Kerry coast to flattering 15-point win over Meath

Two second-half goals from David Clifford eased Kerry to a big All-Ireland SFC win in Navan, leaving the Kingdom within touching distance of automatic qualification for the quarter-finals.

A lot like the team’s performance overall, Clifford wasn’t at his very best, but burst into life in the final 20 minutes or so to help his team to a slightly flattering 15-point win.

Kerry were only five points up with 49 minutes on the clock, but Clifford’s first goal moved the 2022 champions from five to eight points clear and broke the back of Meath’s challenge.

The Footballer of the Year’s second goal arrived in stoppage time and brought his takings to 2-02 for the afternoon.

Kerry had 11 different scorers in all and the two goals they scored were the first in this year’s championship following a barren period in front of the posts.

They will be back in action in a fortnight against Louth while Meath will face Monaghan the same weekend seeking their first win of the campaign having previously lost to neighbours Louth.

The Royals were desperate for a pick-me-up after that 10-point beating from Louth and shook their team up in the hope of hitting upon a combination that might pick the Kerry lock.

Colm O’Rourke and his management team gambled with a series of alterations to the published team, four in total.

Sean Ryan from the St Peter’s Dunboyne club came in for not just his Championship debut but his first ever appearance for the Meath seniors.

Clubmate Michael Murphy and Ballivor’s Brian O’Halloran were both handed their first championship starts while Conor Gray, midfield for last year’s Tailteann Cup triumph, started his first game of 2024 following a mixture of injury and illness.

All of that change left Meath with a novel midfield axis of Gray and Cathal Hickey while full-back Adam O’Neill picked up Sean O’Shea and Donal Keogan was given the task of tracking David Clifford.

Truth be told, it was one giant defensive effort as Meath declined to contest the Kerry kick-out and immediately funnelled numbers back in the hope of winning the game on the counter attack.

It was an understandable strategy and it would have yielded a greater dividend but for Meath’s aimless shooting and lack of ideas up front.

They carved out plenty of attacking opportunities but eight first-half wides, many of them poor kicks from scorable positions, proved costly.

Beating the blanket is nothing new to Kerry who poured everyone forward, allowing defenders Brian O Beaglaoich and Tom O’Sullivan to pick off five points from play between them.

Midfielders Joe and Diarmuid O’Connor drilled a couple of points too while Tony Brosnan weighed in with a brace of points, helping Kerry to lead by 0-10 to 0-03 at half-time.

Meath drafted in captain Ronan Jones and Jordan Morris at half-time and Jones’ dynamism around the middle helped Meath get on top for 10 minutes or so.

Sean Coffey and Mathew Costello scored points and with just five now between teams, Meath supporters suddenly found their voice.

It was a brief resurgence though and an unanswered 1-02 from Kerry pretty much killed the contest, leaving the Munster champions 1-12 to 0-06 clear.

Clifford had been relatively anonymous but came alive for the 49th minute goal, bursting onto an O’Sullivan lay off on the left and slamming to the roof of the net.

He would have had a second goal two minutes later but O’Neill got down with a terrific block.

Clifford eventually got his second major in the 71st minute following a series of intricate passes which ended with sub Killian Spillane feeding the Fossa phenom.

Kerry finished with an unanswered 1-04 in all to drive home their authority and leave the Tailteann Cup title holders with that sinking feeling again.

Kerry: Shane Ryan; Tom O’Sullivan (0-02), Jason Foley, Dylan Casey; Brian O Beaglaoich (0-03), Mike Breen, Gavin White; Diarmuid O’Connor (0-01), Joe O’Connor (0-01); Tony Brosnan (0-02), Paudie Clifford (0-01), Cillian Burke; David Clifford (2-02, 0-01f), Sean O’Shea (0-03, 0-01 45, 0-01m), Paul Geaney (0-01).

Subs: Dara Moynihan (0-01) for Burke 49, Killian Spillane (0-01, 0-01m) for Geaney 55, Dylan Geaney for Brosnan 55, Adrian Spillane for Diarmuid O’Connor 61, Sean O’Brien for Breen 61.

Meath: Billy Hogan; Ronan Ryan, Adam O’Neill, Donal Keogan; Ciaran Caulfield (0-01), Brian O’Halloran, Sean Coffey (0-01); Cathal Hickey, Conor Gray; Michael Murphy, Darragh Campion, Sean Ryan; Cillian O’Sullivan, Mathew Costello (0-02, 0-01f), Eoghan Frayne (0-04, 0-02f).

Subs: Ronan Jones for Gray h/t, Jordan Morris for Murphy h/t, Jack O’Connor (0-01) for O’Sullivan 47, Cian McBride for Coffey 54, Ross Ryan for Campion 58.

Referee: Liam Devenney (Mayo).