The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
On the up Fossa should have too much for Beale
COUNTY JFC FINAL Beale v Fossa Saturday, October 15 Austin Stack Park, 4pm
IN years gone by we’d be talking about these two teams facing off in the ‘novice’ final.
There was always something about the term that stuck in the craw, just a little bit. It seemed, to us at least, a tad condescending, insulting even. Given the effort required to win the competition the title of it was rather out of place.
The decision to rebrand the competition and the entry requirements for it has probably made it a touch less important than it used to be. Now, when all clubs from what used to be novice and junior football, can aspire Croke Park at the beginning of each season, the fourth tier final has become a means in and of itself.
Winning it is no longer of paramount importance to a team aiming to make the step up to the premier junior (formerly junior) grade. Win or lose this Saturday afternoon and there’s always next year for Beale and Fossa.
Still a county title is a county title and neither side will be inclined to give an inch. It may no longer be strictly necessary to win this championship and the Hickey / Quirke Cup to make the step up to the next level, but the momentum it would give the winner cannot be discounted.
To win a county title would be huge to the development of either squad. The confidence it would breed would be huge, especially to players who don’t have a huge amount of experience of winning at senior level.
You can easily imagine Fossa and their manager John Evans seeing this title as a most important step in their development process. Promotion to Division 3 – on equal points with Premier Junior finalists Na Gaeil – speaks to their already rapid development.
Beale, at first glance, seem to be a club going in the opposite direction. They were relegated from Division 3 this year. On the other hand their performances in this championship have been hugely encouraging.
A victory over a well-regarded Listry side – who maintained their status as a Division 2 club following a victory over St Michaels / Foilmore in a relegation play-off – in the semi-final followed on from victories over Cromane and next door neighbours Asdee.
The Ballybunion outfit look to be in the process of regenerating their squad with Kerry minor star Cormac Linnane proving a boon to the seasiders. Then again it was Ian Blake, a man who’s been a key component of their squad for years, off the bench who helped them past Listry in the semi-final.
Fossa were a touch more comfortable in seeing off Scartaglin in their semi-final. That result was expected and, if we’re being honest, a six point margin was probably what most people anticipated before hand.
John Evans’ side are currently riding the crest of a wave and such performances are by no means out of the norm for them. They will be favourites for this final.
They look to carry a greater goal-threat than their rivals from the north, even if it should be noted that from the semi-final at least Beale looked to have a comparable spread of scorers from play.
Ian Blake, Ian Mannix, Cormac Linnane and Shane Hanrahan were on the mark for Beale, while Fintan Coffey, Matthew Rennie, Tadgh O’Shea, Domnhaill O’Sullivan were on the mark for Fossa.
Neutrals will probably be disappointed to learn that young David Clifford is not yet eligible for senior football. Beale, meanwhile, will be much relieved. That Clifford should be available this time next year does go to show, however, just how impressive Fossa might become in the years to come.
Beale will, like all good north Kerry sides, make life difficult for Fossa – centre-back Paul Collins will lead the line with distinction in the Beale rearguard – but it’s hard to shake the impression that Fossa have the greater potential and capacity.
It’d be unwise to discount Beale’s chances of causing an upset – they’ve done so before, just a handful of weeks ago as a matter of fact – still the smart money has to be on the Killarney men.
Verdict: Fossa
You can easily imagine Fossa seeing this title as a most important step in their development