Kerry SHC: Causeway and Kilmoyley drawn together in 'group of death'

Reigning Kerry SHC champions Causeway have been drawn in the 'group of death' along with 2021 champions Kilmoyley, and 2021 beaten finalists St Brendans

TOUGH DRAW: The Causeway team celebrate with the Neilus Flynn cup after the 2022 Kerry SHC final at Austin Stack Park in Tralee. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Reigning Kerry SHC champions Causeway have been drawn in what their manager Stephen Goggin described as the 'group of death' along with 2021 champions, Kilmoyley, and 2021 beaten finalists St Brendans.

The maroon and white were drawn in Group C of the three-group championship as top seed, and with just two teams emerging from the group; one top side is going to be an early casualty.

The other groups are also competitive. Group A sees County Championship runners-up and 25 time winners Ballyduff drawn with Lixnaw and Ballyheigue. Ballyduff and Lixnaw would probably be most people’s fancies to emerge there, but Ballyheigue are a side on the up and got their first championship win in over a decade last year when they beat Lixnaw.

Group B, meanwhile, sees Crotta O’Neills, Dr Crokes and Abbeydorney drawn together, with the two North Kerry clubs almost certain to be viewed as the most likely to emerge. However, none of these three sides have won the championship for close on fifty years, (Abbeydorney in 1974 is the most recent) though Dr Crokes have been playing well in the league under new manager Aidan O’Mahony and could well be dark horses for advancing to a quarter-final.

Two of the group topping sides will go straight-through to the semi-final stage, with a third group winner having to play in the quarter-finals against the second placed sides in each group. A draw will be made to determine which group winners get direct passage.

The championship is scheduled to get underway on the weekend of June 17/18/19.

Speaking after the draw Causeway Stephen Goggin was upbeat and excited despite the daunting draw.

“I called it on the way in chatting to the lads and predicted that we would be drawn with Kilmoyley and St Brendans. Look, it is what it is. There will be two tough games so we will really know what we are about if we come out of this group. We played St Brendans a couple of weeks ago in the county league and they looked to be impressive. 

"Then Kilmoyley are Kilmoyley and they are not on the top of the roll of honour for nothing. One very strong team is going to go out and we must make sure that it’s not us. It’s going to be cut throat for sure. I am sure Kilmoyley and St Brendans are thinking the same way as we are, it’s going to be a tough battle for us, but sure that is what championship is all about." 

Goggin feels that there are potential upsets in all the groups.

“I think Group B is the same as two years ago with Crotta, Dr Crokes and Abbeydorney all in with a chance of advancing. We played Dr Crokes a few weeks ago in the county league and I was very impressed by them although they were missing a good few on the night. Ballyduff lost the final last year so they will want to qualify from Group A but Lixnaw who made an early exit last year are training very hard, have a lot of players back, Shane Conway is back to form and they are my dark horses for the championship. It’s all the play for."

Kerry SHC draw.

Group A: Ballyduff, Lixnaw, Ballyheigue. 

Group B: Crotta O’Neills, Dr Crokes, Abbeydorney. 

Group C: Causeway, Kilmoyley, St Brendans.