The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Crokes escape Clonmel with title defence in tact
page 45
MUNSTER CLUB SFC QUARTER-FINAL Clonmel Commercials 0-8 Dr Crokes 0-14
DR Crokes selector Harry O’Neill lamented that he keeps “missing all the fun in the dressing room” after matches because he stops to talk to the press. The away dressing room in Clonmel was possibly a fun place to be after this engaging Munster quarter-final, but O’Neill would probably have been happy enough to shoot the breeze with the press corp at half-time rather than head to a place that, we’d guess, was fairly devoid of craic.
Trailing the hosts, Commercials, by two points at the interval it doesn’t take a genius to know that Pat O’Shea’s half-time ‘talk’ would have peeled the paint from the walls, but whatever was said, and however, Crokes were a transformed team in the second half. At least enough to win the second period by 0-9 to 0-1 and keep their provincial title defence on track. But for three-quarters of this contest it was no laughing matter.
That Dr Crokes did so without any input from Colm Cooper, and played the last 25 minutes with 14 men, says much for this group of players and gave some indication as to what life will be like for them without the talismanic Gooch. They have, of course, had to survive without Cooper before, and sometime around Alan O’Sullivan’s red card dismissal in the 36th minute the temptation must have been there – slight hamstring issue or not – to spring Cooper into action.
Instead, Jordan Kiely was sent in to kick-start a revival, and between him, second substitute in Paul Clarke, and a collective shove by the rest, the Munster champions kicked for home in the final quarter and got the job done.
Three points in a little over a minute – around the 50-minute mark – catapulted Crokes from being just a point ahead to four clear, 0-12 to 0-8, and despite having the numerical advantage it was a shell-burst of scores that torpedoed Clonmel’s challenge.
As the game turned sour in the closing minutes Johnny Buckley and Micheal Burns closed the contest out with further scores to give Crokes a slightly flattering winning margin, but the Kerry champions did show tremendous determination and calm to dig themselves out of a hole of their own making, for the most part.
Clonmel must get due credit for the their first half display, especially the first quarter when they reduced Crokes to a few sporadic, and fruitless, attacks. By the 15-minute mark Clonmel led 0-5 to 0-2 and had the best of the goal chances too, but Crokes slowly began to find their rhythm and points in quick succession from Daithí Casey (a free), Buckley and Tony Brosnan had it 0-5 apiece after 23 minutes.
Undaunted, Clonmel kept running hard at the Crokes defence, and despite appearing unsure as to how best use Tipperary star Michael Quinlivan, they went in at the interval 0-7 to 0-5 ahead with points from Kevin Fahey and Ross Peters.
Brosnan’s point from the restart halved the deficit but the key moment arrived a minute later when Quinlivan played a one-two with Ian Fahey to get inside and roll hit shot past Shane Murphy, but John Payne made a crucial goalline clearance to deny Clonmel a tonic goal.
The next four minutes saw Clonmel defender Jamie Peters black-carded before O’Sullivan walked for an indiscretion spotted by a linesman. Clonmel should have been liberated by the extra man, instead they seemed overawed by it.
Kieran O’Leary levelled matters in the 37th minute and from there to the finish Crokes outscored the Tipp champions seven points to one.
In the end the Munster and All-Ireland champions came good, and not having to use Cooper will be seen as a bonus. They’ve a fortnight before Clare champions Kilmurry-Ibrickane come to Killarney, with a East Kerry SFC next weekend to get through first.
CLONMEL COMMERCIALS: M O’Reilly; J Peters (0-1), D Lynch, L Ryan; K Fahey (0-1), D Madigan, K Harney (0-1); R Peters (0-1); S Kennedy, J Kennedy (0-1); J Lonergan, P Looram, I Fahey; M Quinlivan (0-1), E Fitzgerald (0-1). Subs: L Moore for J Peters (b/c, 34), R Gunne (0-1) for Fitzgerald (41), R Lambe for I Fahey (55), A Lonergan for R Peters (55).
DR CROKES: S Murphy; J Payne, M Moloney; S Doolan; F Fitzgerald (0-1), G White, L Quinn; A O’Sullivan, J Buckley (0-2); M Burns (0-3), G O’Shea, B Looney; T Brosnan (0-2), D Casey (0-3, 2f), K O’Leary (0-1). Subs: J Kiely (01) for Looney (37), P Clarke (01) for Brosnan (43), E Brosnan for Burns (62), A O’Donovan for O’Leary (b/c, 62).
REFEREE: K Murphy (Cork)