St Marys looking for a rare four-in-a-row

SOUTH KERRY SFC FINAL

St Marys v Dromid Pearses

Sunday, December 17 Portmagee at 2pm

AN interesting South Kerry decider this Sunday in Portmagee as the highest ranked side in the County League from the District -St Marys - take on the side from the District who have had probably the most successful year up to now in Dromid Pearses. The latter might not have been preoccupied with the race for the Jack Murphy Cup in the last month (bar their first round win over St Michaels/Foilmore) but anyone who doubted whether they would have the ability to pick themselves up after the heart-breaking nature of their loss to Knocknagree in the Munster Junior Final got their answer last Sunday when they got the better of Waterville to reach a third South Kerry Final this decade.

Their manager Declan O’Sullivan acknowledged the nature of their win given what had happened the previous week in Mallow. “It’s not an easy thing to do either mentally or physically after a loss like that after extra-time. The one thing we had on Sunday was massive support from our supporters which I think gave the players a huge lift and it might not have been a bad thing that the game came around so soon after losing the Munster Final in terms of giving the players a chance to get the loss out of their system,” he said on the aftermath from the provincial decider.

While Dromid have had battles in three different spheres (county, provincial and local) since the October Bank Holiday Weekend, St Marys have been more confined to local matters in the meantime.

They did have to make sure of their Division 1 status with a relegation play-off win over Milltown/Castlemaine, a game they racked up 22 points in, and team mentor Kieran McCarthy says that having the game was no bad thing after.

“Being honest we weren’t ready for the Intermediate semi-final with An Ghaeltacht that time in September, we would have been better suited if Kerry reached the All-Ireland Final in that respect in allowing us more time to get a few players recovered from injuries. When we lost to them (An Ghaeltacht) in the County League and needed to have the playoff it did serve as a good bridge though as we needed something to keep us occupied with the South Kerry Championship going back late this year,” he said.

McCarthy has looked after the team this year alongside Jer and Cormac O’Shea along with Gerdie O’Sullivan as despite Dan Cosúir O’Sullivan and Ian Casey being long-term injuries, Niall O’Driscoll is the only concern for the defending - and four-in-a-row seeking - champions on Sunday.

Wins over Sneem/Derrynane and the side they defeated in last year’s decider, Skellig Rangers, brought St Marys to their sixth Final this decade with it being 10 years since they lost a South Kerry decider, that to St Michaels/Foilmore in 2007. Having been involved previously with Dromid, McCarthy knows what to expect in Portmagee on Sunday. “They are a very tenacious outfit and a very hard team to beat when they get the bit between their teeth. A lot of South Kerry Finals are only decided by a kick of the ball and you need to have a bit of luck to win them. There’s no great science to winning them for me, the attitude must be right on the day if you want to win.”

Whereas St Marys are bidding for title no.34 in South Kerry, Dromid are still to add to their sole success of 2004, something their manager feels isn’t as massive a disappointment as you might think.

“Ideally you would have loved to have won more since but you have to be realistic and look at the quality of the sides that have won them in Skellig Rangers, St Michaels/Foilmore and St Marys, all All-Ireland Club champions along the way to know how tough they are to win. We’re underdogs going into this against a very experienced and high class opposition bidding for four-in-a-row. As a management team we have been delighted with the attitude of the players and the performances they have put in and we hope that there is one more there from them on Sunday,” O’Sullivan hopes.

Dromid have lost three Finals since their only Jack Murphy Cup success, Valentia in 2005 and St Michaels/Foilmore in 2013 amongst them but perhaps their 2011 loss to St Marys on Christmas Eve that year was the hardest, Bryan Sheehan putting over a free at the death to win it for the Cahersiveen side. His prowess on that front could be decisive if it turns into a tight one in Portmagee, the venue where they defeated Waterville in 2015 on St Stephens Day.

While three-in-a-rows have been a common occurrence in South Kerry, one has to go back to 1941-44 when four consecutive successes was last done, appropriately enough by St Marys themselves. Dromid lurk with ominous intent but St Marys will be fancied to equal history come the final whistle.

Verdict: St Marys

While three in-arows have been common, one has to go back to 1944 for the last four in-a-row