In 2017 district finals
the final whistle.
The 2018 staging will bring with it talk of St Marys replicating something that has only been done back in 1940-44 and that is a five-in-a-row.
There might be a phobia about them in the Kingdom with memories of 1982 and that but at local district level they are a bit more common place for town sides like Dr Crokes in East Kerry and Laune Rangers in Mid Kerry while rural clubs like Beaufort (Mid Kerry) and Lispole (who did six out West in the eighties) have managed to do five consecutive titles at district level also.
It will be a massive carrot for them but also huge motivation for the other South Kerry clubs to try and change the balance of power.
With Bryan Sheehan back though St Marys have their trump card and while they will have a lot of football to get through in the meantime before local matters are decided next year, expect them to put in a ferocious effort to repeat history once more in 2018. ANOTHER tough loss for Dromid Pearses less than two weeks after their agonising extra-time loss to Knocknagree in the Munster Junior Final and their manager Declan O’Sullivan voiced his frustration at the free that led to St Marys final score in proceedings.
“I personally don’t think South Kerry Championships should be decided on decisions like that and a draw would have been a fair result. I want to congratulate St Marys on their win though and the players for who this is their 10th or 11th medal in some cases. They are a great side and they have that threat from Bryan (Sheehan) from frees about 10 or 15 yards longer than others could put over and although I thought we tackled very well they just seemed to get those frees when they needed them,” the Dromid Pearses boss said.
When asked about Thomas Curran’s free coming off the post as well as the effect of the sending off, O’Sullivan felt they didn’t have as big a bearing on the game as others might have thought.
“In a game of over 65 or 70 minutes I don’t think you can say it turned on any one chance because both sides had plenty of them over the course of the game. I don’t think sendings off have that huge a factor in a running game like that today because there normally is a mass of bodies in front of players. I wouldn’t say St Marys up it at any stage either because for me they kept plugging away all throughout the game and just managed to get the frees they needed to give them that bit of daylight.”
“I’m very disappointed for the players, a lot of whom are still trying to win their first South Kerry medal.”