Spa wait goes on as Crokes reach final

EAST KERRY SFC SEMI-FINAL Dr Crokes 2-18 Spa 1-18

DEFENDING champions Dr Crokes are back in the Dr O’Donoghue Cup final - where they will face town rivals Legion next Sunday - but they were made to work extremely hard for this semi-final win by a Spa team trying to be the first from the club to reach the final in 30 years. At half time that ambition was very much a live issue, as Spa trailed by just one point, 0-10 to 1-8, at the interval, but a second Crokes goal opened up a six-point gap between the teams at the three-quarter mark, and the challengers simply couldn’t reel in an experienced, if a little underwhelming, Crokes team.

It’s hard to be critical of a team scoring 2-18 on the first weekend of December, and Dr Crokes still carry that scoring threat up front that so many opponents have perished on over the last few years. Nonetheless, the concession of 1-18 will be a concern heading into the final against a Legion team that, man for man, would be regarded as having a more potent attacking unit.

Consider that Spa were without their Kerry panellist Darragh Moynihan - who would certainly be their greatest scoring threat - and the Killarney club can be quite pleased with taking the champions for 1-18 on a calm, sun-splashed afternoon in the Stadium. Still, moral victories won’t cut it for a team that finished a very respectable seventh in Division One of the county league, and just two points behind Dr Crokes on the table.

Spa raced into a 0-3 to no score lead after six minutes, with Mike O’Donoghue (free), Ryan O’Carroll and Mike Foley (free) finding the target, though it could have been better when Liam Kearney cracked a shot off the Crokes crossbar before O’Carroll tidied up the rebound with a score.

It took Dr Crokes less than three minutes to draw level, with Mark O’Shea, Micheal Burns and Daithi Casey (free) on target.

Spa continued to carry the great goal threat, and Crokes