Senans triumph

MCMUNN’S NORTH KERRY SFC SEMI-FINAL St Senans 3-14 Tarbert 3-5 DAMIAN STACK Bob Stack Park

THIS was a really strange sort of a game. Summing it up is actually quite difficult.

On one level it was as straightforward as the scoreline suggests. St Senans were comfortably the better team and had a comfortable margin at the end. On another Tarbert will feel they could have gotten a lot closer than they did.

The black and red missed chances – driving wide from a gilt-edged position ten minutes in – that might have allowed them stay competitive in the game for longer than they were, but even then that’s stretching it a little. They were decidedly second best.

This was a game whose outcome was inevitable very early on and, yet, it was jam-packed with incident. We’d yellow cards and black cards, sendings-off (one for Tarbert, two for Senans). We’d controversial goals. We’d penalty kicks. Still none of it raised the game above the mediocre.

Instead of those things bringing excitement it all added to the feeling that this was a scrappy and disappointing affair by the sea and under the low slung sun. Senans when they were good were very good indeed, playing a beautiful brand of football, but the quality of the opposition was such that you can’t set too much store by it.

Even then the fact that a Tarbert side they comprehensively dismantled were able to score three goals against them and could easily have bagged another two has got to be somewhat concerning for Mark Bourke and his management team – remembering, of course, that Seán T Dillon is set to return for the final following suspension.

Still the positives far outweighed the negatives and probably the biggest positive of all was the form of corner-forward Seán O’Connell who scored ten points. He got the ball rolling with a point just a minute in and along with two early scores from the impressive Donal Hunt, the Saints had established a 0-5 to 0-1 lead after ten minutes. On eleven minutes Brian Heaphy assisted Michael Carrig for a goal-scoring chance, cutting a hole right down the centre of the Senans defence. Alas Carrrig struck wide. Was it a turning point in the game? The turning point even? Possibly it would have allowed Tarbert to stay in the game for longer, but Senans dominance was such (with an excellent Barry Mahony pulling the strings in the middle of the park) that it would likely have been little more than a blip along the way.

Indeed over the next seven minutes Senans went on to score 2-2 unanswered to put the game to bed as a live contest – nineteen minutes gone and the game essentially over, 2-7 to 0-1.

Tarbert got a goal back straight away through Andrew Doherty, who picked up a spill from Brian Heaphy to finish decisively past James Barry. There was nine points in it at the half-time break – 2-8 to 1-2. Senans powered on again at the start of the second half with a hat-trick of points from Seán O’Connell followed by a goal from Quille (taking an assist from Weir).

Tarbert did get a goal back four minutes later through Mark Buckley – assist Michael Heaphy – and finished the game with a third goal from the penalty spot by Ger Sullivan for a foul on Shane Enright, but they were little more than consolation scores.

ST SENANS: James Barry, Eamon Shanahan, Bill Keane, Kieran Lyons, Darragh Behan, Seán Weir, Mark Behan, Barry Mahony, Jason Browne, Paudie Dillon (1-1), David Behan, Donal Hunt (1-2), Seán O’Connell (0-10, 7f), Eoin O’Connell (0-1), Paudie Quille (1-0) Subs: Con O’Keeffe for P Dillon, 38, Cillian Trant for D Behan, 43, Donnacha Brosnan for D Hunt, 46, Breandán Whelan for M Behan, 52, Darragh Kennelly for S O’Connell, 56, Paudie Whelan for J Browne, 57 Black Card: Darragh Behan, 31, not replaced

TARBERT: Pa Carmody, Cormac Wall, Kevin Enright, Danny Wren, Michael Heaphy, Shane Enright, Daniel O’Connor (0-1), Mark Buckley (1-0), Michael Normile, Killian Langan, Fionn McGibney (0-1), Brian Heaphy, Michael Carrig, Ger Sulllivan (0-2), Andrew Doherty (2-1, 1-0 penalty) Subs: Finbarr Carrig for C Wall, 15, Patsy O’Connell for M Normile, 15, Shea Mc Shea McDonnell for M Heaphy 42, Kieran Deenihan for D O’Connor, 42, Bobby Wren for M Carrig, 48

REFEREE: Eamon Moran (Ballydonoghue)