June 16 – Fresh off a commanding win in the opener vs. Portland, Kerry Boston GFC headed into their second match of the season seeking to carry their momentum forward against the Shannon Blues GFC.
Once again Kerry got off to a hot start, with half-forward Tommy Farrell putting a handful of points over the bar during the opening minutes. An early penalty provided a chance for Kerry to put themselves up by a comfortable margin, but the low strike by Farrell hit the wrong side of the post and bounced out to be recovered by the Blues. Not long after, a rifle of a shot by forward Ali Dooey was saved by the Blues keeper to keep the score close.
After a rocky start the Blues settled into some rhythm, pushing forward and knocking some points of their own over the bar. The final minutes heading into the break saw both clubs produce solid attacks, and when the halftime whistle blew it was Kerry ahead by the narrowest of margins.
The Blues came out of the break swinging, stifling some promising Kerry attacks and turning the counters into both points and goals. Kerry saw the game slipping away after the Blues second goal, but remained determined to fight until the end. Vincent Doyle settled the midfield, attacking every kickout and winning the majority of them over larger players. Aaron Moore led the Kerry defense in stemming the flow of the Blues scoring, and the green and gold once again pulled within reach.
Conor Eddery, who played ferociously on both sides of the ball all day, put in a late goal along with a point to bring Kerry within striking distance of the Blues side. With time winding down, Noel Kennedy ran the length of the pitch from the halfback line and put a low shot across the goal that just nicked the bar and was turned wide. The final Kerry attacks ended with scores, but would prove to not quite be enough as the Blues managed to hold on to win with a final score of 3-8 (17 points) to 2-8 (14 points).
Kerry will look at this match as one where they were on the wrong side of Lady Luck, as they had three shots ricochet off the frame and a few others miss just wide. The tough loss can’t all be chalked up to luck, however, as the Blues stepped up in the second half and were able to weather the late Kerry storm.
“That was a tough game to lose, especially with the chances we saw go off the post or a touch wide that would have been the making of the game,” said manager Evan McDonagh. “That with the Blues strong push in the second half put the game just out of our reach. A number of lads, especially Conor Eddery, played their boots off in an attempt to push us over the line but unfortunately we fell just short.”
“Certainly a tough loss, but one that many of the newer and younger members will remember and learn from,” added selector Dan O’Connor. “We were well on top at different stages but the depth of the Blues bench showed why there are no easy Championships in Boston.”
Kerry now have a couple of weeks to regroup before their next match, and will look to rebound from this loss against Cork Boston GFC on Saturday, June 29 at 5:15 p.m.
Man of the Match: Conor Eddery
Kerry Scoring:
- Conor Eddery (1-1, 4 points)
- Tommy Farrell (0-4, 4 points)
- Brendan McGinn (1-0, 3 points)
- Connor Stark (0-2, 2 points)
- Mark Prendergast (0-1, 1 point)
Kerry Boston GFC 