Waterville hosts festive finale

IT HAS the potential to be the best Christmas that the South Kerry parish of Dromid has savoured for quite some time.

Having won the Kerry and Munster junior football championships, and now looking forward to an All-Ireland semi-final in late January, Dromid Pearses are hoping to finish this memorable season in the best possible fashion — by winning the South Kerry senior championship today, for just the second time ever.

But standing in their way in Waterville (1.30pm throw-in) are the three-in-a-row chasing St Mary’s that last year twice defeated Dromid in crunch derby matches, so Dromid manager Michael Anthony O’Connell admits that his side face a massive challenge this afternoon.

O’Connell said: “St Mary’s are a huge test for us. They have Bryan Sheehan, an All-Star footballer, in midfield. We all know about Maurice Fitzgerald and what he brings to the game, and they have some lovely, lively forwards as well.

“They beat us fair and square in the county junior final last year. We didn’t perform on the day. We gave them a good game in the South Kerry semi-final last year but their experience pulled them through. But we have experience now and are quietly optimistic.”

O’Connell — who won the South Kerry championship nine times with Valentia — feels his side, led by Kerry star Declan O’Sullivan, can cause a shock today by clinching a first South Kerry title since 2004 (Dromid beat St Mary’s in the 2004 final to win their only senior district crown). “St Mary’s are favourites but I believe in this Dromid team and there is another level that they can get to, and I am confident we will see that today,” the Dromid manager said.

“We have been playing almost every week for the past 10 weeks and that has kept us on our toes. The winning mentality we have picked up will help us.”

Dromid are facing a St Mary’s team that, despite suffering relegation from division two of the league this year, had already won the All-Ireland junior club final, on the back of Kerry and Munster success. With Sheehan and Fitzgerald two big-game players for St Mary’s, Dromid have it all to do to ensure the Jack Murphy Cup finds a new home for Christmas.