Dr Crokes back on top

SO often October is the month when the rubber meets the road in domestic affairs here in the Kingdom.

The championship builds and reaches a crescendo (or two) and this year was no different with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final all played off over three successive weekends at the beginning of the month.

Given Kerry were out of the All Ireland championship in August that felt a little bit like indecent haste – especially with only a week between semi-finals and final – but it certainly made for an exciting couple of weeks.

In the quarter-finals there were wins for Dr Crokes over Kerins O’Rahillys, 1-16 to 0-14 in Austin Stack Park, Kenmare District over Austin Stacks, 0-15 to 0-12 in Fitzgerald Stadium, Dingle over reigning champions South Kerry, 0-12 to 0-11 in Austin Stack Park, and Rathmore over Mid Kerry 1-12 to 0-13.

All interesting and intriguing contests in their own right and delivering for the football aficionado in the county two semi-finals of rare quality with Dr Crokes facing off against a Dingle side on the up and Kenmare District facing off against a Rathmore side aiming to reach their first ever final.

The first game between Dingle and Dr Crokes was a nip and tuck affair with Dr Crokes winning 1-15 to 0-15 courtesy of an Eoin Brosnan goal at the beginning of the second half. Dingle had reason for regrets as they controlled the game for long stretches, but in the absence of Mark O’Connor, struggled to impose themselves on the scoreboard.

The second semi-final was a real cracker and the proverbial game of two halves. In the first half Kenmare District were absolutely sensational, but never opened out the kind of lead their dominance deserved and then in the second half Rathmore struck back with a vengeance only to fall short by the minimum 0-20 to 0-19 as Kenmare and Seán O’Sullivan, in particular, dug deep.

It set up what looked set to be a brilliant final, but aside from the opening maybe twenty minutes Dr Crokes never looked in any real danger. Kenmare probably needed the game’s first big moment to be theirs, instead Kieran O’Leary, as he so often does, delivered the goods with a simply sensational goal.

This was a game Crokes were hungry for, their was a hardness to what they did in the tackle and tactically they got it spot on, hitting Kenmare District hardest where they were thought to be strongest. To win Kenmare needed to be at their best and they were nowhere near it.

In their first game of their Munster campaign Dr Crokes saw off Kilmurry / Ibrickane in Quilty on a scoreline of 1-14 to 0-8 with Daithí Casey taking their goal from a penalty.

Kilcummin, meanwhile, maintained their senior status by seeing off Milltown / Castlemaine 1-15 to 0-15 in the relegation play-off in Castleisland.