Magic Mid Kerry prevail in talent show for the ages

Mid Kerry overturned a four-point extra-time deficit to book a surprise Kerry SFC final spot against champions East Kerry

Micheal Burns, Dr Crokes, and Peter Crowley of Mid Kerry. Photo by Domnick Walsh

Kerry SFC semi-final: Mid Kerry 3-20 Dr Crokes 3-19 (AET) 

Van Morrison had a point. Wouldn’t it be great if it was like this all the time?

With virtually no-one there to say otherwise, who would argue that this Kerry SFC semi-final cracker in Tralee was the game of the season. It wasn’t so much the demise of favoured Dr Crokes that had the handful present agog as much as it was the sheer artistry and impudence of the attacking play from both sides.

Forty five scores in 70-odd minutes, 6-33 from open play, the vanquished making light of the missing gunslingers Tony Brosnan, Daithi Casey and Jordan Kiely with 3- 19 — and still coming up shy.

The victors delightfully oblivious to the pre-ordained script of an East Kerry-Crokes derby in the county final, even when the latter went four points to the good in the second period of extra time.

Gavan O’Grady for Mid Kerry, and Crokes’ Michael Burns and Kieran O’Leary put on a forward’s clinic at times as the momentum swayed hither and tither. The script appeared to take a decisive turn towards Mid Kerry early in the second period when, first, midfielder Ronan Murphy, then his Beaufort club colleague Ciaran Kennedy, goaled within 90 seconds. It turned a deadlocked semi into a 2-11 to 1-8 lead for Mid Kerry to protect. 

Many a side has tried and failed to poke a stick into Crokes’ spokes and it was only three minutes later that David Shaw fed Chris Doncel to goal for Crokes. Three more points and they had restored parity by the 45th minute. In truth, they looked the likelier to kick on. The script now had a familiar ending about it.

But the sides continued to slug it out, haymakers everywhere, and they were still level at 2-13 each after 53 minutes. Mid Kerry weren’t going away. They had leaders in every line — David Mangan, Mike Breen, Ronan Murphy, Fiachra Clifford, and 1-13 from a full-forward line with scoreless Darran O’Sullivan running himself to a standstill.

Historically it’s a divisional outfit that’s competitive without being a perennial threat at the business end of affairs. Champions in 2008, they lost to Austin Stacks in the final six years ago, and more recently added the bonus of Laune Rangers in their ranks. But what they may lack in Hollywood glitter, they compensate with an even spread of proper players, the majority of whom have donned county colours at some grade. That they were able to bring in scoring subs in extra-time like Caolin Teahan, Cathal Moriarty and match-winner Jack O’Connor was ultimately decisive.

Mid Kerry's Colin McGillycuddy takes a high catch against Dr Crokes at Austin Stack Park. Photo by Domnick Walsh

“I thought the game was gone after we conceded that six-point lead,” admitted manager Peter O’Sullivan afterwards. “We got good impact from the bench again.

"We nearly have too many players, but we go horses for courses. It’s a great problem to have.” 

Crokes’ Kieran O’Leary levelled the game at 2-16 each two minutes into injury-time, and when Mark O’Shea’s mark and score was followed in extra-time by a Gavin White goal straight from the Crokes playbook, we nodded sagely and began finger-counting their county finals appearances since 2009 (it would have been ten of the last 12, if you like useless information).

Gavan O’Grady rendered it so. The Glenbeigh-Glencar attacker suffered the devilish hamstring tear off the bone a couple of years ago and is only now finding his feet and his confidence. He claimed 1-8 on Saturday but only a handful of forwards not playing inter-county could have skidded his 77th minute effort to the net to ignite Mid Kerry’s storybook ending.

Crokes’ manager Edmund O’Sullivan wasn’t quite so appreciative. He was still seething at his side affording Mid Kerry the chance to rescue a final berth.

“It’s not the first time this year we’ve blown a winning position. We were six up against Kenmare to get to a club final, we nearly threw away a lead against Stacks in the first round of the championship. It is something we have to improve on, we have thrown away numerous games and if we don’t learn how to see them out we are not going to win what we want to win.

“We were up three, with a couple of minutes left, and forced the ball into a one v two inside in the full-forward line and they went down and kicked a score. We should have recycled. This club is built on more than individuals, whether it’s Tony Brosnan, Gavin White, David Shaw, even when Colm Cooper was playing with us... It’s built on winning county championships.

“We scored 3-19 without Tony Brosnan and we didn’t see it out. This group is good enough to be in a county final but we let ourselves down again by not seeing out a football game.” 

Most nights, they would have got over the line. But once Mid Kerry had levelled it with O’Grady’s goal, they had the fresher minds and limbs to power on, Beaufort’s Jack O’Connor, guiding over the winner.

What of all-conquering East Kerry in the final, Peter O’Sullivan was asked. “Ask him on Monday”, smiled Darran O’Sullivan, hobbling with cramp. “I must talk to him about me chasing young lads around the place.” 

Cillian Fitzgerald of Dr Crokes tracks Mid Kerry's Fiachra Clifford at Austin Stack Park. Picture: Domnick Walsh

Scorers for Mid Kerry: G O’Grady (1-8, 3 frees), L Carey (0-4, 1 free), R Murphy (1-1), C Kennedy (1-0), D Mangan, P Kilkenny, D Roche, F Clifford, C Moriarty, C Teahan, J O’Connor (0-1 each).

Scorers for Dr Crokes: M Burns (1-5), K O’Leary (0-5, 1 free), C Doncel (1-1), G White (1-1), B Looney, D Shaw (0-2 each), F Fitzgerald, J Buckley, M O’Shea (0-1 each).

MID KERRY: S Cahillane (Keel); J Brosnan (Glenbeigh-Glencar), P Wrenn (Milltown-Castlemaine), David Mangan (Laune Rangers); P. Crowley (Laune Rangers), M Breen (Beaufort), P Kilkenny (Glenbeigh-Glencar); C McGillycuddy (Glenbeigh-Glencar), R Murphy (Beaufort); D Roche (Milltown-Castlemaine), F Clifford (Laune Rangers), C Kennedy (Beaufort); G O’Grady (Glenbeigh-Glencar), L Carey (Beaufort), D. O’Sullivan (Glenbeigh-Glencar).

Subs: J O’Connor (Beaufort) for C Kennedy (50); C Moriarty (Milltoewn-Castlemaine) for Clifford (53); S O’Brien (Beaufort) for Roche (56); C Teahon (Glenbeigh Glencar) for D. O’Sullivan (64); K O’Sullivan (Cromane) for Wrenn (ET 3); G Horan (Milltown-Castlemaine) for Brosnan (half time ET); G Sayers (Keel) for D Mangan (ET 13)

DR CROKES: S Murphy; D Naughton, M Moloney, F Fitzgerald; D O’Leary, G White, M Potts; J Buckley, M O’Shea; C Fitzgerald, M Burns, B Looney; K O’Leary, G O’Shea, D Shaw.

Subs: C Doncel for G O’Shea (half time); J Payne for C Fitzgerald (41); C O’Regan for O’Leary (42); A O’Sullivan for Buckley (43); B Falvey for Potts (56); M Potts for Shaw (half time ET).

Referee: P Hayes (Kerins O’Rahillys).