The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Rising stars on greatest team that never was
THE greatest team that never was - drawn from the five clubs that contested this year’s West Kerry Football Championship – would be a formidable force if they ever went out on a pitch together. Not that it’s likely to happen in a corner of the world where great football and great local rivalry goes hand in hand.
The members of that greatest team – the ‘team of the championship’ – was announced over the festive season in Quinn’s pub in Ventry, where the footballing achievements of the year in West Kerry were celebrated and the star players honoured.
Paul Quinn, who played with An Ghaeltacht from 1991 to 2010, organised the selection of the team of the championship to “recognise the efforts of players after a long season” and it produced a list of redoubtable stalwarts along with younger players who are candidates for football stardom in the green and gold of Kerry.
A special presentation was also made to Marc Ó Sé in recognition of his outstanding contribution to football, not just in his home club of An Ghaeltacht, but also in West Kerry, the county and the country. Marc, who was in the role of presenter of plaques on the night, spoke encouragingly about the standard of football in West Kerry which, he said in a speech made in Irish, was “improving all the time”. He was impressed also with the spirit in which football is played locally, describing the West Kerry Championship as “hard-hitting, tough stuff but when the game is over people get on with it and they are all good pals”.
“At the end of the day we’re all West Kerry men,” he said, adding his compliments to the Dingle team that beat An Ghaeltacht in the championship semi final. “You have to win on your home patch and they did that despite being ‘sáithe’ [exhausted] after their county final match against Dr Crokes,” he said of the Dingle team that went on to win this year’s West Kerry title.
The team of the championship announced in Quinn’s was: Tomás Mac an t-Saoir (An Ghaeltacht), Con Curry (Annascaul), Cathal Ó Lúing (An Ghaeltacht), Patrick O’Connor (Dingle), Matthew Flaherty (Dingle), Tom Seán O’Sullivan (Dingle), Gearóid Lyne (Annascaul), Barry O’Sullivan (Dingle), Roibeard Ó Sé (An Ghaeltacht), Jason Hickson (Annascaul), Mikey Geaney (Dingle), Cathal Ferriter (Annascaul), Tomás Sheehy (Dingle), Jimmy O’Grady (Castlegregory), Declan O’Sullivan (Lios Póil). Tomás Sheehy (Dingle) was named Senior Player of the Championship, while Gearóid Lyne (Annascaul) was the Junior Player of the Championship.