County Championship

2008 County Final - Mid Kerry Vs Kerins O'Rahillys

November 25th, 2008
by Weeshie Fogarty

 Thanks be to God that I have been a neutral while attending these recent run of county championship games that we have witnessed in Fitzgerald Stadium during the past few weeks. It must have been simply agonizing for the followers of Kerins o Rahillys, Mid Kerry and South Kerry as they have been put through all sorts of drama, torment, magnificent scores, soft goals, pulsating nail biting finishes and eventually the life saving relief of the referees whistle. And last Sunday's magnificent contest between Kerins o Rahillys and Mid Kerry continued the drama we had been privileged to view during the drawn, re-play and extra time semi final when The "Narries" defeated South Kerry in that epic contest. First things first as the fellow said. Well done to all involved in the preparations of the two sides who served up that cracking draw last Sunday. It was a credit to one and all and let there be no doubt here but that everyone involved have done Kerry football and its legendary traditions proud. This aspect of the event is vitally important as the image of Kerry football has been slightly damaged in recent months due to some unsporting behavior from a few players. Definitely not the Kerry way.

Seven points down early in the second half last Sunday o Rahillys produced an extraordinary comeback to draw level with James Sheehan's men-before it all ended fair and square in near darkness in Fitzgerald Stadium. Once again we are blessed to take away some unforgettable moments from this extraordinary climax to the championship and none more unforgettable that David Moran's equalizing point for the Tralee side a minute into injury time. It was in my opinion one of the truly great scores which I have witnessed in over fifty years of watching county finals. I had the perfect view of the attempt as I was positioned in the press box directly behind the line of the kick. One meter in from the side line on the Michael o Conner terrace and about thirty meters out from the goal young Mr. Moran had number of players surrounding him and a point from here was it appeared simply out of the question. I say this because nobody else in the crowd of near seven thousand and this I would guess includes his legendary father Ogie could possible envisage a score coming from where David stood. His manager Jack o Conner probably summed up the point best of all when he said following the game. "It was an outrageous point. Unbelievable. Over the shoulder stuff". Now the sides were level, it was nail biting, and the attendance were on the edge of their seats but there was yet one more act to bring this dramatic final to a conclusion. A Kerins o Rahillys defender was whistled for holding on to the ball too long and the referee pointed for a free in. This was the one and only time in the game to my knowledge that a player had been penalized for such an infringement and it appeared very harsh indeed. A few yards in from the side line and about forty yards out from the goal it was scoreable and a wonderful opportunity for Mid Kerry to capture their first title since 1992. Darren o Sullivan was on the ground injured and receiving attention.  Garry Sayers had the ball in hand and appeared to be lining up for the kick. Darren was now back on his feet and took over the mantel of free kicker. His attempt was well off the mark and went badly wide. Was it a mistake to allow a player just recovering from injury attempt such an important free? I believe it was. Sean o Sullivan would probably have gone much closed to raising the white flag. However justice was done in my opinion.

Jack o Conner's men looked jaded in the opening half and what else could you expect. Six games in seven weeks would take a toll on even professional players while Mid Kerry were fresh, eager, sharp, first to the breaking ball and holding their own around the middle of the field. Mike Burke and Donncha Walsh were winning a lot of possession there while Aidan o Shea at full back was getting the better of Tommy Walsh. Jacko's son will surely get a run in the league in this position. Then in the 13th and 26th minutes we saw two magnificent punched goals from Mid Kerrys corner forward Kieran Foley. The first came when, with his back to goal he flicked Donncha Walsh's cross low into the corner of the Tralee net and the second a near repeat of the first as he once again fisted Sean o Sullivans centre well out of reach of o Rahillys goalkeeper Garry Kissane. Here were two flashes of sheer brilliance that we have not seen since the days of the late Garry McMahon. Garry was the master of the punched goal and raised more green flags from this highly technical skill than any man who wore the green and gold before or since.

It appeared as if James Sheehan's side were on the road to victory as they led 2-6 to 0-5 eight minutes into the second half. Then came the moment which in hindsight probably decided the out come of this eventual draw. Michael Quirks free from mid field dropped under the Mid Kerry cross bar. Goalkeeper Mike Moriarty who has been rock solid throughout this championship rose to field the ball, it slipped from his grasp and Tommy Walsh was on hand to finish to the net. The highly experienced Morgan o Shea was now curtailing Kieran Foley, David Moran never allowed Darren o Sullivan to get near goals and wing back Brendan Quill was superb as the "Narries" seemed to cast aside all feelings of tiredness and fatigue. That goal was the tonic they neded. The gifted Barry John Walsh added another goal when David Moran's attempt was saved and we were then treated to that gripping, pulsating final minutes as described.

It was a just and wise decision to give both sides a two week break before they re-new rivalry. The upper hand now appears to be with Kerins o Rahillys. They will have learned lots from the game in relation to the Mid Kerry method of play while the break will revive them mentally and physically. Jack o Conner has done wonders with the men in blue and his shrewd changes and substitutions in the course of the hour bore all the hall marks of an All Ireland winning manager. On the other hand I believe the game will bring on Mid Kerry greatly. It has been worth ten training sessions for James Sheehan and it's a well known and proven fact that for divisional sides in particular games are the life blood of success. Will the loss of a seven point lead affect the mind set of the Mid Kerry men as they ponder on the lost lead? Well they might do well to remember this. In 1965 with just five minutes remaining in the county final East Kerry led Mid Kerry by seven points. 4-5 to 0-10. Sensationally Mid Kerry scored 2-1 to bring the game to a replay. The loss of that huge lead did not affect East Kerry as the turned on a terrific display to capture the title a week later. I remember it well as I was the person with the humiliating task of retrieving the ball from the back of the net following those two late, late goals.  Hopefully the elements will be kind for the second meeting on Sunday week as we look fordward with great anticipation to another cracker. A great result for neutrals and could it be a blessing in disguise for the o Rahillys and Kerry as those two young stars Tommy Walsh and David Moran will now have to postpone their trip to Australia for their Australian rules trial. One way or another we wish them well. 

Fogra: How proud Kerins o Rahillys late great chairman Pat Healy would have been of his beloved boys in blues this year. That exemplary person gave his life's work for moments such as we have witnessed  these passed weeks and I have no doubt that the players are well reminded of this as the continue to follow their championship dream. And our deepest sympathies to Mid Kerrys great player Alfie Giles and his family on their recent bereavement. Victory and defeat in sporting contests are really irreverent when put in context in relation to the death of a loved one.

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