Dr Crokes provide tough medicine for Dingle to swallow in county final

GONE in sixty seconds.

That’s how long it took for Dingle’s hopes of a county title to be gone up in smoke.

That’s how long it took for Dr Crokes to be gone out of sight, a third successive county championship in the bag and thoughts turning to a Munster and All-Ireland Club campaign.

The 2012 county senior football championship final ran for sixty minutes and small change but as a contest it was over after six minutes.

Dr Crokes, going for a third title on the bounce, had sauntered through the competition like it was an inconvenient means to another end - a far bigger prize. They had obliterated every opponent that came before them, and while the kings of Killarney certainly weren’t desultory towards the championship, they dispatched all-comers with minimum fuss and maximum effectiveness to arrive in their third county final in a row.

Dingle had come through the other side - short on points but rich on goals - to contest the club’s first county final in 61 years, and though they were very much the underdogs confidence was high that the men from west Kerry could usurp the champions.

That fanciful notion endured for six minutes. Colm Cooper’s quick thinking put Chris Brady through for a goal after five minutes and from the kick-out Dr Crokes moved the ball to Brian Looney who crashed a super goal beyond Sean O Flatharta. 2-2 to 0-2. Game over.

At half time Crokes led 26 to 0-5 and despite Dingle’s honest endeavour there was never a chance of the champions being caught. They won by 2-13 to 0-8 pulling up.