HS football team of the week
August 21, 2017
The Mayo and Kerry players parade before their side's drawn All-Ireland SFC semi-final clash at Croke Park.
©INPHO/Ryan Byrne.
The 66,195 supporters in attendance at Croke Park for yesterday's thrilling All-Ireland SFC semi-final certainly got full value for money. Here's our team of the week...
1. Brian Kelly (Kerry)
Couldn't be faulted for the two goals he conceded and his kick-out strategy worked better than the one employed by his Mayo counterpart David Clarke.
2. Chris Barrett (Mayo)
Restricted James O'Donoghue to one point from play and the former 'Footballer of the Year' was called ashore in the 62nd minute.
3. Killian Young (Kerry)
The Kerry full-back line came in for its fair share of criticism but Young & Co didn't receive much protection from their team-mates further out the field.
4. Keith Higgins (Mayo)
A tour de force performance in defence from Higgins who also provided his team with forward impetus at every available opportunity.
5. Colm Boyle (Mayo)
Eyebrows were raised when the Davitts clubman was substituted in the 43rd minute but his performance up to that point, which included a superbly taken goal, merits his inclusion.
6. Donal Vaughan (Mayo)
Came out on top in his personal duel with Kerry captain Johnny Buckley and got forward to kick a valuable second-half point.
7. Paul Murphy (Kerry)
One of the few Kerry players who performed up to scratch, Murphy kept 'Footballer of the Year' Lee Keegan on a tight leash for the duration of the contest.
8. David Moran (Kerry)
A well disguised dummy in the lead-up to Johnny Buckley's goal was the highlight of Moran's display and Kerry supporters will be hoping he can make a bigger impact next Saturday.
9. Tom Parsons (Mayo)
The hard-working Parsons was the pick of the four midfielders on show and made the scoresheet with two valuable second-half points.
10. Jason Doherty (Mayo)
Gave the Kerry defence plenty of food for thought during the opening 35 minutes but his influence waned as the game wore on.
11. David Clifford (Kerry)
No team of the week would be complete without the prodigious Kerry minor talent who kicked a remarkable 1-10 (1-7 from play) against Cavan.
12. Stephen O'Brien (Kerry)
Came in for the injured Donnachadh Walsh and made no mistake with the goal chance that Kieran Donaghy teed up for him in the 14th minute.
13. Paul Geaney (Kerry)
The Dingle forward's work-rate and willingness to show for every ball was rewarded with a return of three points from play and seven points overall.
14. Kieran Donaghy (Kerry)
The experiment of playing Aidan O'Shea at full-back on Donaghy didn't go according to plan for Stephen Rochford and his selectors.
15. Andy Moran (Mayo)
The 33-year-old proved that age is just a number when giving one of his finest performance in the Mayo jersey and finished as the game's top scorer with 1-5 from open play.
