County SFL: Crokes ran close by Rathmore

GIVEN events in Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day, Dr Crokes’ first game back in the Kingdom afterwards was always going to draw a bit of interest even if some marquee names on both sides were going to be missing for various reasons. Rathmore’s visit to Lewis Road didn’t disappoint as it took an injury-time goal from Tony Brosnan to secure a 3-12 to 2-12 win for the All-Ireland Senior Club Champions after Brosnan’s first goal had given them a 1-6 to 1-5 lead at half-time. Chris Brady got the Killarney side’s other goal as goalkeeper Shane Murphy scored three points in a game that got the new season underway in earnest for the Andy Merrigan Cup holders.

Austin Stacks’ start to the campaign wasn’t a winning one however as the concession of four goals proved to be their undoing in Tralee derby defeat to John Mitchels in Ballyseedy. Niall Sheehy got the first of Mitchels’ goals in the first period but they trailed by 0-9 to 1-4 at the break with David Mannix and Shane O’Callaghan getting the majority of the Stacks points. A run of 2-3 without reply for the hosts in the second period changed the game in their favour however, Alan O’Donoghue and George Bastible the goalscorers as Bastible would add a second for himself before the end in securing a 4-10 to 1-17 victory for Mitchels’ first win of the campaign.

Top spot belongs to Glenbeigh/Glencar however as they made it two from two with a good second half display away to Castleisland Desmonds. The hosts had made a tremendous start in leading by 1-5 to 0-1 early on, Graham O’Connor their goalscorer before the All-Ireland Junior Club Champions fought back to only trail by two at the break, 1-6 to 0-7 the half-time score. Desmonds only managed four scores in the second-half as the Mid Kerry side powered on for a 2-13 to 1-10 success thanks to goals from Gavan O’Grady and Pa Kilkenny.

There are three teams on three points in the table, two of those as result of a draw with each other as St Marys and Dingle drew 0-15 to 2-9 in Con Keating Park. Both of the visitors’ goals came in the first period through Tomás Mac an tSithigh as they led by 2-3 to 0-8 at half-time. The game ebbed and flowed in the second half but a late Daniel Daly free ensured a share of the spoils for the South Kerry side after Paul O’Donoghue and Sean Cournane’s scoring efforts throughout.

Milltown/Castlemaine are also undefeated after a late free got them a point from Strand Road in a 1-13 to 0-16 draw with Kerins O’Rahillys. The hosts had led by 0-8 to 0-7 at half-time and looked to be a good position after a John Ferguson goal but Jonathon O’Sullivan, Cathal Moriarty, Jerome Flynn and Pa Wren were influential for the Mid Kerry side in making sure Gearóid Savage’s late point was not the winning one. The other game played saw An Ghaeltacht hand out a bit of a heavy trimming to the side that beat them in last year’s Intermediate semi-final in Templenoe. Marc Ó Sé’s charges had 24 points to spare in a quite comprehensive 3-22 to 0-7 success that was also their first win in the League.

Templenoe will hope for much better on their next trip west to Dingle while An Ghaeltacht will head to Lewis Road for a battle of the only two Kerry clubs to have played in Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day this Millennium. Austin Stacks and Desmonds will both be looking for their first points against each other in Round Three while the League leaders travel to Strand Road.

Milltown/Castlemaine versus St Marys and Rathmore versus John Mitchels are the other two fixtures in Round Three meanwhile.