East Kerry time it perfectly as Legion collapse
A FASCINATING encounter in many respects, not least the 12-point swing that saw East Kerry turn a nine-point deficit into a three-point win, a result that sends the divisional side into the third round in good stead while sending Legion back to the drawing board to examine where - and why - it all went wrong.
In a nut-shell, half time came too soon for Legion. Or maybe it didn’t come quick enough. Leading by 1-13 to 0-8 at the clock rolled over into the 31st minute, Legion looked like taking that eight-point lead into the interval and they were full value for that margin, having played wonderfully fluid, crisp football for much of that first half an hour. Then Mike O’Donoghue converted a free kick - his fourth point of the half - before East Kerry won possession from the kick-out, and from there DJ O’Connor placed O’Donoghue who drilled the ball past Brian Kelly to leave just four points between the teams at halftime, 1-13 to 1-9.
It was the perfect score at the perfect time for East Kerry, who had stayed with their opponents for the first 10 minutes but then lost their way in the second quarter as Legion - led by the very impressive Conor Keane - upped their game and started to put some distance between themselves and East Kerry. Having led 0-5 to 0-4 after 10 minutes, Legion kicked on to a 0-10 to 0-6 lead by the 23rd minute when James O’Donoghue set up Billy McGuire for the game’s first goal. Keane, with his fourth point, and O’Donoghue added scores to push Legion 1-12 to 0-6, and even then - with just 26 minutes gone - it was difficult to make a case for anything other than a fairly easy Legion victory.
But then DJ O’Connor and Jimmy O’Leary converted points before Mike O’Donoghue struck for that 1-1 in injury-time to haul East Kerry back into the contest and ask a few harder questions of Legion as they went to their half-time tea.
The early moments of the second half saw Legion threaten the East Kerry goal but after a shot was blocked on the goal line East Kerry took control completely and four points in as many minutes from Mike O’Donoghue, two frees, Dara Roche and Cian Horan saw them take the lead - 1-14 to 1-13 - for the first time in the game, and they continued in that vein as O’Donoghue (two) and Fintan Coffey extended their lead to three points before James O’Donoghue converted a free for Legion in the 46th minute - their first score in 18 minutes.
Kevin Breen’s point cut the deficit to one point before DJ O’Connor spurned a great goal chance at the other end when put through one on one with Brian Kelly, and that looked a costly miss when Mike O’Sullivan’s point levelled matters in the 54th minute.
The momentum looked to have shifted back to Legion at that stage but the town team was struggling around midfield and struggling to get a regular supply of ball into Conor Keane, while James O’Donoghue was also finding space at a premium.
Andrew Garnett nailed a long-range point after a poor kickout by Kelly and then the improving Jack Sherwood and Fintan Coffey combined to set up Dara Roche who doubled East Kerry’s lead in the 59th minute.
Legion spent that last few minutes hunt a late goal that would have snatched the win but the last word went to DJ O’Connor who scored East Kerry’s 19th point to complete a remarkable fight back that will send them to the third round confident that there is better to come from them. For Legion it was a worrying collapse in the second half and they now face a difficult to Castleisland when they put their Championship life on the line against St Kierans.
EAST KERRY: Colin Myers (Fossa); Shane Lynch (Spa), Damian O’Sullivan (Glenflesk), Matthew Culloty (Glenflesk); Cian Horan (0-1) (Glenflesk), Jack Sherwood (Firies), Fintan Coffey (Fossa); Andrew Garnett (0-1) (Spa), Jimmy O’Leary (0-1) (Listry); Michael Murphy (Gneeveguilla), Michael O’Donoghue (1-8, 0-3f) (Spa), Jeff O’Donoghue (Glenflesk); Derry Aherne (0-1) (Listry), DJ O’Connor (0-4) (Gneeveguilla), Dara Roche (0-2) (Glenflesk). Subs: Mike Finnegan (Spa) for Culloty (22), Eoin Lawlor (Gneeveguilla) for Aherne (60). LEGION: Brian Kelly; Chris Davies, Podge O’Connor, Andy O’Sullivan; Danny Sheahan (0-1), Damien O’Sullivan, Jonathan Lyne (0-1); Kevin Breen (0-1), Mike O’Sullivan (0-1); Billy McGuire (1-1), James O’Donoghue (0-4, 3f), Derek Pyne; Thomas Moriarty (0-1), Shaun Keane, Conor Keane (0-6, 2f). Subs: Tom Slattery for A O’Sullivan (36), Jack O’Neill for Pyne (55), David O’Sullivan for Moriarty (59). REFEREE: S Mulvihill (St Senans)