Kerry Drop Second Straight in Loss to Cork

29 June 2019 – Amid concerns that play might be interrupted by scattered storms, Kerry Boston GFC and Cork Boston GAA clashed for the second time in two months – this time as part of the Championship contest.

Playing on a damp pitch, both clubs started slowly and saw a plenty of promising buildup play thwarted by odd bounces and balls slipping through the hands of attackers. As the field dried, however, play improved and Kerry’s Danny Perry and Connor Stark managed to throw a couple points apiece over the bar.

Kerry appeared to settle down first, displaying flashes of brilliance and narrowly missing out on a goal and several more points. Halfback Aaron Moore stymied numerous Cork attacks, turning them into quick counters that almost always resulted in scoring opportunities. However, a late Kerry mistake led to a costly penalty on the other end that kept Cork close heading into the break, with the halftime score reading Kerry 0-7 (7 points) to Cork 1-2 (5 points).

Coming out of the break, it appeared that Kerry had once again settled into their flow as they won the second half throw-in and midfielder Noel Kennedy bolted down the field and placed the ball into the side netting to widen the Kerry lead. Kerry would continue to press but left points on the pitch, sending a handful of points just wide.

With 10 minutes left to play, Cork brought on fresh legs and turned up the physicality in what was already a chippy match and slowly began to turn the tide against Kerry. After putting over some points of their own, Cork broke the game open with two quick goals in a two-minute span to ultimately put the game out of reach. When the final whistle blew Kerry saw themselves on the wrong side of a second straight result, with a final score of 3-11 (20 points) to 1-9 (12 points).

Kerry will look back at this one with a sour taste in their mouths, as they once again failed to convert plenty of chances that would have kept momentum on their side and put them in position to walk away with a sorely needed victory. While Cork deserve heaps of credit for their play and comeback, Kerry will almost certainly view this as a match they let slip through their hands.

With half of the season in the books Kerry now sit at 1-0-2 (2 points), and the threat of an early exit from the Championship is suddenly a very real possibility. A well needed week off for Independence Day is ahead, then Kerry will look to salvage the season and climb back into the top half of the table against the Connemara Gaels (also at 2 points in the table) on Saturday, July 13 at 5 p.m.

Man of the Match: Aaron Moore

Kerry Scoring: