Maurice Brosnan: Physical contact the missing ingredient with big questions still to be answered

This had the makings of a terrific Gaelic football occasion. The big house, while only one quarter full, was washed with bright sunshine to celebrate the dawn of championship. The city half marathon had ploughed through Jones' Road in the morning and left high spirits in its wake. During the Division 1 pre-game parade, Ryan O’Donoghue asked Dylan Geaney for a slug from his water bottle and the Kerry linkman played ball. Everyone was content to get along.

That was the one drab, and consistent, note across the afternoon. Offaly and Kildare both deployed a sweeper in defence, diminishing any prospect of an effective press further out and any high turnover. A lack of the crucial ingredient that is physical contact has been a theme across the 2025 National Football League. Both Aidan O’Shea and Joe O’Connor took issue with the interpretation of their challenges. Bite between the white lines is a fundamental attraction, have the Football Review Committee’s alterations provided a nurturing environment? There will be plenty of focus on the current tackle in the coming weeks. And there should be.

As for the enhancements, it turns out the brand new game saw two of the most experienced winners add to their haul in Mickey Harte and Jack O’Connor. Offaly were electric in the curtain-raiser and it was another reminder that you can’t trust Kildare. Their shooting left them down again, 18 scores from 36 shots. Mayo fell short in HQ. Learn anything new?

In that main draw, Mayo manager Kevin McStay summarised their performance aptly: “Never asked a big question at all.” 

Kerry have been thrilling and clinical. In this final they were neither. Make no mistake, despite their current standing, they do have undoubted vulnerabilities. What happens when you take away their kicking game? How, precisely, do you take away their kicking game? Mayo would have targeted midfield and the Cliffords as match-deciding contests. They lost all three comprehensively.

Enda Hession has enjoyed some fine duals with Paudie Clifford before but too much was asked of him here. In the first half, he was expected to drop deep and sweep in front of Kerry’s inside line while also tracking a man who tends to drop deep at the other side.

The centre-forward finished with three points, two 45s kicked with his left and a point from play with his right. With every fluent movement, he sets their attack in motion. Clifford directly assisted 1-2. Neither of his fellow half-forwards contributed a score or created one. In the list of necessary measures to overcome this team, stopping him ranks at the top.

Mayo’s midfield have earned deserved plaudits over the past month but they were bested all afternoon long. Joe O’Connor continues to blossom as the dynamo his side need him to be. He scored twice and assisted two more. Most importantly he stood up when the need was greatest.

A strange course of events had the margin back to just three with 20 minutes remaining. Eoghan McLaughlin’s capability to mix the magnificent with the maddening continued as he put a turnover-strewn first half behind him by blasting a goal into the Hill. A Ryan O’Donoghue two-pointer quickly followed. Suddenly the strong green and red presence in the Cusack Stand finally had cause to roar. This is what they came for. All they needed was any sort of spark to ignite the primal explosion.

Another Clifford wide had them on the verge of rocking. The subsequent kickout broke over the sideline and Mayo squeezed aggressively. Joe O’Connor immediately began to run like a demon, swirling until he shook off Matthe Ruane. Micheál Burns dinked the ball into his stride, O’Connor fed substitute Tony Brosnan on the loop and Kerry were settled again.

The one threat at the other end was stalwart Aidan O’Shea. After 13 senior finals in Croke Park, the Breaffy man finally scored from play for the first time. He did it again soon after, finishing with three points in total.

Yet even this snapshot summarises his outfit’s current woes and an unfortunate feature of his career. Too often the 34-year-old is improperly utilised. He was fouled for a free during that early dominant stretch. He was starved of possession for long periods thereafter.

Perhaps it is fitting that Division 1 concluded with mere glimpses of what both contestants could be. It was a competition that offered a glimpse of what it could be too, if only the schedule sufficiently allowed it.

The leagues concluded with a blunt reminder of the areas that need to improve. It remains to be seen who has the fortitude to go and actually do it.