Kerry club SFC: Spa ease past Rathmore thanks to Spillane hat-trick

Spa's Dan O'Donoghue. Pic: Don MacMonagle

Kerry Senior Club Championship, Group 1: Rathmore 2-6 Spa 5-10 

Spa easily conquered group toppers Rathmore at a windswept Rathbeg pitch on Sunday evening thanks to a David Spillane hat-trick

Rathmore had rested a number of their top players, meaning this game was never a contest with Spa leading the whole way.

Spa needed Templenoe to beat Kenmare Shamrocks and then hope that their winning margin would be big enough and they did their bit with a 13-point win, but unfortunately, a draw in the Kenmare/Templenoe game meant it was all in vain.

The old adage of goals win matches proved spot on as Spa hit a porous Rathmore defense for five but the best goal of the game was the rocket scored by Rathmore substitute John Moynihan in the 59th minute. However, the game was well over at that stage.

Rathmore, without the likes of the Murphys -  Paul, Dan and Fionn - and the Ryans - Mark and Cathal  - along with the Darmodys and Brian Friel were never competitive in this game despite playing with a strong wind in the opening half.

Eoin Fitzgerald, Dan O’Donoghue and Shane Cronin were at their marauding best. Shane Ryan gave his side an early 0-2 to 0-1 lead, but Spa struck for their first goal in the eighth minute when David Spillane slipped the ball home after good build-up play.

A minute later Spa struck again after Dan O’Donoghue was adjudged to have been felled in the square and Spillane showed his Killarney Celtic soccer skills by sending keeper William Casey the wrong way from the penalty spot.

Shane Ryan converted a free but a Dan O’Donoghue point and another from Michael Foley saw Spa lead 2-3 to 0-3 at the end of the opening quarter.

Spa were on top all over the pitch but in the 28th minute, Rathmore won a penalty when John Hughes hit the deck and Shane Ryan finished to the net and when he followed up with a mark, Spa only led 2-3 to 1-4 at half time but Spa would have that strong wind.

The Killarney side dominated the second half and there were early points from Evan Cronin and Michael Kearney.

The game was put beyond Rathmore’s reach in the 40th minute when Dan O’Donoghue went on a defence-splitting run and passed to Spillane to complete his hat-trick.

Chrissy Spiers tried hard for Rathmore kicking two points but it was all too easy for Spa with late goals from Conor Stack and Eoin Fitzgerald putting the icing on the Spa cake.

Scorers for Spa: D Spillane (3-1, 1-0 pen), C Stack and E Fitzgerald (1-0 each), E Cronin and M Foley (0-3, 1f each), D O’Donoghue, S Cronin and M Kearney (0-1 each).

Scorers for Rathmore: S Ryan (1-4, 1-0 pen, 2fs), J Moynihan (1-0), C Spiers (0-2).

RATHMORE: W Casey; C O’Connor, A Moynihan, D Sheehan; F Holohan, J Buckley, T Holohan; B Moynihan, A Dineen; S Clifford , C Spiers, P Moynihan; D Nagle, S Ryan, J Hughes.

Subs: T J Friel for T Holohan (28), C Collins for J Buckley (34), J Moynihan for S Ryan (43), C O’Connor for F Holohan (55), S O’Riordan for D Sheehan (64) 

SPA: S O’Meara; E O’Donoghue, B Lynch, E Fitzgerald; C Stack, D O’Donoghue, M Foley; C Spillane, S Cronin; R O’Neill, E Cronin, M Kearney; D Spillane, Oran O’Neill, M Moynihan.

Subs: C Tobin for C Spillane (inj 8), L O’Neill for R O’Neill (49), M Horgan for M Foley (58).

Referee: B O’Shea (Keel)