County Championship

Club affair will really whet appetite

October 5th, 2010
by Weeshie Fogarty

No shortage of great sport over the weekend. Ryder Cup action, Man U drawing with Sunderland and three hightly entertaining Kerry County Championship games kept the sports junkies smiling and happy It all began for me on Saturday evening  as I saw the two regulation threatened Killarney sides produce a cracking county championship game. Both Spa and The Legion went at it hammer and thongs and in what was a superb free flowing match a draw , fourteen points each was a fair result and both sides certainly deserved another crack of the whip. Any game in which you see twenty eight points kicked can be something special and the townies excelled in the first half leading at the short whistle 0-10 to 0- 7 with midfielder Tim Regan playing a blinder. Spa must have got a good "down the banks" from their manager Sean Moynihan at half time because they they came out with all guns blazing for the restart and kicked five great points on the trot to go ahead 0-11 to 0-10. They stretched this to a three point lead with ten minutes to go but The Legion driven on by Mike o Sullivan, Jonathan Lyne, Sean Hegarty, Padraig Lucy, Sean McCarthy, Podge o Connor, Kieran Slattery and Chris Davis refused to show the white flag and when a Spa defender hopped the ball twice to foul young David Sullivan held his nerve pointed the free to ensure another day out in the Stadium.

Spa's great experience and physical strength gained from their memorable voyage to Croke Park last March was vital in that second half as Damian O Sullivan, Paul Russell, Kevin Healy, Niall o Mahoney Cormac Cronin, Pa Murphy and Kevin Regan led that great fight back. I believe a draw is a perfect result for both clubs as they will learn lot and improve greatly from the experience. This contest was far better than many of the previous Championship games I saw earlier in the campaign.  Of course I have no problems at being called a bit biased when my own club is in action. That is human nature. I played my first senior county championship game for the green and white in Caherceiveen against that great South Kerry side in August 1959. The late Kerry great Donie Murphy fronted me at full back that day. So as you might say "blood is thicker than water". Referee Paul Hayes had a very good game. Not one of these basketball style referee who whistle so often and flash cards for innocuous fouls.  Delay the whistle that split second and give the advantage, let then play flow. There is after all an advantage rule in GAA.

Tradition and greater experience played a huge part in helping Austin Stacks over the line in a very entertaining semi-final with Dingle. It was all new ground for the West Kerry men, they should learn a lot from their voyage to the closing stages of the championship.  Stack had a better all round scoring power and Dingle were relying on Dahi and Paul Geaney too much. Two fine players they produce all but one point between them. Dingle have some great under age players coming through, they will be a force in the future I am utterly convinced.   Stacks on the other hand had five scorers on the board and their line up the middle, so vital, of David Leonard, Daniel Bohane, William Kirby, Barry Shannahan, T. J. Hogan and Kieran Donaghy was superb. However it was two superb goals form Dara Long, both in the second half that send The Rock on their winning way. A scintillating run up the middle of the Stadium and a cracking finish high to the roof of Diarmuid Murphy's net was spectacular stuff. Then shortly after this he waltzed his way in from the end line to shoot low to the corner from a near impossible angle. However I still believe they are not attempting to get more balls into Kieran Donaghy. He should be used more.

So it's an all club final and Crokes despite making things difficult for them selves were well deserved winners over champions South Kerry. Those two early goals for the town side were decisive and with a massive half time lead of thirteen points it looked all over for South Kerry. Fair play to them they staged a remarkable recovery and if they had taken their chances early in that second half it might have led to one of the greatest fight backs since John Mitchels came back from the same deficit against South Kerry to draw back in the early sixties, also in Killarney. After losing two county finals to South Kerry Crokes turned in that superb first half performance which guaranteed them victory. Brian Looney, Johnny Buckley, Ambrose o Donovan, Eoin Brosnan and as always Colm Cooper led by sheer example. And it was in those last closing minutes when the gap had been whittled down to three points that Cooper took over and literally ran the whole closing stages of the game on his own. Gaining possession continuously he brought his team mates into play with a series of pin point passes and near perfect kicking while at times he held the ball and like the conductor in an orchestra directed his men over the line to victory.  South Kerry were really playing for pride in that second half and for those hundreds present in July like conditions the sight of Brian Sheehan pointing those two massive frees from close to 70 yard range will remain forever etched in the memory. There were the two finest frees I have ever seen kicked in Fitzgerald and I saw my first there in the Munster final of 1955. It was stunning stuff by the St Mary's Caherceiveen man.  As always a number of controversial referring incidents. South Kerry will feel well aggrieved at the early penalty. The decision was given for something the referee believed he saw from far out the field. Right or wrong I have never before seen a penalty given for an incident such as this.  Did the umpires see it and why were they not consulted. Then in the first game there was a Stacks goal disallowed. From my position I saw Dingle mid fielder Colm o Muircheartaigh field high in his own square. He fell heavily released the ball and a Stacks fordward hammered it to the net. Goal disallowed.  Did anyone touch him? Not in my opinion.

Fogra; As the hurling county final is on next Sunday lets recall some great hurling names from the past. 1953 Kerry Junior Hurlers Beat Clare, lost to Cork 3-10/2-4
Jer Buckley (O Neills), Jim Furlong (Listowel), J J o Connell (Ballyduff), John Lynch (Ardfert), Michael Hennessey (Ballyduff), Jackie Power (Austin Stacks), Jimmy Walker (O Dorney), Denis Rice(do), Frank Kissane (Ardfert),  Richie McElligott (Lixnaw),,Thomasin Nolan (o Neills), Pat J Brosnan (o Dorney), Nicklaus Scollard(o Dorney), Jim Tobin (Killarney), Richie Purcell Kilgarvan),
Subs; Sean Vesey (Kenmare
Billy Enright (Austin Stacks), John o Connell (o Neills), Paudie Healy Kilgarvan), Jimmy o Connell (Lixnaw).



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