Dr Crokes chasing Kerry silverware treble after downing dogged St Brendan's challenge 

Kieran O'Leary and Brian Looney led the way for Dr Crokes to see off St Brendan's.

FINAL-BOUND: Dr Crokes' Gavin White bursts past his Kerry colleague Joe O'Connor (St Brendan's) during Saturday's Kerry SFC semi final in Tralee. Pic: Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD .

Kerry SFC semi-final: Dr Crokes 0-14 St Brendan’s 0-9.

WHISPER it, quietly if you are around Killarney, but Dr Crokes are sixty minutes away from a remarkable Kerry football treble.

If they clinch their 14th county championship title in a fortnight, the Bishop Moynihan Cup will take pride of place in their Lewis Road lair, nudging sideways the Club SFC and Division 1 titles annexed already this season.

Not bad for a side emerging from a period of transition.

At times in Tralee on Saturday evening, they were smooth like whipped cream but their performance was not as complete as it could have been, nor as they would have wanted. St Brendan’s kept them honest to the death.

That’s no galloping shock given the division side's roster, and Jack Savage’s black card with 12 minutes remaining had the feeling of significance around it, not least because his colleagues were still only a score in arrears, 0-11 to 0-8.

It got a point closer in the 53rd minute when St Brendan’s attacker Paddy Lane made it a two-point game. This was the gut-check Crokes needed, especially after frittering away a number of scoring chances in the second period to put this semi final to bed.

Ultimately it was their senior stalwarts, Kieran O’Leary and the indefatigable Brian Looney who nailed the scores to put Brendan’s out of their misery. It took Crokes until added time to make the victory certain.

Is that a good thing or a concern?

Given so much of the first period was played on Crokes’ terms, it was a testament to the collective will of the Tralee amalgamation that they were somehow within a score at the break, 0-8 to 0-5.

When Gavin White hared past his Kerry colleague Joe O’Connor to set up another productive offence, with Micheal Burns pointing, it was 0-7 to 0-2 after 20 minutes, and a fair indicator of the lop-sided nature of the opening exchanges.

There is a lot of developing talent around Tralee for sure, but St Brendan’s knew they were running into a Dr Crokes unit in the full flush of its self-belief and confidence.

Gavin O’Shea didn’t waste a ball in his linking and creative role but that didn’t mark him out as exceptional in black and amber. Crokes’ three wides in the half, all scoreable, were perhaps the pockmark on a flawless display otherwise of possession and movement.

Neither Barry John Keane or Tommy Walsh started for St Brendan’s so in terms of targets, they were relying in the main on Tomas Kennedy and to a lesser extent his club colleague Jack Savage. Kennedy finished the half with two important points, not just for the scoreboard but also for his own self-confidence. The Kerry U20 had a tricky first quarter, like so many of his colleagues.

Micheal Burns scored two points for Crokes, continuing his good form, but so also did David Shaw at full forward. This was key with Tony Brosnan being held by Dylan Casey close to goal.

Brosnan was more effective after the break, drifting out to the middle third and combining well with Burns, Looney and Gavin O’Shea.

St Brendan’s rolled the dice and placed David Moran at full forward as often as not in the second half, forcing Gavin White to track back to the edge of the square. It may not have produced the scores divisional side needed, but it certainly curbed White’s attacking forays.

Kieran O’Leary’s introduction gave Crokes a sharper edge in the top third, and he almost goaled at the neat post, a smart Tansley save denying him.

When Brosnan pointed from a 46th minute free, it was only their second score of the half. Indeed O’Leary’s injury time point – their 13th – was Crokes first score from play after the break. There is food for thought there.

But in football terms, with a final to look forward to against either champions East Kerry or Dingle, these are first world problems.

Scorers for Dr Crokes: T Brosnan (0-5, frees), M Burns, B Looney and D Shaw (0-2 each), G O’Shea, T Doyle, K O’Leary (0-1 each) 

Scorers for St Brendan’s: J Savage (0-3, 2f, m), T Kennedy (0-2), J O’Connor, P Lane, D Griffin, D Kirby (0-1 each).

DR CROKES: S Murphy; M Lynch, F Fitzgerald, J Payne; E Looney, G White, B Looney; M O’Shea, C Keating; M Burns, G O’Shea, T Doyle; T Brosnan, D Shaw, C McMahon.

Subs for Dr Crokes: for K O’Leary for Keating (inj, 37), M Potts for Lynch (47), D Naughten for McMahon (54), A Hennigan for Doyle (56), 

ST BRENDAN’S: M Tansley (Austin Stacks); C Griffin (Austin Stacks), D Casey (do.), J Nagle (do.); T Hoare (Kerins O’Rahilly’s), A Heinrich (Austin Stacks), P White (John Mitchels); J O’Connor (Austin Stacks), D Moran (Kerins O’Rahilly’s); O Ferris (Ardfert), T Kennedy (Kerins O’Rahilly’s), J Savage (do.); D Kirby (Austin Stacks); P Lane (Austin Stacks), , D Griffin (Ardfert).

Subs for St Brendan’s: D Buckley (Kerins O’Rahilly’s) for White (25), C Holden (John Mitchels) for Ferris (35), B Hanafin (Kerins O’Rahilly’s) for Kirby (42), A O’Donoghue (John Mitchels) for Griffin (49), E Ferris for Savage (59) 

Referee: Seamus Mulvihill (St Senan’s)