The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
O’Connor inspires Brendans to semi-final
COUNTY SFC QUARTER-FINAL
St Brendans 1-12 Killarney Legion 1-10
THE ability to bounce back from different setbacks, plus the individual excellence of Diarmuid O’Connor and Eoghan O’Brien, helped massively to propel a gallant St Brendans into the last four of the Garveys Super Valu County SFC following this quarter-final victory over Legion at Austin Stack Park, Tralee on Saturday evening.
Indeed, at two different stages of the opening half, Seamus Murphy and the St Brendans management must have been wondering why the football gods appeared to be conspiring against them.
With complete dominance of the first ten minutes, especially around the midfield sector, the eventual winners were terribly wasteful in attack, only registering a single point from their first six attempts at the posts, as Legion swept into an early 0-3 to 0-1 lead with three scores from their first three approaches into the St Brendans territory.
Then, by the 22nd minute, things had gotten even worse for the divisional side as, with the impressive James O’Donoghue conducting the orchestra in attack, the Killarney club had manoeuvred themselves into what appeared to be a comfortable six-point cushion, 1-6 to 0-3.
The Legion goal had arrived seven minutes earlier when a penetrating move involving Jamie O’Sullivan and O’Donoghue ended with corner-forward Thomas Moriarty, having beaten his marker Fergal Barry as he headed directly for goal, burying a low, right-footed effort into the far corner of the St Brendans net with the aid of a touch off the retreating Paul McMahon.
St Brendans steadied the ship somewhat before the interval, with Ivan Parker sporadically dangerous in attack, but a magnificent ‘45 metre free off the hands from Conor Keane had Legion four points to the good (1-7 to 0-6) at the interval, and manager Stephen Stack would certainly have been quietly satisfied with that.
On the resumption, however, enter O’Connor and O’Brien. Despite kicking St Brendans’ opening score of the game in the fifth minute, young midfielder O’Connor, and his fellow Kerry teammate Jack Barry, hadn’t been particularly influential figures in the first 30 minutes.
That all changed, however, just four minutes into the second period when a quick free from Barry and an inventive passing movement involving David O’Callaghan and substitute Alan O’Donoghue culminated in a superb assist from Brandon Barrett to the advancing O’Connor, who turned a defender before blasting a left-footed rocket into the back of the
Legion net.
Without a shadow of a doubt, this was the key score of the entire contest as St Brendans, who had come back out of the dressing rooms with a noticeable extra purpose in their stride, now had the self-belief to drive on and take control of the contest.
The sides were level by the 40th minute (1-8 apiece) after an outstanding left-footed point from the increasingly dominant O’Connor and it could have been even worse for a visibly rocked Legion outfit as St Brendans substitute Killian Fitzgerald almost raised a second green flag for his side but his shot from close range appeared to be blocked by a combination of goalkeeper Brian Kelly and defender Jonathan Lyne. The ensuing ‘45 was effortlessly converted by Eoghan O’Brien to give St Brendans the lead (1-9 to 1-8) for the first time since the game’s very early stages, and it’s fair to say that the extremely impressive Churchill netminder was the catalyst for St Brendans getting over the finishing line in the final quarter of proceedings.
With two points on the board from placed balls at this stage, O’Brien let his goalkeeping do the talking in the 46th minute when a Legion move involving a much more peripheral O’Donoghue and substitute Micheal Devlin saw Jack O’Neill’s point-blank effort well blocked by the St Brendans custodian.
A goal at that point might have woken Legion from their second half slumber, but O’Brien now decided to break their hearts for good at the other end of the pitch when he advanced upfield to fire over two frees from 45 metres with the sweetest of deadball kicking styles, to finally give St Brendans a 1-12 to 1-9 cushion by the 52nd minute that they would not relinquish in the remaining period.
Despite pulling back a point through O’Neill, Legion, by this juncture, were completely running out of ideas with panicky attacking and profligate shooting ruining any late efforts at salvaging their championship season.
ST BRENDANS: Eoghan O’Brien (Churchill) 0-4 (2 ‘45’, 2f); Fergal Barry (Na Gaeil), Kieran O’Dwyer (St Pats) 0-1, Trevor Wallace (Ardfert); Brandon Barrett (Ardfert), Andrew Barry (Na Gaeil), Patrick Kearney (John Mitchels); Jack Barry (Na Gaeil), Diarmuid O’Connor (Na Gaeil (1-2); David O’Callaghan (St Pats (0-1), Daithi Griffin (Ardfert), Paul McMahon (St Pats); Niall Sheehy (John Mitchels), Ivan Parker (Churchill) 0-3 (1f), James Duggan (John Mitchels) Subs: Alan O’Donoghue (John Mitchels) for Duggan, 30, Killian Fitzgerald (Churchill, 0-1) for Sheehy, injured, half-time, Thomas Kearns (John Mitchels) for Griffin, 40, Michael Kelliher (John Mitchels) for Parker, 50, Brendan Poff (St Pats) for Kearney, 58, Eoin McElligott (Ardfert) for O’Callaghan, 60
LEGION: Brian Kelly; Darragh O’Doherty, Danny Sheahan, Cian Gammell; Damien O’Sullivan, Denis Sheahan, Jonathan Lyne; Padraig Lucey, Kieran Slattery (0-1); Jack O’Neill (0-1), Jamie O’Sullivan, Billy Maguire; James O’Donoghue 0-3 (1f), Conor Keane 0-5 (3f), Thomas Moriarty (1-0) Subs: Darragh Lyne for O’Sullivan, half-time, Micheal Devlin for Lucey, half-time, Rob Leen for Denis Sheahan, black card, 38, Peter McCarthy for Moriarty, 50, Shaun Keane for Maguire, 52, Finbarr Murphy for Slattery, 57
REFEREE: Seán Joy (Laune Rangers)
There was a minute’s silence before the throw-in in memory of the late Pat O’Driscoll Snr, of Ardfert and St Brendans, who passed away during the week.