Dr. Crokes vs Nemo Rangers

November 30th, 2010
by Weeshie Fogarty

As soon as both clubs had won their respective county championships it was always on the cards that they would face each other in the Munster Club final. Nemo Rangers probably the best club side in the thirty two counties as their record proves.  And the Kerry king pins Dr Crokes whose record in this competition while not as impressive as Nemo are always hightly competitive when attempting to win major honors.  It's going to be a cracker of a match.  Nemo's record in this competition is absolutely awesome. Cork senior football champions on eighteen occasions, Munster Club Champions fourteen times and then the ultimate honour, All Ireland champions seven times, the first in 1973 and the last in 2003. Crokes have won the Kerry County Championship on seven occasions, Munster three times and that historic All Ireland Club title in 1992.  The black and green of Nemo against the black and amber of Crokes will certainly bring the crowds flocking to the Limericks Gaelic Grounds.  The one pity for me is that the sides did not come to an agreement and toss for venue as this would have added greatly to the occasion irrespective who won home advantage.  Nemo operate from their club grounds at Trabeg South Douglas Road in Cork and a magnificent complex it is. They have close links with the nearby boy's secondary school, Colaiste Chriost Ri. Crokes like wise have a superb modern complex at Lewis Road and many of their greatest players have honed their skills at St Brendan's College Killarney. 

Nemo had a comfortable enough win in their semi-final against Stradbally. Their inter county star Paul Kerrigan being their top score with seven points, (four frees). William and Alan Morgan also chipped in with points. They play their own very distinctive traditional club style. Close continuous marking, short but very fast snappy passing with both hand and foot intermingled with fast ball into their forwards and they support each other from the back line right up to the full fordward line. This has always being their trade mark style of play and if they are allowed by Crokes to get as you would say "a run at you" then they will be very difficult to beat. They have that great tradition, and a cocky belief that it is their right to win this competition every year and one thing is certain, nerves will not affect these city men.  Crokes playing at home had a comfortable win against Monaleen in the first round however it was their semi-final extra times win over Aherlow which has been one of the main talking point of this championship so far. On a bitterly cold day under the imposing shadow of the Rock of Cashel the Killarney men had to call on every ounce of their great experience and football ability together with a good slice of Kerry luck to over come the Tipperary men in an absolutely cracker of a match.

The game was balanced on a knife edge all through right up to the end of normal time. Arahleow trained by Liam Kerins, a man with a vast amount of experience against Kerry sides had simply crowded out the Kerry men from the word go. They were bringing twelve and thirteen men behind the ball and refused to give the classy town men the necessary room in which to operate and chalk up the winning scores. It was actually that sheer physical effort that cost Aherlow, ultimately. Crokes are a running/passing/possession team, patient in the build-up, but they got no space from the Tipp men, no time on the ball, as every Aherlow player on the pitch ran himself to a standstill. Three points was all Crokes managed in the first half with Colm Cooper man-marked brilliantly by Tipp senior Ciarán McDonald, while full-forward Barry Grogan and midfielder Stuart Moloney each kicked two excellent points for Aherlow, contributing handsomely to that three-point half-time lead.

Three incidents in my opinion decided the result of this absorbing semi-final. In the first half the Arahleow corner fordward found himself one on one with Croke goalie Kieran Cremin but in the heat of the moment punched the ball to the net. Goal of course disallowed. Chance squandered. Then shortly after half time a speculative shot from Andrew Kennelly deceived the home goalkeeper and the ball finished up in the net. The sides were now level.  Aherlow stormed back and with minutes to go had forged two points ahead. Then came the third incident of this hightly eventful game. Barry Grogan the loser's outstanding full fordward was fouled at an angle twenty five meters from goal. He opted to kick from his hands and send it wide. As Harry o Neill the Crokes exemplary trainer remarked to me after the final whistle 'if that free had gone over we would have needed a goal to level the game and they would probably have closed us down and prevented us getting it".

In the darkening gloom that November evening the officials red flashing board signaled three minutes of injury time.  And it was now when two points down and defeat staring them in the face that we saw Crokes at their brilliant best for the first time.  No sign of panic, no desperate lashing the ball into the goal mouth.  Slow methodical build up, finding the man until the opportunity arose for a point. And it was cool hand Luke Quinn who popped up the kick two priceless points and send the game into extra time. Aherlow simple collapsed as the extra twenty minutes were added and the "Lake Side Boys" simply cantered to victory. I have constantly written here that this Crokes team is one of the most evenly balanced I have see in my time and this was again bourn out in this latest victory. One's prediction may well be clouded due to the fact that we have not seen Nemo Rangers in live action this year so how good are they?, I can only guess. However with Ambrose o Donovan and Kieran o Leary back to full fitness Harry o Neills hand has been greatly boosted. Both add strength and power and o Leary is a proven consistent scorer. It promises to be an absorbing final with the Kerry/ Cork rivalry simmering beneath the surface. Crokes have come through some greatly searching tests in East Kerry, Kerry and Munster. All of this will stand to them and irrespective of conditions I fully expect them to regain the Munster crown.

Fogra: Kerry football legend Maurice Fitzgerald travels to Dublin this Thursday to launch the hightly acclaimed DVD "Secrets of Kerry-A Captains Story" in Kerry owned o Shea's Pub The Merchant with a 6-30 pm start. The Kerry Association there are hosting the event so tell your friend about it.



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