The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Crokes fall short, Gaeltacht triumph
YOU’D think everybody would want to put their feet up in the month of November, let the frost take care of itself, avoid the wind and the rain and go into a sort of semi-hibernation until the new year.
For club footballers, however, the opposite is the case. November is the month you desperately want to be playing football. November is the month for the provincial championships.
As ever Kerry had three clubs involved and, pretty much as ever, all three clubs made it through to provincial finals. The senior and intermediate finals were played November, but the junior final didn’t take place until early December.
SENIOR: DR CROKES
DR Crokes bid to retain their All Ireland club crown ended somewhat unexpectedly at the hands of Nemo Rangers in the Munster final.
To get there the Crokes had a semi-final against Clare blue bloods Kilmurray Ibrickane (the quarter-final with Clonmel was in October).
Thankfully from their point of view the game was on in Lewis Road and, largely thanks to a sensational performance by Johhnny Buckley, the Kerry champions won through to the semi-finals thanks to a 2-19 to 0-10 victory.
That set up the final with Nemo Rangers. It was a game the Crokes were hotly fancied to win, but Nemo’s pedigree at this level ensured it was never going to be as straightforward as it seemed.
And, indeed, it wasn’t as the Cork city side ran out deserved five point winners, 0-16 to 0-11.
INTERMEDIATE: AN GHAELTACHT
OF all the three clubs involved in Munster action, An Ghaeltacht’s run to the final – and their success in it – was the most straight-forward. Their semi-final with Mallow was thought to be their most difficult assignment along the way, but they powered through that challenge away from home – on Mallow’s home turf – with the minimum of fuss, 1-19 to 1-8, before dismantling Limerick side St Senans in the final in Austin Stack Park, 3-21 to 0-8.
JUNIOR: DROMID PEARSES
DROMID Pearses were made to dig deep for their place in the junior championship final.
They started off their Munster journey with a quarter-final against Clare champions Naomh Eoin. The game was in the balance until well into the second half when Dromid pulled away from the hosts to run out four point winners, 0-14 to 0-10.
In the semi-final the club had a home semi-final against Limerck outfit Galtee Gaels. Very much against the odds, the game turned out to be an absolute cracker with Dromid needing extra-time to see them off, 2-17 to 3-10, having been down in the first half.