The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
St Senans retain North Kerry SFC title as Legion end 43-year wait in East
EAST KERRY SFC FINAL
Legion 1-18 Dr Crokes 3-6
THE long famine is over! Killarney Legion magnificently ended a 43-year wait for divisional supremacy with a comprehensive victory over Dr Crokes in the O’Donoghue Cup Final at a wet and very cold Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
With a sense of hunger and determination bordering on the absolutely ravenous that could not be matched at any stage by their opponents, Stephen Stack’s charges were pretty much always in control of an encounter that sizzled with the spikiness expected of a local derby.
However, while the feistiness of proceedings kept things interesting for the spectators, it was a different story on the scoreboard. With the winners sweeping into a ten-point lead just five minutes into the second half, the game was done and dusted, thus emphasising the true superiority of Legion’s dominance on the day.
You would never have predicted such a scenario unfolding during the first half. Indeed, with Legion failing to make the most of their tactical and territorial control, Dr Crokes would have been more than satisfied to find themselves only trailing by the minimum after 22 minutes (0-5 to 0-4).
With the excellent Jack O’Neill the key protagonist around the middle of the field and James O’Donoghue prompting strongly from centre-forward, Legion should have been much further ahead, but wastefulness up front and superb defending from Crokes’ captain Brian Looney on a couple of occasions kept the holders well in the contest.
Even though Legion finished the half strongly with four unanswered points as tempers boiled over for the first time with Kieran O’Leary, Cian Gammell and Shane Murphy all incurring the wrath of the referee before the interval, Dr Crokes would not have been panicking at the break despite the five-point deficit (0-9 to 0-4), knowing that they would have wind advantage in the second period.
Yet, just when Edmund O’Sullivan’s men needed a fast start on the resumption, it was Legion who flew out of the traps with a period of spellbinding and scintillating football that killed any possibility of this game developing into a titanic battle.
O’Neill, supersub Thomas Moriarty, Conor Keane and O’Donoghue (2) fired over five wonderfully created points as Legion threw off the tentativeness of the opening half to simply go for the jugular and see if their great rivals had any fire left in their bellies. The ease with which they blitzkrieged the Crokes rearguard gave them their answer.
At 0-14 to 0-4, there was no way back for the defending champions, even when the ever-willing Mark O’Shea buried a rebound to the net after Michael Potts’ effort had been saved by Brian Kelly in the 40th minute.
Undaunted in the slightest by that green flag concession, Legion promptly extinguished any light flickering at the end of the Dr Crokes tunnel when the indefatigable Moriarty (he finished with 1-4) kicked another point and was then fastest to react to Shane Murphy’s stunning save from a Conor Keane piledriver to bundle home the killer score in the 44th minute (1-15 to 1-4).
Things turned a little nasty four minutes later when the match boiled over to a significant degree that the referee was left with little option but to issue straight red cards to a couple of protagonists. Cillian O’Regan of Dr Crokes and Legion’s Shaun Keane eventually got their marching orders. Others could easily have joined them.
As Dr Crokes went the aerial route before the finish, Johnny Buckley and Mark O’Shea registered further goals, but the destination of the spoils had long since been decided, and it was quite fitting that Moriarty notched the final score of the game to seal a six-point victory that in no way whatsoever flattered the victors.
For Legion, it will be a very satisfying Christmas after ending the year in some style, ending their quest to regain their holy grail. Dr Crokes, on the other hand, will be simply happy to get a break to lick their wounds after a trophy-less campaign. It doesn’t happen too often.
LEGION: Brian Kelly; Damien O’Sullivan, Podge O’Connor, Cian Gammell; Rob Leen, Jonathan Lyne, Kieran Slattery; Jack O’Neill 0-3, Shaun Keane; Jamie O’Sullivan 0-1, Billy Maguire, Darragh Lyne 0-1; James O’Donoghue 0-4 (0-1 free), Conor Keane 0-4 (0-3 frees), Peter McCarthy Subs: Thomas Moriarty 1-4 for J O’Sullivan (inj), 20, Denis Sheahan 0-1 for Maguire, 53, Finbarr Murphy for McCarthy, 57, Pádraig Lucey for C Keane, 60, Darragh O’Doherty for O’Donoghue, 60
DR CROKES: Shane Murphy 0-1 (free); John Payne, Michael Moloney, David Naughton; Cillian O’Regan, Gavin White, Alan O’Sullivan; Johnny Buckley 1-0, Mark O’Shea 2-0; Micheal Burns 0-1, Michael Potts 0-1, Brian Looney; Tony Brosnan 0-1 (free), Daithi Casey 0-2 (frees), Kieran O’Leary Subs: Chris Doncel for O’Sullivan, 35, Michael Casey for O’Leary, 50, Brian Fitzgerald for Naughton, 58
REFEREE: Brendan Brosnan (Glenflesk)