Bryan Sheehan blasted Kerry into the NFL Division
1 final with a classy eight-point haul at Pearse
Stadium this afternoon.
With Derry
beating Donegal, this defeat means Galway have
missed out on a final spot on scoring difference.
Michael Meehan and Padraic Joyce kicked two points
apiece as Galway trailed by 0-09 to 0-05 at
half-time with Sheehan landing five points. Kieran
Donaghy also had two goal-bound shots saved by
Galway goalkeeper Paul Doherty but a point from
substitute Colm Cooper helped Kerry rubberstamp the
win. The Kingdom are chasing their fourth league
title in five years. Judging by this performance,
they are certainly hungry for silverware before they
begin the defence of their All-Ireland crown, which
begins against either Clare or Waterford on June 15.
Galway had high hopes of making it through to the
league final. They lost out to Mayo at the
semi-final stage last year but Liam Sammon's team
have been one of the country's form sides in recent
weeks. The hosts made one enforced change with
Achilles tendon victim Joe Bergin being replaced by
Niall Coleman. Kerry brought in Mike Frank Russell
and Aidan O'Mahony as their two changes but they
fell behind early on with both Padraic Joyce and
Matthew Clancy bisecting the visitors' posts. Kerry
soon settled however and points after 10, 12 and 16
minutes from Darren O'Sullivan, O'Mahony and Sheehan
had them 0-03 to 0-02 ahead. Sheehan's first point
was the pick of the lot as he used his big right
boot to rifle a free over from distance. Although
Meehan and Joyce added to Galway's tally, Kerry
managed to move four points clear by the interval.
It could and should have been more but Donaghy was
twice thwarted by Galway stopper Doherty when a goal
looked on. The Kingdom also hit five wides in the
opening half to two from the hosts, but white flags
from Sheehan, Tomas O'Se, O'Mahony and Donnacha
Walsh proved the difference at the break. Into the
second half, Sheehan slammed over another
right-footed free to put his side 0-10 to 0-05
ahead. Meehan then missed a glorious goal chance
when, after being put through one-on-one with Kerry
net minder Diarmuid Murphy, the Caltra clubman
stumbled just as he was about to lash a shot
goal-bound. Although that 43rd-minute opportunity
seemed to deflate Galway for a while, with
substitute Eoin Brosnan immediately registering
Kerry's 11th point, they kept fighting and working
hard for each other. Successive points from
substitutes Paul Conroy and Cormac Bane and Meehan
closed the gap to three points, but two late scores
from Sheehan and the tireless Tomas O'Se left five
between the sides the finish.
GALWAY: P Doherty; K Fitzgerald, F Hanley, D Burke;
G Sice (0-01), N Coyne, D Mullahy; N Coleman, B
Cullinane; D Dunleavy (0-01), P Joyce (0-02, 0-01f),
D Meehan; M Clancy (0-01), M Meehan (0-03, 0-02f), F
Breathnach.
Subs used: P Conroy (0-01, 0-01f) for N Coleman (42
mins), M Lydon for Cullinane, C Bane (0-01) for
Mullahy (both 50), B Cullinane for Breathnach (67).
KERRY: D Murphy; P Reidy, M Ó Sé, T O'Sullivan; T Ó
Sé (0-02), A O'Mahony (0-01), T Griffin; D Ó Sé, S
Scanlon; Darren O'Sullivan (0-01), D Walsh (0-01), A
Maher; MF Russell, K Donaghy, B Sheehan (0-08,
0-06f).
Subs used: E Brosnan (0-01) for Russell (half-time),
Declan O'Sullivan for Maher (47), C Cooper (0-01)
for Walsh (62), D Bohane for Darren O'Sullivan (69),
R Ó Flatharta for Sheehan (70+1).
Referee: David Goldrick (Meath)
Damien Burke clears the ball for
Galway against Kerry
