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Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Mayo hit a Brick wall
By Anthony Hennigan
KERRY 1-18 MAYO 2-14
12 points from the stick of Shane Brick six in each half was a major difference between Mayo and Kerry last Sunday.
The Kingdom wing-forward arrived in Castlebar in unstoppable form as the Munster men picked up their second league win in as many Sundays. In fact, it was that benefit of playing an opening round game in Derry the previous weekend that stood to the visitors, as Mayo for whom it was their first league outing of the season displayed some rustiness and struggled, at times, to adjust to the National League’s cut and thrust pace.
To lose by only a point then, was by no means a bad showing when up against a Kerry team that had walloped their Oak Leaf hosts by 10 points. Yes it was an injury time Kenneth Robinson goal that put a more favourable complexion on the scoreboard but Mayo, who led by a point at half-time, might still feel they could have sneaked victory had they been more ruthless from placed balls.
Albeit contending with a stiff cross-field breeze, Keith Higgins hit four frees wide in the second half alone to tarnish an otherwise stylish display from the midfielder and it wasn’t until substitute Brian Moran assumed some of Mayo’s free-taking responsibility that Kerry’s fouling went better punished. The Tipperary man, whose brother Kevin also debuted at full-back, hit four Mayo points in succession as the Green and Red moved to within two points of the visitors with 10 minutes left to play.
However, an inability to score as heavily from play as Kerry was to cost Mayo also. Sub Robinson’s 72nd minute major, created by Keith Higgins’ superb cross-field pass, was one of just two times the hosts scored from play after half-time and over the 70 minutes, Mayo scored 1-5 from play compared to Kerry’s 1-11, with tight-marking Kingdom defenders Andrew Keane and Colin Harris both having their scoreless corner-forward opponents replaced long before the end.
The one and only time Mayo led was when Ronan Cullinane tapped over a self-won free a minute before the interval. 60 seconds earlier Cullinane had deftly flicked a Stephen Hoban delivery to the net to leave the score 1-7 to 0-10 one of three occasions the sides were level during the opening 35 minutes.
It was debutante Cullinane, from a free, who had commenced Mayo’s scoring to cancel out a Shane Nolan point for Kerry. Higgins, from frees, and Derek McDonnell, two points each, and Derek McConn and Stephen Hoban added to Galway man Cullinane’s 1-2 first half total, but Shane Brick’s six points, three from frees, and other singles by Mike Conway, Michael Boyle and Tom Murnane had Kerry within the minimum score at half-time, as the hosts held a 1-8 to 0-10 advantage.
In truth, Mayo were fortunate to be in front. Tipp’ native Donal O’Brien, another making his first appearance in the Green and Red, had required the assistance of his full-back line to clear when fumbling a Shane Brick long range free but the goalkeeper atoned somewhat for his error when superbly saving John Mike Dooley’s 23rd minute strike. Brick had uncharacteristically blasted wide from a scoreable free too.
However, Mayo might also have goaled before they did, but Derek McDonnell’s rasper was turned away by Kerry stopper, John Brendan O’Halloran.
When Keith Higgins dragged three frees wide, one on the stroke of halftime and two in the opening three minutes of the second half, Kerry doled out the severest punishment to move four points in front. Mayo’s failure to clear a Murnane point attempt that hit the post resulted in John Mike Dooley pulling to the net, either side of which Nolan and Brick raised white flags to leave Kerry 1-12 to 1-8 in front after 36 minutes.
Ronan Cullinane, a free, and Derek McDonnell were quick to half Mayo’s arrears before a shoot-out between free-takers Shane Brick, five Kerry points in a row, and Mayo’s Brian Moran, four in a row, left a goal between the teams, 1-17 to 1-14, with seven minutes to play.
The goal Mayo needed arrived, but only after Mike Conway had increased Kerry’s lead to four points. The locals had left it too late.
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