Can Templenoe overcome injury crisis to triumph in derby?

NORMALLY when you preview these Finals it comes with a sense of excitement and anticipation about the prospect of what may be ahead.

The fact you have two neighbouring clubs playing against each other should heighten that, but you can’t help but feel a sense of deflation amongst the Kenmare Shamrocks and Templenoe players after their loss in the district colours last Sunday.

The pressure to have teams out in the Munster Club Championship on the Bank Holiday Weekend for both the Senior and Intermediate events created this tight schedule but it’s a case really where the team with the better morale as opposed to the better form are the ones likely to prevail in Fitzgerald Stadium.

Templenoe would appear to have come of the worst on the injury front ahead of Sunday, pre-existing injuries to Brian Crowley, Cian Hallissey and Stephen O’Sullivan aside they also have to deal with Patrick Clifford’s injury from last Sunday’s County Final.

The bout of glandular fever for Kevin O’Sullivan aside, Kenmare Shamrocks look to be pretty okay on the injury front with maybe bruised egos from the County Final the biggest thing that they will have to deal with in this present week.

Both clubs know what’s involved in reaching Croke Park with their travails in the All-Ireland Junior Club Championship in recent years. The one difference of course being Templenoe emerged victorious in the Final last February while Kenmare Shamrocks lost out to Ballinasloe in 2013 after an epic three game saga with Castleknock of Dublin in the Semi-Final.

Much like Ardfert in 2006 after their All-Ireland Junior Club success, Templenoe have taken like a duck to water in the Intermediate so far, away victories in both Glenflesk and former All-Ireland Champions at this level St Michaels / Foilmore put them straight into the last four by the middle of May before the long break to the semi-finals would ensue.

Kenmare Shamrocks were victorious away from home themselves in their early matches both at East Kerry clubs in Gneeveguilla and Spa, the latter a significant win as they made amends for a Quarter-Final replay defeat on home turf against the same opposition the previous year.

The semi-final draw kept both teams apart and it was late September before both sides eventually got around to their respective games against both Castleisland Desmonds and An Ghaeltacht.

For the Shamrocks it was a slow start against the Desmonds, but eventually they found their feet as Paul O’Connor put in a stellar shift in helping his side to a seven point win and add to the Castleisland side’s semi-final woes at this level.

Templenoe had a totally different experience against An Ghaeltacht, save for two magnificent goals from Denis O’Neill and Pat Spillane Jnr they had to survive a very determined challenge from the West Kerry side and a late, late goal chance that could have given us a different winner!

Overall the year so far has been a better one for Templenoe, however, holding their own in Division 1 and contending for a place in the County League Final at one point before they found the latter part of the campaign a step too far without some key figures.

Kenmare Shamrocks had an abysmal year in Division 1, going straight back down to Division 2 with only three wins secured from their eleven games. If they had a full team you sense they would have done a lot better but the top flight in Kerry is nearly always the biggest test of any side’s panel when you have to make do without your inter-county contingent for the most part.

The effect of having Stephen O’Brien and Sean O’Shea was evident in the semi-final victory over Desmonds as was the performances of players such as Dara O’Shea, Tommy O’Sullivan along with David Hallissey.

This appearance in the decider will come 25 years after the club were last in the Final, losing to Milltown / Castlemaine on a day this year’s Kerry Minor captain’s father was captain of that team.

Two years earlier, 1989, was Templenoe’s last appearance in a Final at this level as they look to replicate Ardfert in doing a consecutive Club Championship double in the county.

With Tadhg Morley marshalling their defence and Adrian Spillane coming off the back of a County Championship run that saw him named player of the tournament, they might just be able to shake off their injury crisis and do the double. It requires a massive performance from their defence with the three-pronged threat of O’Brien, O’Connor and O’Shea for the Shamrocks.

Whether it turns into a derby style feel with no quarter asked or none given remains to be seen but with their better year in general you sense Templenoe might be the ones to get redemption from last Sunday seven days later.

Verdict: Templenoe