Rockies make life harder for themselves than necessary against Kierans in Scartaglin

COUNTY SFC ROUND 1 (replay) St Kierans 1-9 Austin Stacks 0-14

RELIEF in the end for Austin Stacks.

It was remarkable really that the Tralee kingpins had reason to be relieved as, for the vast majority of this contest, they were the superior force. Had they lost this game, the Rock really would have nobody to blame but themselves.

During a period of sustained and pointed dominance in the first half they squandered chance after chance after chance. With the opportunity to assume pole position staring them in the face, Austin Stacks fluffed their lines.

They kicked three wides in the opening half and, even more damningly than that, they dropped a further three shots short into the grateful arms of Kierans shot-stopper Seán Óg Ó Ciardubháin.

The Rock’s half-time scoring return stood at just 50%. St Kierans, meanwhile, took 66% of their chances to go in at half-time tied with their illustrious rivals. At that juncture it seemed eminently possible that Stacks would be left to rue all those missed chances.

Pat Flanagan’s men started the game well, but the scores just wouldn’t come with the degree of regularity the Waterford native would have wished. David Mannix got the Rockies on the scoreboard with a free after seven minutes. Michael O’Donnell got their second shortly after.

Then, as if to reinforce the point that failure to punish the hosts might prove costly, St Kierans fashioned a goal-scoring opportunity with their very first meaningful attack. Aidan Breen and James Walsh were involved in the buildup before David Hennessy was forced to save from Vinney Horan.

A couple of points (a free from Walsh, a point from play by Tomás Lynch) levelled matters up by the twelfth minute. In response Stacks, dominant around the middle third of the pitch, rattled off four points in succession – two from Mannix and two from the mercurial Shane O’Callaghan – to finally make their superiority manifest on the scoreboard.

By then there were less than ten minutes remaining in the first half. Having been decidedly below par up until then, something seemed to click for James Sheehan’s side and all of a sudden they had the visitors on the back foot.

Philip O’Connor took it upon himself to spark the revival with a brilliantly struck free on twenty three minutes and an even more impressive score from play a minute after that again.

A further point from O’Connor and one from Lynch rounded out the first half scoring, but not before O’Callaghan forced a save from the ever-impressive Ó Ciardubháin – six points each at the break.

When the second half got underway the Stacks faithful were soon made to feel decidedly uneasy. Seamus Scanlon got the hosts up and running in the second half and just a minute later Ó Ciardubháin sent a ‘45 confidently sailing over the bar to give his men a two point lead.

What followed was the most encouraging spell of play for the 2014 county cham- pions. Michael O’Donnell – a brilliant outlet for Stacks in the game – scored his second of the evening to set off a chain reaction of five points unanswered.

Stacks followed O’Donnell’s score with points by Pa McCarthy and the hugely impressive Mannix (two each) to seize back control of the fixture. They led by three, eleven points to eight, with twenty minutes to go.

Kierans, however, still packed a punch. Walsh pointed a free to make it a two point game again on forty minutes and in a shot across the bows the Saints had a goal chance for O’Connor (assist Breen) flash just wide.

On forty two minutes O’Donnell scored his third of the game and all seemed right in the Rockies’ world. Then, on forty six minutes, a seemingly innocuous ball by Michael Walsh into the Stacks box created havoc.

David Hennessy seemed to fumble it and there to take advantage straight away was Philip O’Connor. Game on, level scores with fifteen minutes to go, 1-9 to 0-12. Stacks, however, responded emphatically with two points in as many minutes by O’Donnell and Mannix.

Strangely enough that Mannix point on fifty minutes was the game’s last score. End of story there so? Not quite there was one last twist in this tale that took in two games and over one hundred and forty minutes of football.

On fifty five minutes Kieran Donaghy appeared to foul Philip O’Connor in the box for a penalty. Aidan Breen stepped up and with everything on the line Hennessy stood tall, making up for his earlier mistake, to save.

In the end no complaints from St Kierans, the better team won. ST KIERANS: Seán Óg Ó Ciardubháin (01, ‘45) (Cordal), John O’Connor (Currow), Dan O’Sullivan (Crurrow), Shane Fitzmaurice (Brosna), Padraig Reidy (Scartaglin), Eamon Kiely (Brosna), Padraig Reidy (Knocknagoshel), Seamus Scanlon (0-1) (Currow), James Walsh (0-2f) (Knocknagoshel), Daniel Murphy (Scartalgin), Philip O’Connor (1-3, 2f) (Cordal), Aidan Breen (Ballymacelligott), Adam Barry (Brosna), Vinney Horan (Ballymacelligott), Tomás Lynch (0-2) (Castleisland Desmonds) Subs: Colm Murphy (Castleisland Desmonds) for V Horan, 38, Michael Walsh (Knocknagoshel) for P Reidy (Knock), 45, Daniel O’Shea (Currow) for A Barry, 50,

Brian Reidy for D Murphy, 58

AUSTIN STACKS: David Hennessy, Barry Walsh, Fearghal McNamara, Ronan Shanahan, Pa McCarthy (0-2), Jack Morgan, Jack O’Shea, Shane Carroll, Wayne Guthrie, Shane O’Callaghan (0-2), Greg Horan, Michael O’Donnell (0-4), David Mannix (0-6, 2f), Kieran Donaghy, Fiachra Mangan Subs: Denis McElligott for J O’Shea, 56, Denis Costello for P McCarthy, 58

REFEREE: James O’Sullivan (Firies)