The Kingdom Beats The Rebels To Advance To Munster Final

Munster GAA Football Senior Championship - Semi Final Replay: Cork 1-14 Kerry 1-15

All-Ireland champions Kerry are into the Munster GAA Football Senior Championship final after an absorbing 1-15 to 1-14 extra-time victory over Cork at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday afternoon.

While many had been bemoaning the 21st meeting of these sides in the championship since the turn of the millennium, this game surely put to bed any qualms the nay-sayers may have had as the game was full of excitement over the course of the 90 minutes, and it could have even been another draw and another journey back to Killarney.

As it is, Kerry are in the provincial decider, seeking their first Munster win since 2007 as they face Limerick on the first Sunday in July, though as with the drawn game in Fitzgerald Stadium last Sunday, Cork will feel that they let this game slip from their grasp.

At half-time the home team led by four, 1-6 to 0-5; with 19 minutes left it was 1-10 to 1-7 and, even though Kerry pulled back level, Ciarán Sheehan's 69th-minute point looked to have saved it for the Rebels only for Marc Ó Sé to send the game into extra time.

There, once Kerry got their noses in front, they always looked like they would keep that edge and though Cork could have had claims for a late free that would surely have led to an equalizer, Kerry held on.

As in the drawn game, the introduction of Paul Galvin from the substitutes' bench galvanised Jack O'Connor's team, though he came on far earlier here, the man he replaced, David Moran, not even making it to half-time.

Colm Cooper too was excellent, scoring six points from frees, most of which he won himself, including one that led to Cork captain Graham Canty being dismissed for a second bookable offence in the 65th minute.

In front of 26, 486 in weather not as bad as the early-morning dark clouds suggested, Cork - playing into the breeze - began brightly, frees from Daniel Goulding and Donncha O'Connor giving them an early cushion and though a big Bryan Sheehan free opened Kerry's account, the pivotal score of the opening period came in the 15th minute.

After Kerry goalkeeper Brendan Kealy made a poor clearance, Cork midfielder Aidan Walsh latched onto the loose ball and sent in a delivery to the goalmouth which was not dealt with by the netminder and Daniel Goulding was able to poke the ball home when it broke for a four-point lead.

That, essentially, was the difference between the sides in the first half, the lead fluctuating between two and five points though Galvin coming on helped to steady Kerry around the middle as he began to hoover up loose ball and Sheehan's free from outside the 45 ensured there were four between the sides as they retired at the interval.

Less than two minutes into the second half, that margin was cut to the minimum when Kieran Donaghy, who had been kept fairly under control by Canty up until then, found the net, rounding off a nice move involving Cooper and Donnacha Walsh to slot past Alan Quirke.

To their credit though, Cork kept their composure and scored the next two points, O'Connor with two in the space of a minute to keep daylight between the sides. Kerry were still in the game but were being kept at arm's length and it wasn't until the final quarter of an hour that real inroads were made.

Cooper was the man who made the difference as he had the edge on marker Jamie O'Sullivan, and two of his frees made it a one-point game with eight minutes left.

With five remaining came the equalizer, though it was not without its controversy as Cooper looked to have been beaten to a loose ball by Canty but referee Pat McEnaney, after consultation with his umpire, adjudged the Cork captain to have committed his second cautionable foul and showed him the red card, with Cooper sending the free over.

Kerry seemed to be carrying the momentum, but again Cork responded and Sheehan's point, kicking the ball over his shoulder with his back to goal after a free in broke, made it 1-11 to 1-10.

There was still time for more drama though as Marc Ó Sé levelled things up, sending the ball over from close range after a one-two with sub Daniel Bohan, meaning that an additional 20 minutes would be needed.

With John Miskella in now that they were back up to the full complement, Cork took an early lead in extra time through Fintan Goold, but the momentum was with Kerry and Cooper's free, allied to two fine points from sub Barry John Walsh had them ahead, 1-14 to 1-12, at the interval.

They would only score once more, yet another Cooper free, but it was all they needed as Cork could only muster two, from Noel O'Leary and John Hayes, and the emotion on the Kerry faces at the end was clear to see.