East Kerry stay on course to retain title

COUNTY MINOR FC QUARTER-FINAL East Kerry 1-19 Feale Rangers 1-8

FEALE Rangers are a very good side and that first round thriller against Dr. Crokes could be the best game in the whole championship. But East Kerry are, simply, a juggernaut, and the North Kerry side had about as much chance as David against Goliath...without his slingshot.

Killian O’Sullivan and Tommy Bowler had them in front early on. Keltyn Molloy pulled one back but Paudie O’Leary, Dylan Roche, and Aaron O’Shea (f) meant that East Kerry had five points from five talented scorers.

Molloy hit a great goal to give hope of a good contest, but East Kerry responded through Roche, Bowler (2, 1f), O’Leary, and a Killian O’Sullivan goal. 1-9 to 1-1, and the metaphorical fat lady was already tuning up to sing. By half-time it was 1-12 to 1-5.

Tommy Bowler quickly tacked on two frees on the re-start. Feale Rangers hit a good spell, with four points on the trot, Ruairi O’Mahony kicking a lovely brace and Gary Dillon taking his second point of the day.

They were bravely defiant right to the final whistle and were focussed and disciplined from start to finish, a real credit to their clubs. That made no difference to the scoreboard, though, and East Kerry wrapped it up through Aaron O’Shea (2f), Tommy Bowler (f), Killian O’Sullivan, and Cian Foley.

It’s absolutely no fault of East Kerry, who are simply and fairly playing the hand that they have been dealt, but the competition structure meant that the deck was stacked unfairly before a ball was thrown in.

Photo by Domnick Walsh Luke Crowley, East Kerry, tries to evade the tackle of Sean O’Mahony, Feale Rangers (yellow), during their County Minor Football championship quarter-final played in Finuge on Monday evening.