The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
JFC walkovers need to be eradicated
Jason O’Connor reflects on the County Junior Championship and what was an important and timely title for Lios Póil to win
OVER a period of time covering these Championships you get to learn more about the significance of successes as years go on. Since 2012 anyone following Lios Póil could not help but feel a degree of sympathy for them. Scartaglin (2012), Listry (2014) and St Senans (2015) beat them in three finals while Templenoe (2013) and Listry again (2017) beat them in semi-finals on their way to eventual wins.
And while they might have ended their Novice heartache in 2016, Lios Póil won a county title in name but not in reality, as the Club Championship changes introduced that same year reduced the Novice Championship to being a fifth tier competition.
What they wanted was to win the fourth tier Championship in Kerry, something they always had the belief to do, even if everyone wondered was the chance gone after those previous defeats. There could be no grandiose thoughts early on this year though in a group featuring Cordal and Cromane, but Lios Póil justified their seeding with wins against both. Kilgarvan’s decision to give them a walkover meant they went into the semi-final against last year’s runners-up - and fellow West Kerry side - Castlegregory without a third competitive game. Considering Castle had beaten Tarbert in a humdinger the previous week, the absence of a third game might have told after the 2010 All-Ireland Junior Club champions took a 0-7 to 0-0 lead in the first quarter. Lios Póil rallied to trail by only four at the break however, with two vital Conor Hanafin saves and a total of 1-10 for Declan O’Sullivan the reason they beat Castle by a solitary point.
Lios Póil started better on the scoreboard last Saturday but found themselves facing another hefty half time deficit after Beale took control to lead by six coming up to the interval. Maybe when a team finds itself chasing deficits such as that do they find out how much players really want to win, and in Lios Póil’s case an overwhelming desire not to be denied again came through.
Half-time might have been on the minds of many of the spectators on Saturday but Lios Póil used every second available in waiting for an opening to come their way for Garret Noonan’s goal. As much as having only a three-point deficit, the introduction of Kieran O’Sullivan was telling like it was in the semi-final in Lios Póil having a great ‘go-to’ man in going forward.
It was not academic once they went back in front on the three-quarter mark, but Beale’s ability to convert chances was becoming too much to ignore. That Darragh
Buckley became less of a factor in the second period might be a source of contention for Beale in terms of its means, but teams that want to succeed always need more than one outlet. Cormac Linnane and James McMahon did their level best to offer such a platform but could not find the Midas touch on the scoring front like they did against Ballyduff in their semi-final when scoring three second half goals. Maybe their success with those green flags gave them the thought to go for goal at the earliest opportunity last weekend but it maybe drained more morale than they would have wanted with every chance missed.
With a second county final loss in three years - they lost to Fossa in a replay in 2016 - Beale now find themselves in Lios Póil’s shoes somewhat. They are the ones that have to find the desire to overcome the hurt if they want to succeed, although there are indications that others will challenge hard for the Con Brosnan Cup next year.
Castlegregory are no doubt smarting after their own loss to Lios Póil, and Ballyduff are also starting to re-emerge as a credible force on the football front again. Incidentally,
not far away from Tralee in Ballymacelligott last Saturday evening, Annascaul suffered demotion to this level after a loss to Ballydonoghue, which means West Kerry will still have two sides at this level next year.
While the competition ran well like all the others it had a number of walkovers that were hard to ignore. Asdee and Knocknagoshel pulled out of the Preliminary Round because of a genuine sense of not being competitive enough, while a lack of players caused Ballylongford to forfeit against Beale.
‘Dead rubber’ situations caused a few more walkovers in the last round but whether these become more of a trend with the documented decline in playing numbers remains to be seen. Maybe the answer for the Division Five clubs is to ask them do they wish to play Junior or Novice when there is a choice there for such sides and avoid the slightly embarrassing situation of a Preliminary Round not actually taking place in future.
Final word to Lios Póil though, and timing appeared to be everything with their win. With two more summer departures due shortly according to their manager Damien O’Sullivan, the conclusion came at the right time even if it was a bit too late for Brian Rayel. Mike Jim Fitzgerald missing the final was scuppered by injury against Keel before his appeal of the red card from the Castle game could be heard, but it was indicative of how they ploughed on despite such setbacks and still won.
That ability to overcome, not just this year but in other years, is arguably why they finally got what they wanted after more than five years in purgatory.