Rathmore all out to foil kingpins Crokes
But the reigning Kerry county champions face a huge battle against local rivals and defending kingpins Rathmore in the Kerry senior club football championship final that will unfold at Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney this evening (6.45pm).
When these two East Kerry clubs clashed in the semi-finals of this competition last year, Rathmore produced an amazing performance to come from nine points down in the first half before clinching a famous win, en route to claiming the senior crown, but Crokes gained some measure of revenge by winning the rearranged 2011 East Kerry final back in January.
Crokes received a timely boost this week when Colm Cooper was passed fit to line out this evening, as the Kerry captain had limped off with an ankle injury during the first half of last weekend’s emphatic 2-18 to 0-13 semi-final win over Laune Rangers.
Cooper, along with Kieran O’Leary, Daithí Casey, Jamie Doolan, Brian Looney and Chris Brady, form a very attack-minded forward unit that will cause Rathmore plenty of problems. And how Rathmore’s Tom O’Sullivan — yet to signal his intentions with Kerry this year — copes with Cooper will be decisive, as well as Aidan O’Mahony’s influence at midfield being critical for Rathmore.
Rising club Rathmore, after two tough victories over Killarney Legion and St Michaels/Foilmore in the past two weeks, will miss their influential captain and forward George O’Keeffe. But Marc Reen, John Moynihan, Mike O’Riordan and Conor O’Sullivan are all well capable of testing a Crokes defence that has welcomed back Mike Moloney but misses the injured Luke Quinn (back).
While Rathmore have closed the gap on Dr Crokes over the past few seasons, the Killarney club are poised to kickstart the season, under new manager Noel O’Leary, by bagging the first big trophy on offer, while also earning precious local bragging rights in the process.
The winners of this competition will represent Kerry in the Munster senior club series if a divisional side wins the senior county football championship.
