The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Brick and Boyle were the stories of another captivating championship
IT was a Championship season that was notable and will be remembered for the input of some extremely influential and outstanding individuals. When Kilmoyley met Ballyduff in Abbeydorney on Sunday June 26 the country was awaiting the kick off between the Republic of Ireland and France in the Euros in the early afternoon. Kilmoyley won quite comfortably, 2-18 to 0-18, with eight different scorers with team captain and goalkeeper Aidan McCabe being one of the goal scorers.
Ballyduff depended almost exclusively on Mikey Boyle for scores - seven frees from a total of 0-10 - and there wasn’t that many putting their money on Ballyduff after that contest, while Kilmoyley’s odds lengthened after they had lost to Abbeydorney in their next outing after extra time, 0-20 to 0-16. While one can never discount either Kilmoyley’s or Ballyduff’s chances in the Championship, there were some question marks hanging over both camps as they endeavoured to maintain their interest in the competition. Both needed a spark to ignite their challenge, and, it was provided by two of the best players the County has produced in the last twenty years.
Initially it was Padraig Boyle who featured on centre stage in Ballyduff’s stunning quarter-final win over Causeway. Back for his first competitive outing in over a year following on from the cruciate injury he suffered the previous season in the first round of the Championship his impact was immediate and profound. It wasn’t just his own individual input which was considerable, but, it was the overall effect he had on the team’s performance with those around him benefiting from his leadership and his scoring contribution which almost inevitably included goals. Ballyduff were back up and running and once again serious contenders for the crown, and it owed much to the player who is simply known as Podge.
Kilmoyley for their part dug deep to overcome both Lixnaw and St Brendans to book a third successive appearance in a final, with concerns still hanging over the fitness over their most important and influential player Daniel Collins. Man of the Match in the 2015 final win over St Brendans much of the focus and the hopes of Kilmoyley were going to fall on his young shoulders.
At the League Final in Tralee on August 26 there was rumblings that Shane Brick was returning and would be eligible to play in the final. Normally, if one stays long enough chatting in the tunnel under the stand the banter can turn into a bagful of rumours, but when Fergie O’Loughlin confirmed his availability after the final whistle, the Championship final took on a whole new meaning.
Questions obviously were raised concerning his fitness, and his lack of match practice along with whether it might impact on morale in the camp, given the efforts put in by everybody in the squad all season to reach this stage of the competition. But at the Press Night in Kilmoyley on August 31 there was overwhelming support for the return of a great, one who ranks alongside Declan Lovett as Kilmoyley’s greatest ever player. Speculation continued as to whether or not he would feature in the starting fifteen, and when it was announced prior to the prematch parade that no.24 would start for Kilmoyley the reaction of the supporters confirmed fully their support for his inclusion.
Understandably, Brick didn’t play to the peak of his powers in the drawn encounter, but he did enough to suggest that he could well play a major role in the replay, and he duly delivered in spades, winning his fourth Man of the Match award and his seventh Championship medal. So, in the end the final chapter was written by two of the best players in the Championship with Podge Boyle scoring two more goals to add to his spiralling tally which totalled 5-31 in just four outings.
When it is recalled in future years this Kilmoyley victory will always feature the name of Shane Brick, but the Kilmoyley success is about many more key individuals, and last Saturday one couldn’t fault in any way the level of performance of any of the Kilmoyley players. A real mixture of endeavour and expertise from the young and the not so young.
Tom Murnane, as ever, was an absolute colossus. Maurice O’Connor, still a minor, a late inclusion to the starting fifteen, and every inch a shining light. Some tremendous collective defending which included the key marking role provided by Dougie Fitzell.
Paudie O’Connor, whose sniping runs repeatedly unlocked the Ballyduff defence; the unerring accuracy of Daniel Collins; and the master craftsman Brick standing tallest for the duration. James McCarthy, the winning captain back in 2001, making an appearance and an impact off the bench.
Club chairman Joe Walsh, a Championship medal winner who has served the club with such distinction on and off the pitch, and Fergie O’Loughlin following in the footsteps of such as John Meyler and Anthony Daly. He might not have the same profile (yet) but his CV confirms a bainisteoir with seriously impressive credentials.
It all added up to a special and successful sporting story, with the bottom line being a League and Championship double, along with the probability of more silverware making its way to Lerrig in the