St Marys’ will to win proves decisive as Dromid miss out again
SOUTH KERRY SFC FINAL
St Marys 0-13 Dromid Pearses 1-9
HISTORY repeated for St Marys in Portmagee last Sunday as they won their fourth consecutive South Kerry SFC title to match a club record going back to 1944, and in doing so they denied Munster Junior Club runners-up Dromid Pearses some local solace after a hard fought battle at the home of Skellig Rangers.
Dromid looked like pushing on for the win at the three-quarter mark but despite the loss of Conor Quirke in the first half to a combination of a yellow and black card, St Marys regrouped for the win to keep the Jack Murphy Cup firmly housed in Cahersiveen.
A dour first half, not aided by difficult playing conditions, gave way to a much more exciting spectacle in the second half as Dromid looked to have real belief when Chris Farley converted a penalty five minutes after the restart.
The game had to wait nine minutes for its first score, Adam Quirke the scorer for St Marys and although Thomas Curran responded for the Kerry Premier Junior
THE GAME IN 60 SECONDS
MAIN MAN
WHILE Denis Daly appeared to catch a lot of eyes last Sunday, the official gong went to centreback Darragh O’Sullivan. Not that O’Sullivan didn’t deserve recognition for his efforts last Sunday but Daly appeared to do more to influence the game in St Marys’ favour not least in scoring three points.
KEY MOMENT
NO guarantee that they would have won but if Thomas Curran’s 48th minute free had gone over as opposed to coming off the post, Dromid arguably could have gained huge belief about seeing out a momentous win with a three point lead going into the final 10 minutes.
TALKING POINT
CONTRASTING views about referee Brendan Griffin’s performance. By and large he seemed to get most of the decisions right and Dromid were playing with fire somewhat for the free that was given against them leading to St Marys’ final score from Sean Cournane.
champions two minutes later when Denis Daly put the defending champions 0-3 to 0-1 ahead after 16 minutes they appeared to be in a nice, early position. Dromid upped their own tempo though and the game looked to take a turn in their favour in the 22nd minute when a committed challenge from Conor Quirke on Graham O’Sullivan led to a black card with an earlier yellow meaning a numerical disadvantage for St Marys.
Curran seized on it levelling the scores up from the next play and although a free from Bryan Sheehan had St Marys in front at half-time, 0-4 to 0-3, a big moment of worry for their goalkeeper Austin Constable had to be overcome before the short whistle.
St Marys looked to be back in control after the break when Denis Daly gave them a double score lead with the opening second-half points but Dromid’s first two second half scores tilted the balance back their way. Dylan Donohoe scored a point before Niall Ó Sé was fouled bearing down on goal in the decision that led to the penalty.
Farley’s spotkick gave Dromid the lead for the first time in proceedings and when both Ó Sé and himself slotted over points to put Dromid 1-6 to 0-7 in front after 45 minutes, Marys’ dominance of their local district looked under serious threat.
In the 48th minute came arguably a big turning point. Niall Ó Sé was fouled despite the ball subsequently going over the bar following the whistle meaning a free for Dromid. Thomas Curran’s effort came back off the post and while they weren’t instantly punished, St Marys seemed to get a lift from it in retaking control of proceedings.
Daniel Daly started to become prominent in play and put over two points alongside a free from Sheehan as St Marys went ahead on the scoreboard again with eight minutes left. Sheehan put over a subsequent effort from 55 metres and a further effort in the 58th minute to give them a three point lead at 0-12 to 1-6 that meant Dromid were chasing matters until the conclusion.
Ó Sé scored for Dromid as the game entered three allotted minutes of additional time as Donohoe left the game with only the bare minimum between the sides as but Dromid were punished for picking the ball of the ground in the view of the referee in Sean Cournane putting over the insurance score for St Marys. Kevin O’Leary blasted over a consolation for Dromid but there was to be no further time for an equaliser as St Marys savoured a hard earned 34th title.
The result was a bit cruel on Dromid after their forays through Munster as their wait to add to their solitary 2004 success continues but the spoils are St Marys once more as they have bridged a gap of 73 years to the last four-in-a-row down south.
Austin Constable picked up his eleventh South Kerry SFC medal while Bryan Sheehan and Niall O’Driscoll move to double figures with 10. Indeed with Sheehan’s inter-county retirement, the immediate future looks promising for the club in becoming a mainstay in the county at large.
ST MARYS: Austin Constable; Killian Nolan, Brian Curran, Conor Quirke; Conor O’Shea, Darragh O’Sullivan, Denis Daly (0-3); Brian Sheehan (0-6, 5f), Jack Daly; Anthony Cournane, Adam Quirke (0-1), Paul O’Donoghue; Oisín Moran, Sean Cournane (01, 1f), Daniel Daly (0-2). Subs: Niall O’Driscoll for Anthony Cournane, Darren Casey for Jack Daly, Patrick Cournane for Adam Quirke (black card), Ronan O’Shea for Sean Cournane.
DROMID PEARSES: Brian O’Leary; Cian O Sé, Dominic O’Sullivan, Shane O’Connor; Denis S O’Sullivan, Graham O’Sullivan, Padraig J O’Sullivan; Kevin O’Leary (0-1), Aidan O’Sullivan, Gearóid O’Sullivan, Chris Farley (1-1), Kevin Sheehan; Dylan Donohoe (0-2), Thomas Curran (0-3, 2f), Niall Ó Sé (0-2, 1f). Subs: Keelan Farley for Gearóid O’Sullivan, Padraig Sheehan for Denis S O’Sullivan, Eoin O’Leary for Dominic O’Sullivan.
REFEREE: Brendan Griffin (Clounmacon)