SIDELINES

With the five year tenure of County Board Chairman Patrick O’Sullivan coming to an end there was an expectation that there might be a number of elections, not least for the chair, at the 2016 County Convention. That, however, is not how it turned out with news coming through in November that Brosna’s Tim Murphy – the then development officer – was to assume the role unopposed. His position as Development Office was assumed (again unopposed) by Coaching Officer Eamon Whelan with Laune Rangers’ Terence Houlihan replacing Whelan as Coaching Officer. Fossa made no mistake when they claimed the County Junior Football Championship – previously the Novice championship – title with a comprehensive victory over a gallant Beale side who had reason to regret not finishing the job in the drawn final. This time around Fossa, with goals from Paudie Clifford and Tadhg O’Shea, the Killarney men were clear winners 2-12 to 0-8 in Austin Stack Park. “This is a massive day for the club,” enthused chairman James O’Shea after the game. “It was our first county final, for ty six years in existence and I suppose after the last day and the draw we really came more in hope than anything else and to pull out a win playing such brilliant football was brilliant for the club.” Lispole took the laurels in the new County Novice Championship, seeing off Tuosist in the final 1-17 to 2-9 in Listry, much to the relief of manager Seán Dorgan. “We’ve been waiting for thirty four years for a County Championship so it’s a relief that a cup finally made its way back to Lispole.” Dingle’s Paul Geaney was the Kingdom’s sole representative on the 2016 All Star selection. He was one of just four nominees with Killian Young, Shane Enright and Paul Murphy missing out. It was Geaney’s first All Star award. Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney was confirmed as one of twelve potential venues for the Irish bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. “We were always hopeful and confident that we’d be on the final list because of the information we’d been getting throughout the process,” Der Brosnan of the Fitzgerald Stadium Committee commented. Kerins O’Rahillys claimed a welcome Tralee Town Board Senior Football Championship title when they saw off Ballymacelligott in the final in Strand Road. The host ran out 3-19 to 2-10 winners in the contest – the goals courtesy of Barry John Keane, Cian Sayers and John Keane. November was a good month for Kerry’s rugby star Ultan Dillane. He came on in the second half of Ireland’s famous victory over the All Blacks in Solider Field in Chicago and got his first star t in a green jersey a week later when Ireland hosted Canada in Lansdowne Road, picking up the man of the match award in the process. Tralee’s Matt Talbot became the first Kerry man to chair the Motorsport Ireland Rallies Committee. Dr Crokes made it a domestic double by claiming the County Senior Football League title. They saw off Austin Stacks quite comfortably in the final in Lewis Road running out 2-15 to 0-7 winners. There was disappointment for the IT Tralee footballers who, under the management of Stephen Wallace, had reached the semi-final of the Higher Education League, Division 1. That in and of itself was a real achievement, but in the University of Ulster, Jordanstown they came up against a side who weren’t going to take no for an answer. UUJ ran out 4-16 to 2-8 winners over the Kerry students in Kildare. Waterville claimed the Kingdom Senior Shield seeing off Tralee by a two hole margin in an exciting final. A week later the south Kerry club celebrated a double by claiming the intermediate title, again seeing off Tralee in the final. Kerry legend Maurice Fitzgerald was appointed as selector to the Kerry senior football team in place of Diarmuid Murphy who had stepped down from the role in October. The move was naturally greeted with much excitement at both local and national levels. An Riocht’s Shona Heaslip took top spot, in an upset, at the Senior Women’s Cross County Championships. St Brendans College saw off Tralee CBS 4-13 to 2-9 in the Taft Cup final (Munster colleges Under 15 championship). The Kerry soccer team got their Oscar Traynor Cup campaign back on track with a 1-0 victory over the Desmond League in Mounthawk Park.