SPORTS REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2017: FEBRUARY

Kerry teams claimed four Munster badminton titles at the Provincial Senior 2 and the Graduates Championships in Killarney at the beginning of the month.

The Kerry ladies bounced back somewhat from their disappointing start to the Lidl Ladies National Football League with a creditable performance against Dublin in Castleisland.

Alas new boss Graham Shine had to be satisfied with just a performance and not a result as Kerry lacked the killer instinct to see off the Dubs, going down to a 0-8 to 1-8 defeat.

Kerry finally got that all-important win under their belts when Donegal visited Rathmore later in the month – Kerry edged out the northerners on a 2-13 to 2-12 scoreline – and followed it up with another victory on home soil, this time in Listowel.

Shine’s side saw off Monaghan on a confidence boosting 3-11 to 2-9 scoreline.

Liebherr Container Cranes won through to their third consecutive Inter-Firm All Ireland final with a 2-6 to 1-8 victory over Mayo Teachers. The Kerry side carried that momentum with them into the final where they saw off Intel on a 3-7 to 1-11 victory to make it three titles on-the-trot for the German firm.

In the Corn Uí Mhuirí semi-final there were wins for St Brendans College, Killarney over Ennis outfit St Flannans on a 2-17 to 1-11 scoreline. The other semi-final, meanwhile, between Tralee CBS and Cork city outfit Chriost Rí turned into an absolutely epic contest with the two sides finishing all square at 1-18 apiece at the end of extra-time.

When the teams met again a week later, this time in Ballyvourney, they again shared the spoils after extra-time – Tralee CBS 2-11 and Chriost Rí 1-14. It led to a remarkable situation whereby the second replay was played at a time against the wishes of both schools with Tralee mentor Mike Tim O’Sullivan expressing concerns about player burn-out, exams and the fact the players would miss a school trip as a result of the game.

In the second replay Tralee CBS finally got over the line seeing off Chriost Rí 1-10 to 0-11 to set up a meeting with traditional rivals the Sem. In that final the Killarney side proved much, much too strong running out winners with the minimum of fuss 2-20 to 0-11.

Killarney Celtic proved history-makers when they won through to the last eight of the FAI Junior Cup – becoming the second team from the Kingdom to do so, following in the footsteps of Lisselton Rovers. The Killarney side saw off Ballnanty Rovers 2-1 away from home with goals from Stephen McCar thy and Wayne Sparling.

Celtic did bow out of the Munster Junior Cup, however, at the round of sixteen stage with a one-nil defeat to Nenagh AFC away from home.

Paul Nagle and his pilot Kris Meeke got off the mark in the World Rally Championship with two points after an up and down weekend at the Swedish rally.

Farranfore/Mainevalley’s Emma Prendiville won goal in the 1,500m walk at the Irish University Indoor championships at Athlone IT. She followed up that success a week later with a silver medal in the 3,000m at the Senior Indoor Champions at the Abbotstown Arena.

The Kerry camogie team got off to an impressive star t in Division 3 of the National League with a 5-17 to 0-3 victory over Tyrone in Ballyseedy.

Beale GAA club’s history, Sand in our Boots, won the best publication award at the McNamee Awards, the GAA’s annual national media awards.

An Ghaeltacht claimed the Dermot Earley Cup at the 28th annual Comór tas Peile Páidí Ó Sé, seeing off Kildare’s Sarsfields in the finals.

The Kerry District League teambowed out of the Oscar Traynor Cupaftera play-off defeat at the hands of Dublin AUL 5-1.

Former Kerry GAA Chairperson and Chairperson of the Munster Council, Seán Walsh, failed for the second time to be elected as President of the GAA. John Horan from Dublin was elected instead and will serve from 2018 to 2020.