Kerry Senior Football Championship final:
Dr Crokes 3-8 Dingle 0-11
Pat O’Shea’s already rock solid reputation as one of the most astute GAA coaches in the country was further enhanced at Austin Stack Park in Tralee this Sunday when he masterminded a stunning second half comeback that blasted Dingle away in an intriguing Kerry SFC final.
Padraig Corcoran’s side certainly looked the more likely at half-time after almost completely bossing the opening 30 minutes but the fact that, for all that dominance, there were just two points between the sides at the break, 0-6 to 0-4, gave O’Shea and co reassurance that there was no need to reach for the panic button.
As it transpired, it was Dingle that had cause to fret soon after the resumption when, incredibly, slick Crokes pounced for three goals in seven minutes to ensure staff in the Tatler Jack were uncorking the bubbly to fill the Bishop Moynihan Cup a little later on tonight.
Dingle’s Dylan Geaney was the standout player in the opening half with three points from play – one a glorious effort from distance – and Crokes’ eyebrows in the stands and on the terraces were raised right on the restart when the alert Geaney booted over his fourth, with Dingle still three ahead after 42 minutes.
With Tony Brosnan closely and very effectively marked by Tom O’Sullivan – hard to believe that the Kerry forward didn’t score on the day – Gavin White became the surprise main scoring threat for Crokes in that first half and he contributed two excellent points to keep them in touch.
White’s opportunism aside, Crokes struggled to make any real mark on proceedings in that first half and they found themselves pinned back in defence for long passages as Geaney, his cousin Paul, Tom Leo O’Sullivan and Billy O’Connor all excelled.
But with Mark O’Shea and substitute Michael Potts coming into their own around the middle in the second half, and Fionn Fitzgerald, Evan Looney and John Payne finding more room to prompt and support the attack, the game changed completely in just seven minutes.
A genius pass from Gavin O’Shea set up David Shaw for the first of the three goals after 43 minutes and the industrious and hardworking full forward made no mistake when the chance was presented to him.
Cian McMahon created the space for veteran Kieran O’Leary – who changed the pattern of the game on his introduction – to bundle the ball to the Dingle net three minutes later with Tom Leo O’Sullivan just failing to prevent the ball from crossing the line and, saving the best until last, corner back Evan Looney dribbled through the Dingle defence before giving goalkeeper Gavin Curran no chance for a stunning third Crokes’ goal.
Kerry boss Jack O’Connor was observing proceedings from his usual spot in the back row the stand and, no doubt, the name of Evan Looney will be to the fore when he is contemplating assembling his squad for the new season in just over a month’s time.
Appropriately, perhaps, given the time of the year, Dingle never gave up the ghost and battled on until the last shrill of Brendan Griffin’s whistle but, in true Crokes’ tradition, the crafty Killarney side are virtually impossible to haul back in once they have taken a lead.
Late points from Kieran O’Leary and a flurry from Micheál Burns eased them to a six-points win and a record 14th Kerry senior football championship titlet o add to the club championship and county league silverware already on show in the Lewis Road clubhouse.
After a magnificent season on the domestic front, Pat O’Shea, the man with the Midas touch, will now divert his thoughts to the Munster Club Championship where the winners of the Cork SFC, Castlehaven, will provide the initial opposition.
Dr Crokes scorers: Dr Crokes: Kieran O’Leary 1-1; David Shaw 1-1, Micheál Burns 0-4 (0-1 free); Evan Looney 1-0; Gavin White 0-2.
Dingle scorers: Dylan Geaney 0-5; Paul Geaney 0-2 (0-1 free); Tom O’Sullivan 0-1; Barry Dan O’Sullivan 0-1; Colm Bambury 0-1; Conor Geaney 0-1.
Dr Crokes: S Murphy, E Looney, F Fitzgerald, J Payne, M Lynch, G White, B Looney, M O’Shea, C Keating, M Burns, G O’Shea, T Doyle, T Brosnan, D Shaw, C McMahon.
Subs: K O’Leary for Doyle; M Potts for Keating; D Naughton (capt) for Lynch; D Casey for McMahon.
Dingle: G Curran, C Flannery, C O’Sullivan, T O’Sullivan, Brian O’Connor, D O’Sullivan, T Leo O’Sullivan, B O’Sullivan, Billy O’Connor, C Bambury, M Flaherty, N Geaney, D Geaney, P Geaney, T De Brún.
Subs: M Flannery for O’Sullivan; C Geaney for O’Sullivan; M Geaney for De Brún; S Óg Moran for Billy O’Connor; E Hoare for Brian O’Connor.
Referee: B Griffin (Clounmacon).
