Kerry have booked their place in the All-Ireland semi-finals, defeating Derry on a scoreline of 0-15 to 0-10 after a rather pedestrian contest at Croke Park.
Considering that these two sides produced the most exciting game of the 2023 championship, hopes were high that we would be treated to another pulsating affair this afternoon. However, once the match got underway, it became clear that this would be a very different occasion.
Both sides approached the game in a rather nervy fashion, with Kerry in particular failing to produce the type of attacking football that we know they are capable of. Derry would have been more pleased with the flow of the game, limiting the scoring chances given to the likes of David Clifford and Sean O'Shea as the two teams went in level at 0-6 to 0-6 at halftime.
The second half was much of the same, although some well taken scores from Kerry during the final quarter ultimately proved to be the difference.
Tony Brosnan helps Kerry double their lead. A close contest may be about to come alive.
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Jack O'Connor's side will now face Armagh in an All-Ireland semi-final in two weeks.
READ HERE: Shane Walsh Describes Nice Moment With Paul Mannion's Dad After Galway Win
Peter Canavan Feels Armagh Should Be Worried Despite Poor Kerry Performance
While they would ultimately get the win, this was certainly not a vintage performance from Kerry. The slow pace they employed throughout the game was jarring to watch, with that approach not making the most of the top class attacking talent in their team.
Despite this, they will be confident heading into that meeting with Armagh.
Speaking on RTÉ, Peter Canavan explained why Kieran McGeeney's men should be worried despite the poor performance from the Munster champions this afternoon.
Halfway through that second half I turned around to Tomás [Ó Sé] and said I could only see one team winning it from here, I though Derry had done the hard work. I didn't see anything wholly different from Kerry in the second half. They were ineffective going forward.
Was it a case that Derry petered out because they ran out of steam or they didn't have the self belief to go on ahead and win the match? They had done the difficult bit in containing Kerry for so long.
We were very critical of Kerry at halftime. Now you have to praise them for the way they dug it out. It wasn't pretty, it was far from it.
From an Armagh perspective, I'd be worried because I can't see so many of those Kerry players playing below par like they did today.
Kerry will enter that game against Armagh as slight favourites, although the Ulster side are more than capable of coming out on top if they perform to their best on the day.
With Donegal set to take on Galway in the other semi-final, we should be set up for a grandstand finish to this summer's championship.
SEE ALSO: "It Rattled Them A Little Bit" - Padraic Joyce On The Tactic Galway Learned From Mayo
