Three games that shaped the Mayo and Kerry teams

Fintan O'Toole

1 All-Ireland U21FC semi-final

Kerry 1-9 Mayo 1-7

When? Saturday April 19, 2008
Where? McDonagh Park, Nenagh.
Why? As the only All-Ireland underage crown the county achieved over the past 13 seasons, the significance of Kerry’s U21 victory in 2008 cannot be downplayed. They triumphed in the final that year against Kildare in style, yet the semi-final against Mayo was a day when grit was central to their success.
Killian Young was already an All-Ireland senior medal winner and his intelligence and composure were in evidence during that campaign. The Renard man is the only player from that Kerry U21 team guaranteed to start next Sunday yet Shane Enright and Kieran O’Leary are likely to be at the head of the substitute queue. David Moran and Tommy Walsh were star U21s in 2008 but a torn cruciate ligament and a burgeoning AFL career, rules them out.
Initially that defeat could be filed in the heartbreak folder for Mayo football. They were only pipped by two points, missed late opportunities for scores and Aidan Campbell was dropped due to a breach of discipline.
Despite the disappointment, Ger Cafferkey and Donal Vaughan bedded down in the full-back line in that game, Tom Cunniffe roamed from centre-back, Seamus O’Shea controlled midfield in the second half and Jason Doherty was at wing-forward. Their inputs will be needed again next Sunday.


2 All-Ireland MFC semi-final replay

Mayo 3-13 Kerry 1-9

When? Saturday August 30, 2008
What?
Where? Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
Why? In Mayo football circles, the abilities of Aidan O’Shea had been known but it was not until that summer did he announced himself on the national stage. On August 24, O’Shea gave a masterful display at centre-forward against Kerry in Croke Park. His height, physique, aerial prowess and direct running caused untold problems for the Kerry defence. The fact he was a native of Killorglin added a wicked irony to the tale. But if O’Shea was good in the drawn game, he was even better the following Saturday in Limerick. At the other end Robert Hennelly was a solid presence in the Mayo goal. Along with Breaffy clubmate O’Shea, Hennelly embellished his reputation further that year’s two-game All-Ireland final saga against Tyrone. Defeat was their lotbut they have managed to fulfil the expectations their underage displays in the senior grade this season.
Even amidst the ashes of that minor replay defeat, Kerry found some solace. James O’Donoghue and Barry John Keane emerged as slick attackers. Nothing has changed in the interim. O’Donoghue raised white flags during cameos in Kerry’s last two games against Cork and Limerick, while Keane made his mark in last year’s Munster semi-final replay in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

3 Allianz League Division 1

Mayo 1-13 Kerry 1-11

When? Sunday March 19, 2010
Where? Austin Stack Park, Tralee
Why? The league generates evidence that can end up being discounted in the height of summer. Form can be deceiving. The abject nature of Mayo’s championship displays in 2010 led to much of their league form being disregarded. Yet their emergence this season prompts those games to be revisited and scrutinised again.
Their victory in Tralee last March seemed hugely encouraging. It was the type of away league win that can provide a seismic boost to a squad, except it’s taken until 2011 rather than 2010 for the fruits of that labour to be seen. Seamus O’Shea bossed the midfield exchanges in the second half that day, Kevin McLoughlin feasted on the breaking ball, Andy Moran was a constant outlet and Enda Varley launched over impressive points. The latter grabbed another vital score towards the end of last month’s Connacht final victory while the former trio were all to the fore in Mayo’s second-half domination in the recent All-Ireland quarter-final.
The match was notable for Kerry for two reasons. Firstly, there was the performance of Anthony Maher at midfield. The Duagh player advanced his claims for a starting berth.He had been suffering from a ruinous streak of injuries before that game and predictably a lack of match sharpness led to his second-half withdrawal. Still his potential was evident and he’s become vital to Kerry’s cause.
Secondly, it is interesting to reflect on how Jack O’Connor described the match afterwards as “a reality check” and spoke about how Kerry were “poor and sluggish all over the pitch”. This year O’Connor remarked there is a hunger in his squad that was not always apparent in 2010. That league encounter against Mayo seems a prime example of their problems last year, a game where they were outscored by 1-7 to 0-1 in a 22-minute period in the second half.

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/MCBLBOaHE4Q/post.aspx

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