BIG MATCH COUNTDOWN
As excitement builds and fans get ready for the most eagerly-awaited county senior football final for years, award-winning Kerry GAA PRO, John O’Leary, looks at the little stories behind the bigger story with informative conversation points in the lead-up to Sunday’s big match in Killarney
Killarney Legion are appearing in their first county senior championship final since 1946 when they defeated John Mitchels with a team backboned by the Lyne Brothers from Cleeney in the shadow of the Fitzgerald Stadium. It is their only SFC success to date.
South Kerry have won the title on nine occasions, the last in 2009. They won three-in-a-row between 2004 and 2006.
Both teams are trained by South Kerry men who have represented their county at minor, under 21 and junior grade. Legion boss Peter Keane is a St Mary’s clubman and has the distinction of winning four Kerry under 21 medals with South Kerry. He trained St Marys to an All Ireland junior title in 2010/11 and was recently appointed Kerry minor manager.
John Sugrue, the South Kerry trainer, is a Renard native based in Portlaoise who has four SFC medals won with South Kerry. A physiotherapist, he worked in Killarney for a number of years in a partnership with another great GAA man, Jimmy Galvin.
Diarmuid O’Donoghue, father of James, won a SFC medal with Killarney – a Dr Crokes and Legion combination – in 1983 and captained Kerry in the opening game of the championship against Tipperary in 1984. He had played in all of Kerry’s 10 NFL games 1983/84, scoring 4-14 in the process.
Including the All-Ireland final, Bryan Sheehan will be playing in his eighth championship game in a row in as many weeks, with Kerry, South Kerry and St Marys.
Legion’s Damien O’Sullivan won a county intermediate medal with Spa in 2009 and subsequently played in the All-Ireland Intermediate Club final when Spa lost to Cookstown of Tyrone. Legion midfielder James O’Sullivan played with Kilcummin until last year
A Legion win on Sunday will see them represent Kerry in the Munster Club Championship on the following weekend. A South Kerry victory would see Dingle, the senior club champions, represent Kerry.
Not only is the county title up for grabs on Sunday but the captaincy of the Kerry team for 2016 is also at stake. Legion have a number of Kerry panellists including James O’Donoghue, Jonathan Lyne and Brian Kelly while South Kerry have Bryan Sheehan and Killian Young in their ranks. Should South Kerry win, then it’s the winners of the South Kerry Senior Championship who would have the honour of nominating the Kerry captain.
Due to a clash of colours, both sides will wear alternative strips on Sunday. Legion will line out in a predominantly black kit with white trimmings with South Kerry wearing gold with a green trim.
