O’Sullivan injury scare spoils easy victory for Mid Kerry

THIS was as routine a quarter-final assignment for Mid Kerry in Fitzgerald Stadium yesterday as the scoreline suggests.

Yet the sight of their talismanic attacker Darran O’Sullivan limping off midway through the second-half overshadowed a positive day for the 2008 champions.

O’Sullivan has been plagued with hamstring trouble this summer and that injury surfaced again. His enforced withdrawal leaves him facing an anxious wait to regain fitness ahead of next Saturday’s semi-final showdown with East Kerry and the Shannon Cryotherapy Clinic in Ennis will be employed this week to speed up his rehabilitation process.

Apart from that Mid Kerry are in a good place after this victory over a Rathmore team that never looked like replicating last weekend’s shock win over Dr Crokes in the club championship. Club commitments had hindered the divisional team’s preparations for this game yet they overcame that obstacle to knit together slick and intricate passages of play that carved open their opponent’s rearguard.

“To have a game under our belt will help us ahead of next weekend, there is no doubt of that,” outlined Mid Kerry manager Tim Coffey afterwards.

Darran O’Sullivan may be Mid Kerry’s marquee name, yet it was the contribution of a current and former inter-county colleague of his at either end of the pitch that proved instrumental to this success. The innovative selection of Donnchadh Walsh at centre-back paid off as he nullified Rathmore’s George O’Keeffe and was the launchpad for Mid Kerry’s attacks. From half-forward Sean O’Sullivan was excellent as he roamed to good effect while the Mid Kerry full-forward line of Gavan O’Grady, Colm Kerins and Jerome Flynn always looked dangerous. Mid Kerry led 0-9 to 0-4 at the interval with the edge in physique they enjoyed over a young Rathmore team proving pivotal to the construction of that advantage. Rathmore only registered one point in the opening 26 minutes, a free from Michael O’Riordan, but produced a brief revival before the break which featured a stunning point by Mark Reen.

With wing-back Paul Murphy in outstanding form and intercounty duo Tom O’Sullivan and Aidan O’Mahony constantly trying to lift their team’s display, Rathmore’s prospects were enhanced in the early stages of the second-half. A pair of O’Riordan frees sandwiched a Sean O’Sullivan placed ball effort to reduce the margin to four by the 39th minute.

But Mid Kerry’s defence shut up shop thereafter with Fergal Griffin, Pa Kilkenny and Walsh to the fore as they limited to Rathmore to a single point in the closing 21 minutes of the game.

Scorers for Mid Kerry: S O’Sullivan 0-4 (0-3f), G O’Grady (0-1f), J Flynn 0-3 each, C Kerins 0-2, B Murphy, D Walsh, G Sayers 0-1 each.

Rathmore: M O’Riordan 0-4 (0-4f), M Reen, P Murphy, G O’Keeffe 0-1 each.

MID KERRY: M Moriarty (Beaufort); G Hartnett (do.), A Cahillane (Keel), F Griffin (Glenbeigh/Glencar); B Murphy (do.), D Walsh (Cromane), P Kilkenny(Glenbeigh/Glencar); M Burke (Milltown/Castlemaine), B Delaney (do.); S O’Sullivan (Cromane), D O’Sullivan (Glenbeigh/Glencar), G Sayers (Keel); G O’Grady (Glenbeigh/Glencar), C Kerins (Milltown/Castlemaine), J Flynn (do..

Subs: D Kelliher (Milltown/Castlemaine) for D O’Sullivan (inj) (43), S Murphy (Milltown/Castlemaine) for S O’Sullivan (53), M Hallissey (Beaufort) for Burke (57).

RATHMORE: P McCarthy; K Cahill, T O’Sullivan, J O’Sullivan; P Murphy, B O’Leary, C O’Sullivan; A O’Mahony, J Buckley; E Lawlor, G O’Keeffe, M Reen; M O’Riordan, P Reen, J Moynihan.

Subs: C Kelly for O’Leary (half-time), D O’Sullivan for Lawlor (half-time), S Lehane for P Reen (45), D Moynihan for M Reen (53).

Referee: Paul Hayes (Kerins O’Rahilly’s)