NO prizes for guessing who’re back in the Kerry Senior Football Championship final?
Champions Dr Crokes reached their eighth decider in a decade after they tore a game Kerins O’Rahillys asunder in a devastating final 15 minutes that saw them going from level pegging entering the last quarter to eventually win by nine points.
Their 2-19 to 2-10 victory at Austin Stack Park was hard earned, however, as they were rocked back on their heels by two first half goals from the opportunist Gavin O’Brien – the first straight from the throw-in – and the Tralee side had a clear edge for much of the encounter.
The game was memorable for the absorbing contest at midfield between David Moran and Johnny Buckley and, if the latter is available, they could make a very formidable option for Peter Keane next season.
The turning point came at a stage when the sides were level, 2-9 to 0-15. O’Rahilly’s had lost the influential Jack Savage to a second yellow card before another disaster occurred when a misplaced kick-out from goalkeeper Gary Kissane was capitalised on by Cokes with the wily Kieran O’Leary setting up substitute Jordan Kiely for a simple tap in.
As impact subs go Kiely takes some beating as he soon pounced for another goal and, from that on, Pat O’Shea’s side played keep ball and drove on to victory, even after Colm Cooper was black carded 15 just minutes after leaving the bench and Brian Looney saw two yellows turn to red on the hour mark.
Crokes will have to wait until next weekend to learn who their final opponents will be as Dingle – thanks to a last gasp point from Kerry defender Tom O’Sullivan – snatched a dramatic draw in an often ill-tempered opening semi-final. His leveller came six minutes into additional time at a stage when most people in the ground, bar the referee, probably thought time was well up.
Dingle, to be fair, looked the better side in the first half and led 0-8 to 0-4 at the break which increased to 1-10 to 0-7 soon after when centre back Tom O’Sullivan finished a Paul Geaney pass to the net after a route one approach.
Two goals from David Clifford – goalkeeper Gavin Curran denied him a hat-trick from the penalty spot – put East Kerry in the driving seat in this pulsating encounter but never-say-die Dingle capiatlised on a remarkably generous overtime allowance to grab a share of the spoils on a 2-10 to 1-13 scoreline.
To be honest, it was a very scrappy affair, not helped by some over deliberation by the match officials which occasionally held the game up to a ridiculous degree. Dingle were reduced to 14 men when Pól Ó Dubháin was red carded but East Kerry were dealt a hammer blow of their own when influential midfielder Shane McSweeney picked up a second yellow, forcing them to deploy Kevin McCarthy around the middle before he, too, as forced out with a shoulder injury after an accidental clash.
The East Kerry v Dingle replay will be next Sunday in Austin Stack Park.
Dr Crokes scorers: Jordan Kiely 2-0; Tony Brosnan 0-6 (0-3 frees); Kieran O’Leary 0-5; David Shaw 0-2; Johnny Buckley 0-2; Micheál Burns 0-2; Shane Murphy 0-1 (45); Brian Looney 0-1.
Kerins O’Rahilly’s scorers: Gavin O’Brien 2-1; Jack Savage 0-3 (frees); Davod Moran 0-2 (0-1 45); Barry John Keane 0-2; Karl Mullins 0-1; Tommy Walsh 0-1.
Dr Crokes: Shane Murphy, John Payne, Mike Moloney, Fionn Fitzgerald, Shane Doolan, Alan O’Sullivan, Gavin White, Johnny Buckley, Daithi Casey, Micheál Burns, Gavin O’Shea, Brian Looney, David Shaw, Kieran O’Leary, Tony Brosnan.
Subs: Colm Cooper for Shaw; Jordan Kiely for Gavin O’Shea (inj); Johnny O’Leary for Murphy (inj); Michael Potts for Cooper (BC); Eoin Brosnan for Burns; Billy Courtney for T Brosnan.
East Kerry scorers: David Clifford 2-4 (0-1 free); Dara Roche 0-2; Paudie Clifford 0-1 (45); Jack Sherwood 0-1; Philip Casey 0-1; Liam Kearney 0-1.
Dingle scorers: Paul Geaney 0-6 (0-5 frees); Tom O’Sullivan 1-1; Tom Sheehy 0-2; Mikey Geaney 0-2; Barry O’Sullivan 0-1; Michael Flannery 0-1.
East Kerry: Brendan Kealy, Darren Brosnan, Dan O’Donoghue, Shane Courtney, Sean O’Leary, Jack Sherwood, Philip Casey, Shane McSweeney, Kevin O’Gorman, Dara Moynihan, Paudie Clifford, Kevin McCarthy, Evan Cronin, David Clifford, Darragh Roche.
Subs: Liam Kearney for Brosnan; Chris O’Donoghue for Courtney; Ronan Buckley for K McCarthy (inj); Brian O’Donoghue for Cronin; Mike O’Donoghue for O’Gorman; Jeff O’Donoghue for Moynihan.
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