McGrath Cup triumph for Kerry
News came through at the start of the month that Tralee man and Connacht star Ultan Dillane was in danger of missing the start of the Six Nations championship with an ankle injury that looked set to rule him out for up to five or six weeks. The Six Nations was due to kick off on February 4 and when the forty-man squad was announced later in the month the Connacht lock was included.
Marc Ó Sé’s appointment as joint-manager of the An Ghaeltacht senior footballers was confirmed this month. His former team mate Conall Ó Cruadhlaoich was the other half of the management team, while Dara Ó Cinnéide was on board as selector.
The Kerry District League unanimously recommitted to participating in the Airtricity Under 17 league for the 2017 season.
Gratham Shine was appointed as the manager of the Kerry senior ladies succeeding Alan O’Neill in the role. They got their National League campaign off to a somewhat rocky start just a couple of weeks later when they went down to Cork in Mallow on a 5-17 to 1-11 scoreline.
Castleisland’s Shane McLouglin was named in the Ipswich first team squad for their FA Cup tie against Lincoln Town.
Former Cork boss Brian Cuthbert linked up with new Austin Stacks manager Pat Flanagan when he took on a role with the management team of the Connolly Park outfit.
Kerry star Aidan O’Mahony called it quits this month following a distinguished career in the Green and Gold. The Rathmore man, who at the time was starring in the hit TV show, on RTÉ One, was described by Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice the “ultimate pro” and by Jack O’Connor as “fearless”. His career brought him five All Ireland titles, eight Munster titles and two All Stars.
“It’s been an absolute honour for me to wear the green and gold jersey for Kerry for the past fourteen years at senior level and I leave having great respect for all the talented players I have shared my footballing career with. “I am extremely grateful for all the support my team mates gave me down through the years and I have made friendships for life,” O’Mahony said in his farewell statement.
There were wins for St Brendans, Killarney (over Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne 2-18 to 0-9) and Tralee CBS (over IS Killorglin 2-10 to 1-10) in the Corn Uí Mhuirí quarter-finals and a defeat at the hands of Ennis side St Flannans College for Mercy Mounthawk on a 4-9 to 2-12 scoreline.
It was a disappointing start to the World Rally Championship season for Kerry-Tyrone duo Paul Nagle and Kris Meeke. At the world famous Monte Carlo rally the two struggled to come to grips with a tricky new Citreon C3 car. A number of incidents over the first three days of the event culminated with a road traffic accident between stages. The Irish pair were not a fault, but the damage was sufficient to rule them out of the final day’s action. A weekend to forget for a driving pairing and team who were considered championship contenders before the event.
Dr Crokes star Daithí Casey was honoured as the AIB Munster club footballer of the season.
There were mixed fortunes for the Kerry clubs in the All Ireland club championship semi-finals. Glenbeigh/ Glencar won a famous come from behind victory over Mayo outift Louisburgh (4-14 to 0-13), while Kenmare were left desperately disappointed to miss out on a place in the Croke Park showpiece after they were seen off by Lee Keegan’s Westport on a 1-10 to 0-11 scoreline. Lispole, meanwhile, were ruthlessly efficient in claiming the club’s first ever Munster title with victory over Cork outfit Ballyhooly in the Munster Junior B Championship final in Knockaderry on a 1-15 to 0-4 scoreline.
In the Munster Junior Cup round of thirty two Killarney Celtic were three-nil winners over Ringmahon Rangers. THE level of excitement didn’t comport with the time of year, the competition or even the stage of that said same competition.
Early January. The McGrath Cup. The first round. Austin Stack Park. None of it screamed a glamour tie despite the meeting of the Kingdom with, fellow All Ireland semi-finalists from 2016, Tipperary.
So what was it, what was different about this, what brought the crowd out on a desperately chilly January afternoon? The Kerry Under 21 team and Jack O’Connor that’s who.
With the Kingdom having won three All Ireland minor titles in succession the hopes and, indeed, the hype was massive about what they might do at Under 21 level in the 2017 campaign.
Having been given the chance to get an early competitive game under their belts in the first round of the McGrath Cup, O’Connor’s side laid down a marker in most impressive fashion.
They simply hammered Liam Kearns’ men on a scoreline of 3-11 to 1-3. Doing much to excite those who turned out to see them, but doing little to dampen the hype and expectation around the side.
Once Eamonn Fitzmaurice and the seniors resumed the reins the following week against the Rebels in Mallow the level of interest dimmed, but by the same token there was still much to enthuse about. Kerry’s four point victory – 1-13 to 1-9 – sent them to the final against Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds, but the younger players were again the main talking point. Some Under 21 players retained their places and impressed again, but Jack Savage was the one to really stand out with six points, five from play, on the forty.
It wasn’t all plain sailing in the final against Limerick. As a matter of fact the Treaty were probably a little disappointed not to have won the game in ordinary time. In extra-time, however, there was only ever going to be one winner and the Kingdom ran out 3-13 to 2-12 winners.
The McGrath Cup, then, was a hugely encouraging start to the sea-