Three-goal Rathmore advance to Kerry last-eight with win over battling Shannon Rangers

Rathmore are in the quarter-finals but they are also down to the bare bones of players.

QUARTER-FINALISTS: Paul Murphy of Rathmore. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Kerry SFC round 3: Rathmore 3-13 Shannon Rangers 1-14 

Rathmore were deserving winners over a battling Shannon Rangers side in this well contested Kerry SFC round three clash at Castleisland Desmonds' pitch and now go into the hat for the quarter-final draw on Sunday evening.

But while manager David McCarthy will be happy with the win, he is fast running out of players with influential midfielder Cathal Ryan having to retire with suspected concussion after a clash of heads with Shannon Rangers' Jack O’Sullivan that saw the game held up in the opening quarter for six minutes. 

Rathmore also lost corner back Cian Dineen, Brendan O’Keeffe and Mark Reen before the start and when you throw in long term causalities Mark Ryan, Brian Friel and Anthony Darmody, and then it is clear that Rathmore are down the bare bones.

Shannon Rangers exit the championship but Pat O’Driscoll has done well with a very young squad and they were forced to start without a keeper who wasn’t on the squad in Eoin Tydings and then when he got injured during the second half, veteran defender Danny Wren was forced to don the gloves.

The first half belonged to Rathmore who had Fionn Murphy, Dan Murphy and Cian Dineen in superb form at the back while Paul Murphy was hovering up loose ball around the middle third as Rathmore struck for an early goal.

Paul Murphy played the ball through to James Darmody who found John Moynihan raiding in from the left. He slipped his mark and shot low past a helpless Rangers keeper. Rathmore added points from James Darmody (2) and a superb Shane Ryan point from play as Rathmore jumped 1-3 to 0-1 in front at the end of the first quarter.

But Shannon Rangers, owing to the work of Rob Stack, a Kerry senior in the making, were back in the game thanks to points from Stack, Evan Boyle, Jack Kennelly and the impressive Adam Segal, but Shane Ryan and James Darmody kept Rathmore ticking over as they led 1-5 to 0-5 entering six minutes of added time.

But it was Rathmore who finished the half the stronger with points from Shane Ryan, Darragh Nagle and outstanding centre back Fionn Murphy.

Rathmore led at the break 1-8 to 0-5 but had Kevin Goulding goaled in the first quarter, when he saw his shot being cleared off the line by William Casey, the game would have been much closer. 

The second was very much about Rathmore controlling the tempo as Adam Segal, Evan Boyle and Shaun Wren ran at them. Two early Shannon Rangers points from Stack and Kennelly closed the gap to four but in the 35th minute Ryan found Padraig Moynihan with a defence splitting pass, and the former Kerry minor buried the ball in the net.

William Casey then denied  Kennelly with a superb save but Darmody scored at the other end. Kennelly did his best as did Luke Rochford to close the gap with some excellent points while Murphy scored an inspirational point for Rathmore.

Shannon Rangers brought it back to a goal 2-13 to 1-13 in the 60th minute thanks to a Liam Toomey goal but Ciaran Collins secured the Rathmore with a third goal in the 64th minute.

Scorers for Rathmore: J Moynihan (1-1), S Ryan (0-4, 2fs), P Moynihan and C Collins (1-0 each), J Darmody (0-3, 1f), F Murphy (0-2, D Rahilly, P Murphy and D Nagle (0-1 each)

Scorers for Shannon Rangers: J Kennelly (0-5, 4fs), L Toomey (1-0), L Rochford (0-3), R Stack and A Segal (1f) (0-2 each), E Boyle and D Mulvihill (0-1 each).

RATHMORE: W Casey; C O’Connor, D Murphy, T Holohan; A Dineen, F Murphy, F Holohan; D Rahilly, C Ryan; P Moynihan, P Murphy, C Collins; J Darmody, S Ryan, J Moynihan.

Subs: D Nagle for C Ryan 6, T O’Doherty for C O’Connor 57, B Moynihan for P Moynihan 61 

SHANNON RANGERS: E Tydings ( Beale); D Mulvihill ( Tarbert), T O’Carroll ( Ballydonoghue), J Gogarty ( Ballydonoghue); B Mason ( Ballydonoghue), J Foley ( Ballydonoghue), K Goulding ( Ballyduff); R Stack ( Beale), J O’Sullivan ( Ballyduff); A Segal ( Ballyduff), E Boyle ( Ballyduff), B O’Neill ( Ballydonoghue) ; D Slattery ( Ballyduff), J Kennelly ( Ballydonoghue), L Rochford ( Ballyduff).

Subs: S Wren (Tarbert) for J O’Sullivan 6, D Wren (Tarbert) for E Tydings 38, C Egan (Tarbert) for J Gogarty 47, C Toomey for K Goulding 50, Liam Guiney (Ballydonoghue) for D Slattery 50.

Referee: P Hayes (Kerins O’Rahillys)