Rockies at a low ebb could fall to West Kerry

COUNTY SFC QUARTER-FINAL Austin Stacks v West Kerry Saturday, September 23 Austin Stack Park, 5. 45pm Referee: James O’Sullivan

IT’S been a terrible three months for Austin Stacks. Since they triumphed over Legion in the winners’ round of this competition they’ve been relegated from Division 1 of the County League and, most worrying of all for all concerned, they didn’t really have too many complaints about it. It wasn’t bad luck that saw the Rock drop it was a poor run of performances.

For anybody who was in Connolly Park that Friday evening for their clash with the Legion their precipitous drop has been hard to wrap your head around. In the first half of that game they played some sensational football. Granted their second half was much, much more patchy as Legion pushed back at them hard, scoring seemingly at will.

Stacks’ task this weekend is to find that first half form again and hope to shake off what seems to have taken hold since then. Yes they will benefit from the return of Kieran Donaghy, but it’s more about the players who were there all along refinding their form than hoping for Star to light a spark for them. Then again there’s no better man for the task.

If they do play to their ability Stacks can triumph. If not then West Kerry have to be favourites here. With An Ghaeltacht in a rich vein of form this West Kerry side won’t lack for talent. The quesiton is whether, with an eye on the intermediate final, they’ll be able to cohere sufficiently with their district colleagues. If they do it’s eminently possible they’ll win this game.

Verdict: West Kerry