Sheehan points way for South win

COUNTY SFC ROUND 1

South Kerry 1-14 Kenmare 0-13

PLENTY to ponder beyond the expected result in Cahersiveen after South Kerry came away with an instructive four-point win over a Kenmare Shamrocks side that can’t be too despondent with their result and that can take plenty of positives in their Round 2B game in a couple of weeks. In the end it was South Kerry’s collective will that got them over the winning line, thanks in the main to Bryan Sheehan’s near flawless free taking as well as Niall O’Shea’s 35th minute goal that came from a Kenmare defensive mistake.

As might be expected it was the club team that settled earliest and Kenmare - who were without the listed Paul O’Connor - really got in among South Kerry and made life really hard for the home side, which was playing its first competitive game since last year’s county final defeat. With a great energy running through the Kenmare team early scores from centre back Dara O’Shea and midfielder Kevin O’Sullivan got the visitors into an early lead, before the home side struck their first score from wing back Graham O’Sullivan.

Stephen O’Brien was causing some trouble for Paul O’Sullivan in the corner of the Kenmare attack and after he won a free that Sean O’Shea converted, the county man then scored a great point to put Kenmare into a 0-6 to 0-3 lead after 18 minutes.

Denis Daly and Sheehan (free) cut the deficit to a point but another Sean O’Shea free followed by a fine Shane O’Sullivan score from distance restored Kenmare’s three-point lead by the 26th minute as Kenmare continued to probe and work the South Kerry defence to the bone.

In general play Sean O’Shea was subdued enough, with Graham O’Sullivan keeping close tabs on him, and O’Connor’s absence robbed Shamrocks of another badly needed outlet in the attack.

A Sheehan free made it 0-8 to 0-6 and then Niall O’Shea seemed to have a legitimate enough claim for a penalty when he slipped inside the Kenmare defence but went to ground as he tried to round the goalkeeper Ray O’Shea who certainly made some contact on the Dromid player as he fell and was dispossessed.

Moments later Stephen O’Brien played David Hallissey through on goal and he settled for a point when he might have tested Padraig O’Sullivan with a low shot, while Sean O’Sheas’s fourth converted free left Kenmare leading 0-10 to 0-6 at the interval.

With Paul O’Sullivan living dangerously on a yellow card after he took down O’Brien, South Kerry moved Killian Young back on his Kerry colleague and the Renard man certainly curtailed the Kenmare’s man influence. He was helped by the fact that Sheehan and Padriag King were now beginning to dominate around the middle for South Kerry with Graham O’Sullivan pressing forward from the half back line, and Daly and Niall O’Shea demanding more ball in the attack.

Mark Griffin, who initiated a lot of South Kerry moves from deep in the defence, was black carded early in the second half, but even so Niall O’Shea point and Sheehan free, followed by O’Shea’s goal after a wayward Kenmare restart, had South Kerry back level, 1-8 to 0-11 by the 35th minute.

A Sheehan point from play put the hosts ahead for the first time and that first half energy and confidence began to drain from Kenmare. South Kerry still led 1-11 to 0-13 when Young was carried off with what looked like a hamstring injury in the 51st minute but the momentum was with the home side by then and late scores from substitutes Padraig O’Sullivan and Ciaran Keating and another long-range free from Sheehan saw South Kerry safely into the winner’s Round 2A draw, with Kenmare hoping to get a favourable draw in 2B where they could be fairly confidence of getting their championship back on track.