Mid Kerry 0-15

Feale Rangers 0-9

MID KERRY BOOKED their place in the Kerry SFC final – in what will be their second appearance there in three years – with a six-point win over Feale Rangers that was much more comfortable than the final score might suggest.

From as early as the 10^th minute, when Mid Kerry led Feale Rangers by five points, there was a sense of inevitability about the result, notwithstanding that Mid Kerry were playing with a strong wind.

Rangers have shown themselves over the course of the championship to be a gutsy team, one that knocked out the champions, Austin Stacks, after an extra-time battle the previous weekend, and they battled bravely to an inevitable end here that was flagged from a long way out.

By half time there was no question about the outcome. Mid Kerry took a nine-point lead to the interval, playing the better football and dominating almost every area of the play, with the Breens, Nathan and Mike, excellent at the heart of the defence, and Eanna O’Connor and Liam Carey pulling the strings in attack.

Feale Rangers did win the second half, by seven points to four, and the divisional team from North Kerry can certainly reflect on that half – and their championship campaign as a whole – with much positivity.

Mid Kerry's Eoin Clifford with Cillian Trant of Feale Rangers. Evan Treacy / INPHO Evan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

Though quite how much Mid Kerry eased off in that second half is another matter, mindful, no doubt, of a county final against either East Kerry (which would be a repeat of the 2020 final) or Dingle, which would be a novel pairing for a county final.

Mid Kerry set the terms of engagement early and with some authority. Carey kicked two points in the third minute before O’Connor and Fiachra Clifford doubled their lead before Feale Rangers even got their first shot at Sean Coffey’s goal.

Carey made it 0-5 to no score before Martin Stack converted a free for Rangers, and David Keane got their only score from play in the first half, as Mike Breen, Jack O’Connor, Eanna O’Connor (2), Keith Evans and Darren Houlihan all found the target to sent Mid Kerry to the break 0-11 to 0-2 ahead.

Mid Kerry's Fiachra Clifford with Ger McCarthy of Feale Rangers. Evan Treacy / INPHO Evan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

Feale Rangers really needed a lightning start and a goal but neither materialised. Jack O’Connor converted an early free for Mid Kerry, and though Rangers worked their way into the contest, and were never anything but competitive, they lacked that real incisiveness to trouble a really disciplined Mid Kerry defence.

Mid Kerry opened up a 12-point lead, 0-15 to 0-3, before easing off on the throttle, with Feale Rangers substitute Eamonn O’Flaherty scoring two points and Barry Mahony hitting three fine scores to add plenty of respectability to the final score, though Mid Kerry’s ticket to the final was long franked by that stage.

Scorers for Mid Kerry: E O’Connor 0-5 (3f), L Carey 0-3, J O’Connor 0-3 (2f), M Breen 0-1, D Houlihan 0-1, F Clifford 0-1, K Evans 0-1

Scorers for Feale Rangers: B Mahony 0-3, M Stack 0-3 (2f, 1m), E O’Flaherty 0-2, D Keane 0-1

MID KERRY

Sean Coffey (Beaufort)

Pa Kilkenny (Glenbeigh/Glencar), Pa Wrenn (Milltown/Castlemaine), David Mangan (Laune Rangers)

Eoin Clifford (Laune Rangers), Mike Breen (Beaufort), Nathan Breen (Beaufort)

Colin McGillicuddy (Glenbeigh/Glencar), Darren Houlihan (Cromane)

Fiachra Clifford (Laune Rangers), Eanna O’Connor (Milltown/Castlemaine), Keith Evans (Keel)

Kieran Dennehy (Beaufort), Liam Carey (Beaufort), Jack O’Connor (Beaufort)

Substitutes:

David Roche (Milltown/Castlemaine) for K Dennehy (38), 

Jack Brosnan (Glenbeigh/Glencar) for P Wrenn (42), 

Ronan Murphy (Beaufort) for McGillicuddy (47), 

Ciarán Kennedy (Beaufort) for D Houlihan (51),

Gavan Horan (Milltown/Castlemaine) for L Carey (61).

FEALE RANGERS

Cathal Keane (Listowel Emmets)

Donnacha Maher (Duagh), Eddie Browne (Listowel Emmets), Aaron O’Connor (Duagh)

Conor O’Keeffe (Finuge), Ger McCarthy (Listowel Emmets), Niall Collins (Listowel Emmets)

Bryan Sweeney (Listowel Emmets), Cillian Trant (St Senan’s)

Thomas Scanlon (Duagh), Barry Mahony (St Senan’s), Shane Stack (Moyvane)

David Keane (Listowel Emmets), Martin Stack (Moyvane), Rory Mahony (St Senan’s)

Substitutes:

Seanan O Caoimh (Duagh) for T Scanlon (39),

Eamonn O’Flaherty (Moyvane) for S Stack (39),

Nigel O’Connor (Duagh) for D Keane (45), 

Jamie McVeigh (Listowel Emmets) for R Mahony (45), 

Darragh Lynch (Listowel Emmets) for M Stack (49).

Referee: Donal Casey (Scartaglin) 

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