Spillane kills off West Kerry hopes with late late point

Templenoe just overcame a plucky challenge from a somewhat unfancied West Kerry

3-10-2021: Templenoe V Spa: Killian Spillane on the ball for Templenoe in the Templenoe V Spa Senior Club Championship Group 2 /Round 3 in SPA, Killarney on Sunday.

Kerry County Championship Group 1:       

Templenoe 2-13 West Kerry 0-18 

An eighth and final point from Killian Spillane, his fifth from a free, deep in injury time was the decisive score for Templenoe in a Round 1 win in the Garveys Supervalu Kerry SFC in Fitzgerald Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

They overcame a plucky challenge from a somewhat unfancied West Kerry who pushed them to the final whistle in a generally open affair.

West Kerry had the better of the first quarter in leading by 0-5 to 0-3 as both sides went up and down the pitch in search of scores. Matters arguably changed with Templenoe’s first goal, Stephen O’Sullivan ran through and had a shot that a combination of West Kerry goalkeeper Sean Ó Lúing and Jason Hickson kept out but Aidan Crowley knocked in the rebound to put Templenoe in front at 1-3 to 0-5.

The club side lost Adrian Spillane to injury after 25 minutes (in what appeared to be a muscle strain) but it mattered little initially as Stephen O’Sullivan tried his luck from close range with a lob that went into the net to make it 2-5 to 0-7. Thomas O’Donnell got a point that left West Kerry three behind at half-time (2-5 to 0-8) but it could have been an awful lot better for them had Cathal Ferriter not hit the butt of the post.

Cathal Ó Beaglaoich put the district side ahead for the first time in 23 minutes in the 48th minute as Templenoe needed some inter-county experience to get over the line. Tadhg Morley made a powerful run for one Templenoe score but Dara Ó Sé’s seventh point of the game in the 59th minute looked like giving West Kerry an honest share of the spoils.

Templenoe held the ball well though and got the free they needed for Spillane to give them the win in the end.

Scorers for Templenoe: K Spillane (0-8, 5f), S O’Sullivan (1-1, 1m) A Crowley (1-0), G Crowley, T Morley, S Sheehan and P Clifford (0-1 each) 

Scorers for West Kerry: D Ó Sé (0-7, 2f), C Ferriter (0-3), K Falvey, R Ó Sé and C Ó Beaglaoich (0-2 each), T O’Donnell and J Crean (0-1 each) 

TEMPLENOE: M Looney; M Hallissey, K O’Neill, M Casey; G Crowley, T Morley, M Reilly; S Sheehan, A Spillane; S O’Sullivan, P Clifford, Colin Crowley; K Spillane, B Crowley, A Crowley 

Subs: K McCarthy for A Spillane (inj, 25), D Crowley for C Crowley (H/T), Ciaran Crowley for K McCarthy (32) 

WEST KERRY: S Ó Lúing (An Ghaeltacht); M Scanlon (Castlegregory), C Ferriter (Annascaul), C Ó Lúing (An Ghaeltacht); P Óg Ó Sé (do), C O’Connell (Castlegregory), C Ó Cinnédie (Lispole); R Ó Sé (An Ghaeltacht), J Hickson (Annascaul); J Crean (do), T O’Donnell (Castlegregory), D Ó Sé (An Ghaeltacht); K Falvey (Annascaul), B Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht), C Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht) 

Subs: D Higgins (Lispole) for J Crean (57), M O’Connell (Castlegregory) for C Ferriter (60), N Higgins for C Ó Beaglaoich (60 +1) 

Referee: B O’Shea (Keel)