Kerry 3-7 Galway 0-9
A David Clifford goal seven minutes from time was the crucial score in delivering Kerry a 14th All-Ireland minor crown, writes Eoghan Cormican, Croke Park.
The reigning champions were made to work extremely hard by an organised and committed Galway outfit and were just two clear when Clifford pounced for the decisive goal.
Successive blocks on Dara Moynihan and Cormac Linnane appeared to have put paid to this particular Kerry attack, but when possession was fumbled by Galway coming out of defence, the ball was swiftly moved to Clifford on the Cusack Stand side and his superb run ended with a pretty superb strike into the top left corner of the goal.
Clifford’s goal edged Kerry 3-4 to 0-8 clear and the three-in-a-row was never in doubt thereafter.
Peter Keane’s side had returned back underneath the Cusack Stand ahead by 2-2 to 0-2 at the break.
The low-scoring nature of the tie stemmed from the authority of both defences, with both attacks then guilty of some wayward shooting – with Galway the more prominent in the latter department.
The first of the Kerry goals arrived on 18 minutes as Diarmuid O’Connor flicked a Sean O’Shea delivery to the net.
The score moved Kerry 1-1 to 0-0 in front, the underdogs from the west failing to register on the board until Desmond Conneely slotted a 20th-minute free.
Kerry replied by hitting their second goal of the final, Dara Moynihan and David Clifford involved in teeing up David Shaw.
They were, in truth, always in control.
Scorers for Kerry: D Shaw (1-1); D Clifford, D O’Connor (1-0 each); S O’Shea (0-2 frees), D Moynihan (0-2 each); N Collins, C Linnane (0-1 each).
Scorers for Galway: R Finnerty (0-3, 0-2 frees); D Conneely (0-2, 0-3 frees); A Quirke, C D’Arcy, R Forde, R Cunningham (0-1 each).
Kerry: B Courtney; D Naughte, N Collins, G O’Sullivan; M Potts, D O’Brien, M Foley; M Breen, M Ryan; D O’Connor, S O’Shea, D Moynihan; B Friel, D Clifford, D Shaw.
Subs: C Linnane (Beale) for Friel (48); C Teehan (Glenbeigh-Glencar) for Collins (53); B Sweeney (Listowel Emmets) for Shaw (57); K Dwyer (St Pat’s, Blennerville) for ; S Okunbor (Na Gaeil) for O’Connor (65)
Galway: C Haslam; E McFadden, S Mulkerrin, L Boyle; A Quirke, E McDonagh, F Garvey; C D’Arcy, J Maher; F Ó Laoi, E Murphy, R Forde; R Finnerty, S Raftery, D Conneely
Subs: B Goldrick (Claregalway) for Murphy (38 mins); R Murphy (Bearna) for Raftery (49); R Cunningham (St Brendan’s) for Finnerty (55); E Deely (Salthill-Knocknacarra) for Garvey (56).
Referee: C Branagan (Down).
