Power praises South Kerry leaders as Rathmore rues Moynihan loss
SOUTH Kerry selector Willie Power paid due credit to the leadership of several of his team’s players, in the absence of Kerry panellists Killian Young and Bryan Sheehan, the latter going off injured before half time.
“One aspect of being a divisional side is that when you have some of your players with the Kerry senior team during the year and you don’t see them too often, it’s important to build other leaders so that when you’re missing these guys everybody can turn into a leader and you’re also expecting one or two of them to turn up on the day,” Power said. “John Curran fetched a few great high balls, Brendan O’Sullivan as well. Conor O’Shea and Paul O’Donoghue stood up today, Daniel (Daly) ran a great amount of ball, and everybody really stood up when Bryan went off and it’s important to have those leaders.
“There were a lot of challenges throw at us so the first thing was that is was great to still be in the game at half time, level at seven points each. Coming out for the third quarter it was critical just to get a foothold in the game, and though we went behind first we dug back again and went into the lead.
“Rathmore had a couple of goal chances and we were lucky to resist that and then we suffered another blow with Paul (O’Sullivan) getting a second yellow card so we were down to fourteen men for the last seven or eight minutes. Again it was our subs and the guys that came on that really had the legs to hold the ball and get us over the line.
“After Paul Murphy’s two points slightly fancied in some quarters but South Kerry have proved themselves hardy championship perennials over the last number of years and that experience and hardness came to bear again.
The absence of Young with a season-ending groin problem deprived South Kerry of a quality defender that they just about got away with, but Sheehan’s loss from the boiler-room just before half-time looked, at the time, more calamitous. Sheehan had kicked South Kerry’s second score, moments after Graham O’Sullivan had given them the lead in the first minute, but in his absence Brendan O’Sullivan showed great leadership to sway the midfield battle the Southerners’ way.
South Kerry were leading 0-4 to 0-3 when Rathmore lost Moynihan to injury after 14 minutes, but a solid second quarter and points from Donal O’Sullivan, Mark Ryan and two Shane Ryan frees edged Rathmore 0-7 to 0-5 ahead with normal time up, although South Kerry dug out points from Wharton and Daly in additional time to square the scoreboard, 0-7 each, at the break.
George O’Keeffe’s second score put Rathmore back in front at the start of the second half but they really needed Brendan O’Keeffe to convert his goal chance a minute later instead of skewing his shot wide of the target. the lads made a couple of crucial tackles to break up the next two Rathmore attacks and that really turned the game. Another Rathmore score there would really have put us under the cosh but it was just inspirational stuff for our lads they way they dealt with that pressure and saw the game out.”
Rathmore manager Derek Moynihan bemoaned the early loss of John Moynihan through injury and some missed chances from his team.
“We’re gutted. We knew the opposition we were facing and that
It was 0-9 each after 43 minutes but crucially by the 50th minute South Kerry were ahead by four, Daly, Matthew O’Sullivan, Niall O’Shea and Daly again showing an accuracy that Rathmore missed at times. That was never more apparent when George O’Keeffe got a shot away on goal but Padraig O’Sullivan was alert to make the save, and it was those wasted chances that really cost the club side. Late scores from Shane Ryan and two from Paul Murphy kept Rathmore in the chase as South Kerry lost Niall O’Shea to a black card in the 53rd minute and Paul O’Sullivan to a double yellow in the 57th minute, but another championship campaign ends in acute disappointment for Rathmore as South Kerry move into the last four in that inimitable way of theirs.
They won’t have Killian Young back for the semi-final but they will have manager William Harmon present, while Sheehan’s involvement is in the balance subject to assessment on that leg injury. Either way they will be no pushover for Kerins O’Rahillys next Saturday week.
SOUTH KERRY: Padraig O’Sullivan, Brian Sugrue, Mark Griffin, Fionan Clifford, Paul O’Sullivan, John Curran, Robert Wharton (0-1), Bryan Sheehan (0-1), Brendan O’Sullivan (0-2), Conor O’Shea, Paul O’Donoghue (0-1f), Graham O’Sullivan (0-1), Ronan Hussey (0-2, 1f), Matthew O’Sullivan (0-2), Daniel Daly (0-4). Subs: they were going to be a stern test but we had huge belief in the group we had and that they would sneak across the line. In say that, huge congratulations to South Kerry, they just got important scores at important times, whereas we missed a couple of opportunities and you can’t forget the loss of John Moynihan. He was a huge player for us early on, and his input would have been hugely valuable for us.
“We felt we were a bit wasteful up top, we had left maybe twelve or thirteen turnovers in their half, Niall O’Shea (0-1) for B Sheehan (25, inj), Ian Galvin for R Hussey (45), Dilan O’Donoghue for J Curran (47), Oran Clifford for G O’Sullivan (51), Barry Dwyer for N O’Shea (53, b/c), Shane O’Connor for M O’Sullivan (59).
RATHMORE: Padraig McCarthy, Mike J Kelliher, Aidan O’Mahony, TJ Friel, Paul Murphy (0-2), Cathal Murphy (0-1), but at the same time we felt at half time that if we could improve on that and take our chances that we’d be there down the stretch. We just failed to get enough scores and that’s really it. When you come to this level and you give too many turnovers and kick too many wides you’ll be punished and South Kerry are a really good team. I think we needed a goal in the last quarter just to reignite us a bit and had we got that it would have lifted the lads hugely but unfortunately it just never came. Brendan O’Keeffe, Donal O’Sullivan (0-1), Conor O’Sullivan, Daniel O’Sullivan, Mark Ryan (0-1), George O’Keeffe (0-2), Eoin Lawlor, Shane Ryan (0-5f), John Moynihan. Subs: Brian Friel for Moynihan (14, inj), Dean Fitzgerald for B Friel (32), Brian O’Leary for Conor O’Sullivan, Mark Reen for Daniel O’Sullivan.
REFEREE: Paul Hayes (Kerins O’Rahillys)