South Kerry pip Crokes

Kerry SHC Final: South Kerry 1-8 Dr. Crokes 0-10

2009 All-Star Declan O’Sullivan struck the decisive point as South Kerry won the Kerry Senior Football Championship for the fourth time in six years, beating Dr. Crokes by 1-8 to 0-10 at Fitzgerald Stadium.

O’Sullivan, Killian Young and Bryan Sheehan were the county players on show for divisional side South Kerry, while Kingdom forwards Colm ‘Gooch’ Cooper and captain Eoin Brosnan led the charge for Crokes.

In wet and windy conditions in Killarney, a foul on Ronan Hussey led to a fifth minute penalty which Sheehan dispatched to the net for the ideal start for South Kerry.

The weather affected the quality of football and Crokes, who were 1-4 to 0-4 down at half-time, rallied to go ahead in the final quarter.

But Young and O’Sullivan, who are now in the running to captain Kerry next year, really stepped up to the mark, Young doing an excellent man-marking job on Cooper who was kept scoreless from play.

The match-winning point came from O’Sullivan, whose supreme work rate summed up South Kerry’s determination to regain the title. Brian Hickey also deserves a mention for his sterling efforts at wing back.