LEINSTER SFC QUARTER-FINAL
Kildare 2-12 Wexford 0-11
SEVEN points was the difference on the scoreboard as Kildare took another step towards their first Leinster final since 2003 but speaking after the game, manager Kieran Mc-Geeney was more concerned about the differences in the free count by the time of the final whistle.
Meath referee Cormac Reilly awarded Wexford 30 frees to just eight for Kildare and while Wexford hit six scores from frees and missed a couple of other kickable ones, Johnny Doyle was off target with Kildare’s only scoreable free.
Although Doyle and Andriu MacLochlainn were booked, there were no real dirty tackles in the game and for the free count to be so one sided is certainly strange. But that was not the main talking point from this game.
No doubt McGeeney felt it was a point worth making after the match but this was all about Kildare taking another massive step towards a Leinster final in Croke Park.
At the moment Kildare are doing enough to win games, and win them comfortably, but you get the feeling that there is more to come from this team, that they are still yet to peak.
Take Johnny Doyle for example. No doubt many teams have played the Lilywhites in the past few years thinking that if they keep JD quiet then Kildare were there for the taking but that simply isn’t the case anymore.
Here, Graeme Molloy did just about as good a marking job on Doyle as anybody and kept him to a solitary point, an exquisite point at that, but still Kildare racked up a fine tally of 2-12 and all of it from play.
That they did owed much to the efforts of James Kavanagh, RTÉ’s man of the match, and Alan Smith, who scored 1-3 each.
As against Offaly, the pair caused constant terror in the opponent’s defence. Kavanagh ran himself into the ground for the cause. Witness his drive and determination to link up with Doyle for his goal. After he played the ball, Kavanagh bust a gut to support his skipper leaving Brian Malone trailing in his wake and his finish was coolness itself.
In the final minutes with the game already well won where was Kavanagh? Back beyond his team’s 13 metre line fielding two vital balls.
Smith’s goal poaching ability could be crucial to how far Kildare go this year. There was still a lot of work to be done once Ronan Sweeney passed him the ball in the 9th minute but one brilliant drop of the shoulder later, the ball was past Anthony Masterson before the Wexford ‘keeper could move. Smith proved once again that he has that knack of scoring goals out of nothing There were others who impressed too. Dermot Earley was my man of the match. Sure, there were times when he wasn’t hugely involved particularly in the first half but when Kildare were on top and really putting the pressure on Wexford, it was because Earley was dominating in midfield. He may be only a couple of weeks short of his 31st birthday but there are few sights better in Gaelic football than watching Earley soar to the sky to fetch a ball.
Typically as a defender, McGeeney singled out Emmet Bolton and the impressive Brian Flanagan for praise after the game while Hugh McGrillen and Mick Foley excelled so much in the full back line that Kevin O’Neill must be wondering how he will get his place back in the team.
As in the previous round, Kildare made a bright start and Smith’s goal contributed to an early tally of 1-2 to no reply but Wexford had their best spell of the game soon after that and hit five points in succession to level the game.
Emmet Bolton and Kavanagh put Kildare back in charge and despite a superb Ciarán Lyng strike, Daryl Flynn’s point put Kildare a goal to the good heading into the break at 1-6 to 0-6.
Earley then took control of the game with two points at the start of the second half while another trademark catch set up a score for Smith.
The game was over as a contest when Kavanagh and Doyle linked up for Kildare’s second goal of the game in the 51st minute to leave Kildare eight points clear.
With the game as good as won, McGeeney took the opportunity to give the likes of Ken Donnelly and Rob Kelly a run out and the final five minutes had almost the feel of a testimonial when 37 year old Anthony Rainbow was introduced.
His every touched was cheered by the Kildare following in what may prove to be his last appearance in a Kildare jersey but as the weeks pass, it looks like those supporters might have a lot more to cheer about before the end of the summer.
KILDARE: Tom Corley; Hugh McGrillen, Mick Foley, Andriu MacLochlainn; Emmet Bolton (.-.), Brian Flanagan, Morgan O’ Flaherty; Daryl Flynn ( Dermot Earley (.-.); James Kavanagh (.-.), Padraig O Neill (.-.), Eamon Callaghan; Alan Smith (.-.), Ronan Sweeney, Johnny Doyle (.-.). Subs: Declan Brennan for MacLochlainn, h/ t; Ken Donnelly for O’Neill, ..; Robert Kelly for Flynn, ..; Eoghan O’Flaherty for Doyle, ..; Anthony Rainbow for M O’Flaherty, ... Blood Subs: Gary White for O’Neill, .-.. mins; Mark Scanlon for Bolton, ..-.. mins.
WEXFORD: Anthony Masterson; Brian Malone, Philip Wallace, Graeme Molloy; Colm Morris, David Murphy, Aindreas Doyle; Brendan Doyle, Eric Bradley (.-.); Adrian Morrissey, Redmond Barry, Collie Byrne; Ciaran Lyng (.-., .f), Shane Cullen (.-.fs), PJ Banville. Subs: Niall Murphy for Byrne, ..; Diarmuid Kinsella for Bradley,
..; Shane Roche for A Doyle, ..; David Fogarty for B Doyle, ..; Paddy Colfer for Wallace, ...
REFEREE: Cormac Reilly, Meath