Dylan Geaney leads Dingle into first Munster SFC decider
BREAKING THROUGH: Dingle's Dylan Geaney with Decky Nee and Seamus Kennedy of the Clonmel Commercials. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
Dylan Geaney was the pick of Dingle’s team as his five points helped the West Kerry club into their first Munster SFC final next month.
Tom O’Sullivan and Paul Geaney provided the insurance scores in additional time but Dylan Geaney was immense for Pádraig Corcoran’s side in front of a 1,360 crowd in Thurles.
Down a point at half-time, Dingle were dominant upon the restart and overpowered Commercials on the kick-outs, which had been a strength of theirs in the opening half.
Conor and Dylan Geaney applied the finishing touches, the latter scoring three of Dingle’s first four points in the second half. Seán O’Connor followed a free with a mark to tie up matters for an eighth time only for Conor Geaney to fist over his second points shortly afterwards.
Dingle went ahead by two for the second time in 10 minutes when Barry Dan O’Sullivan slotted over a point and then followed a long period of patient Commercials’ possession before Michael Quinlivan angled a score.
Dylan Geaney once more put Dingle two to the good only for Jack Kennedy to land a massive score to set up a tense finale. However, Dingle’s resolve withstood the pressure as their Kerry representatives O’Sullivan and Geaney turned up with scores.
At the outset, inter-county men were matched with inter-county men. Tom O’Sullivan tracked Quinlivan in a roaming role that should have been more to his liking but both were largely peripheral figures in the first half.
At the other end, Tipperary hurler Seamus Kennedy was given the duty of shadowing Paul Geaney although that was often a collegiate responsibility such was the amount of attention devoted to the Kerry forward by the Commercials’ defence.
Commercials could argue the quality of their score openings was better but it was Dingle who registered five wides and a struck post by the interval to their opponents’ one wide.
That excluded the two goal openings that came their way. After levelling the game with his seventh minute mark, O’Connor had a goalbound shot deflected onto the post.
The sides were again level, 0-3 apiece, in the 25th minute when Colman Kennedy struck for the net only for Tom Leo O’Sullivan to put his body in the way. As consolation, Ross Peters followed up with a point to put Commercials ahead for the first time.
Paul Geaney responded quickly to square the game for a fourth time but Colman Kennedy’s point just shy of the break saw Clonmel lead at the turnaround, 0-5 to 0-4.
It was a second successive point for Commercials from their kick-out and Dingle were guilty of being lax in their tracking. They had been just as slow in averting danger before Matthew Flaherty brought down Cathal Deely for a free which O’Connor converted in the 22nd minute.
Having two points to his name by the 18th minute, Flaherty was the brightest of the Dingle players and he was furious that he had been forced to make the professional foul on O’Connor.
S. O’Connor (0-4, 2 frees, 2 marks); J. Kennedy (0-2); R. Peters, C. Kennedy, P. McGarry, M. Quinlivan (0-1 each).
: D. Geaney (0-5): M. Flaherty, C. Geaney, P. Geaney (0-2 each); B.D. O’Sullivan, T. O’Sullivan (0-1 each).
M. O’Reilly; S. Kennedy (c), J. Morris; T. Condon; R. O’Dowd, K. Fahey, P. Looram; J. Kennedy, A. Matassa, R. Peters; C. Deely, C. Kennedy, M. Quinlivan; P. McGarry, S. O’Connor.
Subs for Clonmel Commercials: J. Peters for K. Fahey (inj 37); C. Cannon for A. Matassa (58); D. Nee for R. Peters (60+1).
: G. Curran; T.L. O’Sullivan, N. Geaney, C. Flannery; D. O’Sullivan; T. O’Sullivan, B. O’Connor, M. Flannery; B.D. O’Sullivan, B. O’Connor; M. Flaherty, C. Geaney, M. Geaney; D. Geaney, P. Geaney (c).
Subs for Dingle: T. Browne for M. Flannery (56); C. O’Sullivan for B. O’Connor (60+3).
: J. Ryan (Cork).
