Conor Geaney stars as Dingle shake off Dr Crokes
Paul Geaney of Dingle and Charlie Keating of Dr Crokes in action at Austin Stack Park.
Conor Geaney made his case for a spot on the Kerry panel as his 1-8 saw Dingle shake off Dr Crokes to back up their Club Championship success.
The 2015 All-Ireland minor winner gave an exhibition of finishing with no miss in nine shots to get the Westerners off to a winning start in Group 4.
Crokes had the welcome return of Tony Brosnan (0-5) for his first match back since the All-Ireland semi-final and he was in sharp form in the absence of Gavin White and David Shaw.
Dingle were out for the sixth week on the trot and with scarcely a moment’s rest to toast last weekend’s Club title before opening their chase for a first County crown in 75 years.
Without the injured midfielder Barry Dan O’Sullivan, and Mark O’Connor, Paul Geaney gave Dingle plenty of possession off kick-outs and provided smart deliveries into the inside line in the first half.
O’Connor produced a fine block on Billy Courtney and even when the Aussie Rules star misjudged an opposition kick-out, he sprinted back to dispossess the Crokes attacker.
Geaney must have been grabbing the attention of Jack O’Connor in the stands from the off. Dingle had six points in the first 19 minutes and Conor accounted for all six. The first two came off his right and the next four off his sweet left boot, including two marks. The other four were all from open play.
He had no miss to his name and threatened a goal only for Mark Fitzgerald to deflect the ball over the bar.
Inside defenders Fitzgerald and Neil O’Shea were withdrawn before the break, however, as Dingle built up a four-point advantage, 0-8 to 0-4, with the influential Mikey Geaney supplying four assists.
Fionn Fitzgerald and John Payne weren’t bad subs to call on and they helped to stabilise Crokes' defence.
In Brosnan and Micheál Burns, Crokes always had a threat and they ended with the final three points to narrow the half-time deficit to the minimum.
Brosnan ended the half with three points, two laid on by Burns, while Burns added two more of his own despite being tracked closely by Tom O’Sullivan.
Brosnan’s fast hands then provided the final pair of points for Cian McMahon and Courtney.
The streak continued into the second half with Brosnan and Mark O’Shea kicking them ahead for the first time since the opening exchanges.
There were goal chances at either end. Cathal Bambury overcarried when found inside by Paul Geaney.
Then, a smart move involving Brosnan, Burns, and McMahon ended with the latter hitting the post. It fell to Evan Looney but his strike was tipped onto the crossbar by Niall Geaney.
Michael Potts was growing in influence and he laid on three points in a row for Brosnan, Brian Looney, and substitute Tom Doyle.
They led 0-13 to 0-11 but Dingle’s ace came to the fore again for a 51st minute goal. It came from a misplaced Looney free gobbled up by Billy O’Connor. Dylan Geaney found his older brother and Conor did the rest with a bullet finish.
Doyle’s second, off the outside of the boot from an acute angle, brought them level for a fifth time.
But Dingle iced the victory with a Dylan Geaney mark and a Paul Geaney free.
C Geaney (1-8, 0-2 marks, 0-2 frees); D Geaney (1 mark), P Geaney (2 frees) (0-2 each); C Bambury (0-1 each).
T Brosnan (0-5, 2 frees); M Burns (1 free), M O’Shea, T Doyle (0-2 each); B Courtney, B Looney, C McMahon (0-1 each).
G Curran; C Flannery, C O’Sullivan, T Leo O’Sullivan; M Flannery, T O’Sullivan, Brian O’Connor; M O’Connor, Billy O’Connor; M Geaney, D Geaney, N Geaney; C Geaney, P Geaney (capt), C Bambury.
M Flaherty for C O’Sullivan (41), B Devane for Bambury (53), P Devane for Billy O’Connor (60).
S Murphy; M Fitzgerald, N O’Shea, B Looney; D Naughton, E Looney, M Potts; M O’Shea, C Keating; B Courtney, C M Burns, G O’Shea (capt); K O'Leary, T Brosnan, C McMahon.
F Fitzgerald for M Fitzgerald (27), J Payne for N O’Shea (27), T Doyle for Courtney (41), D Casey for G O’Shea (53), M Casey for McMahon (59).
S Mulvihill (St Senan’s).
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