Sunday — and put Dublin on the back foot, which is exactly what happened. They never recovered from those early goals.”

GAA Shorts

OFFALY look certain to play Division One hurling in the National League again next year with Central Council likely to approve a 12 team top flight, split into two divisions, next season instead of the proposed nine team set-up. The new proposals mean than Offaly, Antrim and Laois will play in the top division . . .

JOHN Brennan from Carlow is the new MBNA Kick Fada All-Ireland champion after beating Louth’s Sean Connolly in the annual event at the Bray Emmets GAA Club with a winning kick of 67 meters.

Boruc Tops

CELTIC goalkeeper Artur Boruc wants to prove himself the best in the world after helping his club into the group stages of the Champions League and helping Poland to a creditable 2-2 draw with Portugal in Lisbon on Saturday night.

Parkhead teammate Gary Caldwell described Boruc as the best ‘keeper on the planet after his heroics in the penalty shoot-out win over Spartak Moscow in the Champions League.

Boruc, linked again with Arsenal over the weekend, told Celtic View, “I am really grateful for that kind of recognition, especially when you look at the history of the club and the great goalkeepers who have played before me. It’s difficult to describe, but I really like when people remember me for the football and for being a good goalkeeper.

“But I want to improve all the time and I don’t want to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, I want to be the best one.”

Scott Brown says he knows nothing about a £9 million bid to lure him to the Premier League while Celtic have released Ireland youth international defender Mark Nolan after a year with the club.

Name for Sale

THE Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) are to benefit by anything up to $100 million from the decision to sell the naming rights to the new Lansdowne Road stadium.

IRFU chief executive Philip Browne said, “The naming rights will be going to the market and that is an important element of our commercial artillery. The reality is that 15 years is usually a good term in a contract. In terms of value, we’d be talking about millions per annum. The market will ultimately decide, but that’s where we’re at.”

Soccer Shorts

IRELAND got off to a disappointing start in their bid to qualify for the European under-21 championships when they went down 2-0 to Portugal at Turner’s Cross in Cork last Friday night . . .

SCOTTISH FA sources have again confirmed that a new Celtic Cup competition featuring Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could get underway next season . . .

DUNDEE United have failed in a bid to land new Sunderland signing Roy O’Donovan on loan because he has already played for two clubs this season . . .

RUGGED Dundalk defender Ben Whelehan is to miss the rest of the eircom League season after surgery to repair a damaged cruciate ligament . . .

WATERFORD United winger Daryl Kavanagh is to miss the rest of the League of Ireland season after breaking his leg in training . . .

ASTON Villa left-back Stephen O’Halloran, capped by Ireland in America this summer, could join Ipswich Town on loan . . .

FORMER Irish midfielder Graham Kavanagh could join Leeds United on loan from Sunderland . . .

READING goalkeeper Graham Stack has extended his loan spell with Wolves until the end of the year . . .

STOKE City are interested in a loan deal for Sheffield Wednesday’s Irish midfielder Glenn Whelan.

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