The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Two teams set for exit
Six injured Kerry players sit out SFC action
BY Sunday evening two teams will be out of the County Senior Football Championship - barring draws - while three more teams should have booked their place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
As the county championship action continues this weekend with seven matches scheduled, two of South Kerry, Mid Kerry, East Kerry and Kilcummin should see their interest in the race for the Bishop Moynihan Cup end with defeat in the Losers Round.
Those two games - Kilcummin v South Kerry and East Kerry v Mid Kerry - form a double-header in Lewis Road, Killarney on Sunday afternoon, but the other two eliminations will have to wait a little longer owing to two Round 1 draws.
The Austin Stacks v St Kierans and Legion v Kenmare replays go ahead this weekend with the respective losers drawn to meet West Kerry and Kenmare District.
In the winners group defending county champions Dr Crokes are fancied to book their quarter-final place after being handed a home draw against St Brendans, while Rathmore entertain Feale Rangers in another Round 2 (winners group) game.
Kerins O’Rahillys reward for beating South Kerry is a trip west to play Dingle, while the final winners group game brings together the winners of the two Round 1 replays.
Meanwhile, seven of the cur- rent Kerry senior panel were missing in action last weekend, with six players on the injured list. Bryan Sheehan and Killian Young were missing from the South Kerry team that lost to O’Rahillys, while Tadhg Morley and Adrian Spillane were unavailable to Kenmare District who lost to Dingle in Templenoe.
Mid Kerry were also missing two inter-county panellists in Darran O’Sullivan and Peter Crowley, and while their divisional team managers will be keen to have them back in action for the county championship, Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice will be closely monitoring their rehabilitation ahead of a Munster semi-final against Clare or Limerick on the weekend of June 10/11.
Jack Barry was unavailable for St Brendans win over Kilcummin on Saturday evening but the Na Gaeil man was sitting an exam in Dublin on the same afternoon and is expected to line out for the divisional team against Dr Crokes on Saturday evening.