Templenoe make historic senior bow a memorable one
Kerry SFC
Templenoe 3-7 Dingle 1-12
JOHN Rice’s expression was a picture as he circled his Templenoe players doing their warm-down at the final whistle in Páirc an Ághasaigh.
Proud but drained, his face was steel grey. But the eyes were the giveaway, dancing with delirium and the scale of what the senior championship debutants had achieved.
This wasn’t quite the stuff of Buster Douglas but bookies were still quoting Dingle at 1/7. Templenoe had rattled cages in the club championship, but away to Dingle it was a tall order, and most everything had to go right.
In the context of what Templenoe could control, they set out a nigh perfect gameplan. Their inter-county players — all four — were heroic. But hardly more so than others, “unsung heroes” as Rice called them, like championship debutant Martin Reilly, Tom Spillane, workaholic midfielder Sean Sheehan, and captain Teddy Doyle.
From the back, where Tadhg Morley held Paul Geaney scoreless, to the imperious sweeping of Gavin Crowley in front of him.
To Adrian Spillane and to the attack’s focal point, Killian Spillane, who wasn’t averse to occasional treks back to his own full back line.
The manager said they lack depth on the bench. Maybe so, but Templenoe didn’t lack it in the gut. “Nobody gave us a chance, and it took us a while (in the club championship) to find our feet at senior level,” said Rice.
“The only downside of this moment is that our people, the Templenoe people, couldn’t be here to see it. It’s fantastic of the Examiner to live-stream it. We are a small rural community and this is an important moment in our lives. It’s a huge step-up to senior championship and to get a win in our first appearance is a wonderful feeling.”
What of Dingle? Padraig Corcoran, their manager, will be disappointed it took his players so long to get to the pitch of the game in their own backyard. Off more possession, they were less clinical and more error-prone.
They had a good start, a cracking pass from Tom O’Sullivan teeing up Matthew O’Flaherty for a 12th-minute goal that put them in the driving seat, 1-2 to 0-2.
But over the next ten minutes, they conceded 1-3, the opening Templenoe goal coming from captain Teddy Doyle who scorched through the middle of the Dingle ‘defence’, the word used loosely. Similarly, one deceiving bounce, from Sean Sheehan’s hopeful ball, unhinged the home rearguard and was gobbled up by Killian Spillane for the second goal on 27 minutes.
1-3 to 2-5 now, and with a Dingle goal chance spurned by the otherwise sublime Tom O’Sullivan, the home side needed their inside trio of Geaneys to catch fire. Conor would lead the second-half surge but Dingle couldn’t pick Templenoe’s lock to get Paul Geaney more involved.
The Kerry scoresmith finished empty-handed.
Three ahead at the break, Templenoe broke with devastating effect in the 33rd minute when wing-back John Rice presented Josh Crowley-Holland with the simple back post finish for a third goal. One can query how Dingle were so exposed in the early exchanges of the second half, but the psychological effect of the goal was almost as decisive as the doubling of Templenoe’s lead.
“We were making inroads but the third goal knocked the wind out of our sails,” admitted Dingle manager Padraig Corcoran. “It definitely gave them momentum and something to hang onto. We brought a bit more in the second half, but we were chasing after their third.” Chase they did, mind. Conor Geaney finished with five points, four in the second half capped by an outrageous effort from the sideline. A super catch and pass from Barry O’Sullivan — deemed unfit to start with an ankle problem — teed up playmaker Tom O’Sullivan for a 45th-minute point. Dingle were now within one (3-6 to 1-11) with time and the elements on their side.
Perhaps the final water break killed their momentum, but credit must go to Templenoe who burned up plenty of clock with lengthy bouts of possession in the last ten minutes. Corcoran made the reasonable point that while they are senior championship debutants, they have recent history when it comes to winning championship games.
“I wasn’t listening to any of the stuff during the week and nor were our players. Templenoe are a very experienced championship-winning team. They have shown that coming up from intermediate and they have taken that on with the tight games they’ve had in the club championship this year.” Killian Spillane put them two up, Tom O’Sullivan replied but Templenoe secured enough possession off turnover ball in the last five minutes to avoid the mistakes that cost them against Kenmare in the club campaign. Their pick may be small, but momentum is huge. No-one, not even quarter-final opponents next Sunday, Dr Crokes, would take them for granted now.
K Spillane (1-5, 2 frees), J Crowley Holland (1-0), T Doyle (1- 0), B Crowley, S O’Sullivan (0-1 each).
: C Geaney (0-5, 2 frees), M O Flaherty (1-0), T O’Sullivan (0-3), D Geaney (0-2 each), D O’Connor G Durant (0-1 each).
: D O’Connor. T Leo O’Sullivan, P O’Connor, M Flannery; A. O’Connor, T. O’Sullivan, M Boyle; D. O’Sullivan, L O’Connor; R McCarthy, M Geaney, M O’Flaherty; D Geaney, P Geaney, C Geaney.
: G Durant for M Geaney (19), B O’Sullivan for D O’Sullivan (41), C Bambury for McCarthy (54), N Geaney for Boyle (60).
: M Looney; T Spillane, T Morley, K. O’Neill; M Reilly, G Crowley, J Rice; S Sheehan, A Spillane; T Doyle, B Crowley, J Crowley Holland; S O’Sullivan, K Spillane, C. Crowley.
: C Hallissey for A Spillane (52); K McCarthy for T Spillane (inj, 55).
: B Brosnan (Glenflesk)
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