East Kerry final: Dr Crokes give Colm Cooper perfect wedding gift
Only 24 hours after marrying Céitilís Ní Bheaglaoich in Dingle on Saturday, Colm 'Gooch' Cooper celebrated once again on Sunday with Johnny and Otis Buckley and Dr Crokes teamates when they won the East Kerry Senior Football Final (O'Donoghue Cup) in Fitzgerald Stadium. Picture: Don MacMonagle
Dr Crokes survived a storming Spa comeback to win the 2020 East Kerry SFC title at Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It was a 31st divisional crown for the Killarney powerhouses.
Less than 24 hours after his wedding, Colm Cooper took the team through their warm-up and was on the sideline for a game played out in horrendous conditions.
Crokes were against the breeze in the first period but struck for three goals to give them a decisive lead. David Shaw had a shot saved by Spa goalkeeper James Devane in the 12th minute but Evan Looney collected and finished the rebound to put his side into a 1-1 to 0-2 lead. Shaw set up Micheal Burns for the second goal in the 17th minute just before the water break which put them 2-1 to 0-3 to the good.
Shaw had their goal - netting after a tremendous 40 metre run in the 25th minute as Crokes’ advantage stood at 3-4 to 0-5 at half time. Spa were looking to their win their first East Kerry title since 1989 and took a gamble in the second period in bringing on Liam Kearney who has been struggling with injury recently. It nearly paid off though as they held Crokes scoreless for 13 minutes in the second period and a Niall McCarthy goal before the second water break gave them hope at 3-6 to 1-9. In the 52nd minute, Shane Cronin made a great burst for Kearney to make it a one-point game at 3-7 to 2-9 with Spa’s second goal as Crokes needed late points from substitutes Jordan Kiely and Daithi Casey to seal the win.
Michael ‘Stam’ O’Donoghue fisted a potential match winning goal from a high ball straight at Crokes goalkeeper Brendan Falvey prior to Casey’s point in the second minute of additional time. The win gives Crokes’ Kieran O’Leary an 11th O’Donoghue Cup medal, one behind both Eoin Brosnan and Cooper on 12 as Michael Moloney, John Payne, Johnny Buckley and Brian Looney join club stalwarts Con Clifford RIP and Jack Looney on 10 medals.
D Shaw (1-2), T Brosnan (0-4, 3f), E Looney and M Burns (1-0 each), M O’Shea, J Kiely and D Casey (0-1 each).
N McCarthy (1-2, 1m), L Kearney (1-0), E Cronin and M Foley (0-2, 2f each), D O’Donoghue, R Carroll and M O’Donoghue (0-1 each).
B Falvey; J Payne, D Naughton, F Fitzgerald; M Cooper, G White, E Looney; M O’Shea, J Buckley; G O’Shea, M Burns, B Looney; T Brosnan, D Shaw, K O’Leary.
D Casey for J Buckley (36); J Kiely for M Cooper (36); M Moloney for D Naughton (47); M Potts for G O’Shea (60).
J Devane; B Lynch, E Fitzgerald, S Lynch; S Cronin, D O’Donoghue, R Carroll; C Spillane, G Vaughan; N O’Mahony, M Foley, D Moynihan; N McCarthy, E Cronin, C Tobin
L Kearney for N O’Mahony (H/T) and M O’Donoghue for C Tobin (44).
E Walsh (Rathmore).
