RIENING KERRY COUNTY senior football champions, East Kerry, will play Dingle in one of next weekend’s championship semi-finals, with Dr Crokes to take on St Brendans in the other.
East Kerry, Dingle, Dr Crokes and St Brendans all came through their championship quarter-finals on Sunday, with varying degrees of ease or difficulty, but the consequence is two intriguing semi-finals with two clubs and two divisional teams left in the race for the Bishop Moynihan Cup.
Champions East Kerry had just two points to spare over a doughty St Kierans team in Austin Stack Park in Tralee, with David Clifford scoring six points and half-time substitute, Finbarr Murphy, adding five points in their 1-14 to 1-12 win.
A goal from East Kerry defender Paud O’Leary in the 22nd minute was answered in kind two minutes later by St Kieran’s full back Brian Leonard as the teams were level, 1-6 apiece, at half time.
Legion club man Murphy kicked three points early in the second half for the champions, but St Kieran’s, with Paul Walsh in fine form in attack, worked extremely hard to keep in touch and keep East Kerry in sight.
St Kieran’s lost inside forward Cathal Brosnan to a black card in the 42nd minute, and East Kerry managed to hold on for a just about deserved, if unconvincing two-point win.
Dingle had it somewhat easier in their quarter-final against Templenoe, with Paul Geaney scoring 1-7 in his team’s 1-16 to 0-9 win in Fitzgerald Stadium.
With Killian Spillane to the fore for Templenoe (he finished with 0-6), it took Dingle much of the first half to get to grips with a sprightly opponent, and four late points gave Dingle a 0-8 to 0-7 half time lead.
The West Kerry club was much more assured and direct after the break, and they moved 0-11 to 0-7 ahead as Templenoe’s scoring dried up.
Paul Geaney scored the game’s only goal in the 42nd minute, and with Kerry defender Tom O’Sullivan making a long-awaited return from injury, Dingle eased out to a solid 10-point win.
Dr Crokes were five-point winners, 1-17 to 2-9, over Rathmore in an East Kerry derby in Fitzgerald Stadium.
Rathmore took an early 1-2 to 0-3 lead thanks to Ciaran Collins’ goal, but Dr Crokes replied with an unanswered 1-5 – the goal from the penalty spot from Tony Brosnan – to lead 1-8 to 1-2 at half time.
Points from Brosnan (2) and Cian McMahon stretched Crokes’ lead further, and Rathmore’s next score came after a 20-minute barren stretch.
Kerry goalkeeper Shane Ryan was dominant for Rathmore, who scored a goal from Darragh Nagle in added-on time, but Dr Crokes were comfortably through to the penultimate stage by then.
The fourth quarter-final, played in Beaufort, saw the St Brendans district team – with the Tralee trio of Austin Stacks, Kerins O’Rahillys and John Mitchels among their clubs this year – grind out a 0-16 to 0-14 win over a Sean O’Shea-inspired Kenmare Shamrocks.
Kenmare settled quicker but St Brendans soon built up a head of scoring steam and reeled off six points without reply.
Jack Savage added two more for St Brendans with O’Shea and James McCarthy finding the target for Kenmare who trailed 0-11 to 0-6 at half time.
Former Kerry team mates Stephen O’Brien and Savage exchanged points, but Kenmare then had midfielder Kevin O’Sullivan dismissed on a red card, and their task became even harder for the final quarter of the contest.
Sean O’Shea continued to drag his side through the contest, kicking another couple of scores, but St Brendans were equal to the task, with Savage and Paddy Lane raising flags to keep them ahead.
O’Shea finished with ten points (four from play) but St Brendan had scores from eight players – twice as many as Kenmare had – with O’Rahillys club mates Savage and Barry John Keane contributing 0-9 between them.
Kerry SFC semi-finals
- East Kerry v Dingle
- Dr Crokes v St Brendan’s
(games to be played on weekend of October 12/13)