Four-goal Kerry cruise by Clare to win fifth consecutive Munster title

Munster SFC final: Kerry 4-20 (4-3-14) Clare 0-21 (0-2-17)

Munster chairman Tim Murphy, writing in the match programme, said the “exhilarating” nature of the recent Cork-Kerry semi-final was “a badly needed boost” for the often maligned and often non-competitive Munster football championship.

There was no second boost here. There was nothing remotely exhilarating about this Munster final. A stroll-in-the-sun 86th Munster crown for Kerry. A third consecutive Munster final win over Clare. The winning margin back out to double digits after Clare had the temerity to come within seven 12 months ago.

The absence of Shane Ryan, Paul Murphy, Diarmuid O’Connor, Graham O’Sullivan, and the suspended Paudie Clifford was neither lamented nor felt.

Among those drafted in their stead was a first championship start in four years for Micheál Burns. He finished a first half goal and finished the first half itself by preventing an Eoin Cleary goal at the far end.

Kerry’s so-called problem department in the middle of the field looked no problem at all. Barry Dan scored 1-1, Joe O’Connor again broke kickouts and broke perfectly timed onto attacks.

No surprise sprung by Peter Keane against his own. No getting one over on the man he was deposed for in the fractious autumn of 2021.

Briefly glancing ahead, the reality for the Kingdom is that unless Cork unsettle them for a second time at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on the Bank Holiday weekend, Kerry will once again land into the last eight of the championship significantly less examined than their fellow Sam Maguire frontrunners. Their All-Ireland series will throw-in at home to Roscommon in a fortnight.

Just 👑 David Clifford, doing what he does, his first 2⃣ Pointer to increase the lead of @Kerry_Official over @GaaClare in the @MunsterGAA Football Final 🏆 #KERvCLA pic.twitter.com/06ipYj7JAn — The GAA (@officialgaa) May 4, 2025

The competitiveness and suspense of this provincial decider had been unforgivingly removed by the sixth minute. Kerry already had two goals on the board. The gap was already seven-strong. The gap stayed traveling, unbroken, in one direction.

The gap peaked on 33 minutes. Aaron Griffin was short with a point attempt for the Banner. It was their second short attempt of the half. Kerry countered. Tom O’Sullivan executed a delicious pass to Sean O’Shea. The latter was fouled and converted the consequent free.

O’Shea, starting his first game since the league defeat at home to Dublin in mid-February, opened their account with a rare two-pointer inside 22 seconds.

Goal number one of their first-half quartet arrived on four minutes. Tony Brosnan with the perfect pass, David Clifford with a shot that really should have been kept out by the goalline-stationed Clare corner-back Manus Doherty.

Tom O’Sullivan’s was the risk-reward pass that set in train their second. Paul Geaney made the catch, Burns had the shot, which was well-saved by Eamon Tubridy, the ball eventually finding the comfort of the net from Clifford’s rebound boot.

Two minutes later, Tubridy’s mistake in possession gifted Sean O’Shea his second point of a first-half. 2-3 to 0-1. Clare were not helping themselves. Emmet McMahon committed an utterly stupid black card foul on 16 minutes after Paul Geaney had been stripped of possession. But instead of a Clare turnover won, O’Shea kicked his second two-pointer of the afternoon and Kerry enjoyed numerical advantage for the ensuing 10 minutes.

It was a 10-minute period where Kerry doubled their goal count to bring green flags raised for 2025 to 21.

Clare nailed only five of their 13 scoring opportunities in the opening half. And still it was not their ugliest feature. Their passiveness was scarcely believable at times.

On 23 minutes, Shane Murphy was at his ease in getting off a short kickout. Fair enough that a 14-man Clare wanted to keep matters compact. But if you’re not going to press the opposition restart, you have to at least press the opposition when they probe. What instead materialised was Micheál Burns, played through by Brosnan, walking in goal number three.

The crossbar and desperate last-ditch defending denied David Clifford and Gavin White a fourth major almost immediately after.

The wait for that fourth was neither long nor nervous. Another Clare mistake. Cillian Rouine intercepted by Paul Geaney. Geaney with the final assist to the onrushing and falling Barry Dan O’Sullivan. 4-7 to 0-5. 26 minutes gone. An exhilarating semi-final, an evisceration of a final.

The second half was a non-event. Clare outgunned their hosts 0-14 to 0-10. Emmet McMahon raised orange flags and Mark McInerney white. There should be nothing read into that. Kerry had long taken care of the bigger picture. A most uncompetitive picture.

Scorers for Kerry: D Clifford (2-5, tp, 0-1 free); S O’Shea (0-8, tp free, tp, 0-3 frees); BD O’Sullivan (1-1); P Geaney (0-4, 0-1 free); M Burns (1-0); D Geaney (0-2).

Scorers for Clare: E McMahon (0-8, 2tp frees, 0-3 frees); M McInerney (0-6, 0-2 frees, 0-1 ‘45); K Sexton (0-1 pen), B McNamara (0-2 each); M Doherty, D Walsh, A Griffin (0-1 each).

KERRY: S Murphy; D Casey, J Foley, T O’Sullivan; B Ó Beaglaoich, M Breen, G White; J O’Connor, BD O’Sullivan; T Brosnan, S O’Shea, M Burns; D Clifford, P Geaney, D Geaney.

Subs: T Morley for Foley (27-32 inj); R Murphy for Brosnan, K Spillane for O’Shea (both 52); T Morley for Breen (54); M O’Shea for BD O’Sullivan (55); K Evans for Burns (59); E Looney for Ó Beaglaoich (64, temporary);

CLARE: E Tubridy; M Doherty, R Lanigan, C Brennan; A Sweeney, C Rouine, I Ugweuru; B McNamara, D Walsh; A Griffin, E McMahon, D Coughlan; M McInerney, K Sexton, E Cleary.

Subs: C Meaney for Sweeney, S Griffin for Walsh (both 54); E Cahill for Sexton (58); R McMahon for Rouine (62).

Referee: N Mooney (Cavan).

60 second report

The Turning Point: Kerry’s goal-heavy start. First goal arrived on four minutes, second two minutes later. Already 2-2 to 0-1 ahead. Two white flags in as many minutes stretched that advantage out to nine and we hadn’t even reached the 10th minute.

Shape and Structure: Shane Murphy was able to go short to the edge of the arc with his kickouts nearly as much as he went long because of Clare’s lack of press. What must have been so maddening from a Clare perspective was that they didn’t press full stop when Kerry built and attacked off these short restarts.

The Key Stat: Between the 57th minute of their extra-time semi-final and the 26th minute of today’s final - 59 minutes in total - Kerry ran in seven goals. Their total across 10 games this year is 24.

Post Match Chatter: Very little. A non-event of a Munster final, the potential for Peter Keane to get one over on his own having evaporated inside the opening six minutes.

The Main Man: Barry Dan O'Sullivan's 1-1 on the scoreboard and influence in the skies made a strong argument for a Kerry midfielder receiving the crystal for the second game in succession. Difficult, though, to overlook the argument for David Clifford and his 2-5.

Injury Update: Kerry were without Shane Ryan, Paul Murphy, Diarmuid O’Connor, and Graham O’Sullivan. Jack O’Connor said all four should be in the frame for their next outing against Roscommon in two weeks’ time.

Man in Black: Soft penalty awarded to Clare’s Keelan Sexton in the opening half and a strange black card awarded to Clare’s Emmet McMahon, also in the opening half.

Next Up: On the weekend of May 17/18, Kerry are at home to Roscommon in their All-Ireland series opener. The same weekend, Clare are at home to Down.

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