Kerry MFC final: North Kerry make history to claim first minor title
CHAMPIONS: North Kerry captain Eddie Healy pictured with the Cup after his team won the final played at Austin Stack Park. Pic: Domnick Walsh/Eye Focus Ltd.
A strong first half display was enough to give North Kerry a massive boost for football in the region as the amalgamation of Feale and Shannon Rangers for Kerry underage competitions yielded its first piece of silverware with a Kerry MFC final replay win over a gallant Mid Kerry outfit.
A free flowing and high scoring first half was replaced by a very nervous second period that saw plenty of errors and a lot fewer scores for both sides.
North Kerry made four changes from last week’s team and it looked inspired early on as they went into a lead of 0-7 to 0-1 after nine minutes. Patrick O’Connor was making the most of the chance given to him as Oisín Healy kicked 0-7 (3f, 2m) of North Kerry’s first half total. Mid Kerry soon settled and managed to get better possession of the ball for themselves.
They were the ones looking more likely to score a goal and they obliged in the 28th minute when Darragh O’Connor passed to Tony Óg Duffy as he managed to punch the ball past Jake Heffernan into the North Kerry net.
That made the score 0-12 to 1-7 and Dara Hogan rattled the bar soon after for Mid Kerry with Conor Egan needing to gather the rebound to safety for North Kerry. Healy’s final point of the first half brought the margin back to three but it felt like anyone’s game at half-time.
The second half was a nervous affair, though. North Kerry missed chance after chance to kill it off, including one right in front of the posts as an Evan Boyle point and an eighth from Healy put them into a 0-16 to 1-10 lead after 56 minutes. Mid Kerry substitute James Dempsey brought it back to two points but North Kerry finally calmed their nerves enough to go on and win.
The score that settled it came in the second minute of extra time as substitute Luke Rochford picked out Healy with a superb ball for a finish that led to North Kerry’s historic win. Dara Hogan was black carded late on for Mid Kerry. What was more impressive about North Kerry’s win was they won without this year’s Kerry Minor captain Cormac Dillon who missed out on the game through injury.
O Healy (1-8, 3f, 2m), P O’Connor and J Enright (0-2 each), P Walsh, J Enright, J Moloney and E Boyle (0-1 each).
D O’Connor (0-4, 1f), T Óg Duffy (1-0), D Hogan (0-3, 1f), F Griffin, J McGrath, M Murphy and J Dempsey (0-1 each).
J Heffernan (Duagh); T Kelly (Listowel Emmets), D Mulvihill (Tarbert), C Egan (do); P O’Connor (Moyvane), C Sweeney (do), P Walsh (Listowel Emmets); E Healy (do), E Boyle (Ballyduff); D O’Keeffe (Moyvane), J Enright (Ballyduff), J Brosnan (Moyvane); O Healy (Asdee), J Moloney (Moyvane), A Carey (Listowel Emmets).
L Rochford (Ballyduff) for J Moloney (44), A Kennelly (Listowel Emmets) for A Carey (51), F Mulvihill (Moyvane) for J Enright (58) and R Foley (Ballydonoghue) for J Brosnan (60 +3).
J Casey (Cromane); B Downes (Milltown/Castlemaine), L O’Neill (Cromane), D Coffey (Beaufort); G Evans (Keel), J Coffey (Beaufort), A Dinham (Milltown/Castlemaine); L Evans (Keel) F Griffin (do); T Óg Duffey (Cromane), D O’Connor (Beaufort), F O’Sullivan (Glenbeigh/Glencar); K O’Sullivan (do), D Hogan (Milltown/Castlemaine), J McGrath (Cromane).
M Murphy (Keel) for F O’Sullivan and O Spring (Milltown/Castlemaine) for B Downes (both H/T) and J Dempsey (do) for J McGrath (44).
B Fleming (Currow).
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