Keeper Curran the hero as Dingle end East Kerry reign in extra-time thriller

The Dingle keeper pulled off a match-winning penalty save from Davide Clifford. But the west Kerry backroom team had their homework done too. 

East Kerry's Donal O'Sullivan under pressure from Dingle's Conchuir O'Suilleabhain in Sunday's Kerry SFC semi-final in Tralee. Pic: Domnick Walsh

Kerry SFC semi-final: Dingle 2-16 East Kerry 1-14 (after extra time).

IT wasn’t a case of David slaying Goliath, but to oust the behemoth that is East Kerry (winners four of the last five seasons) from the Kerry SFC semi-final took serious perspiration, and no little inspiration, from the victorious Dingle side.

With man-of-the-match Dylan Geaney and Paul Geaney combining for 1-10 in this extra-time thriller, Matthew Flaherty covering every blade of grass, and the O’Sullivans, Tom and Tom Leo, superb at the back, there were many individual heroes for the winners.

However, on an enthralling afternoon in Tralee, there was no moment more vital than Gavin Curran’s intervention in the second minute of the three added on during normal time. With the protagonists deadlocked, East Kerry were granted their golden passport to another final. Substitute Emmett O’Shea’s superb pass into Ronan Buckley led to a foul on the big midfielder by Paul Geaney, inside the square. A penalty was awarded, up stepped David Clifford but, diving to his right, goalkeeper Curran pulled off a magnificent, match-saving stop.

Another view of the David Clifford penalty and his sportsmanship afterwards acknowledging Gavan H Curran's brilliant save.
Full game, and it was brilliant, on @clubber TV@Kerry_Official pic.twitter.com/EE4D81KBiw

— John C. O'Shea (@jcoshea) October 13, 2024

“When you see who’s lining up to take it, my job is to keep track of the scores, and the times that they come, and I was nearly writing it down, that it was going to be a goal,” said a jubilant Dingle selector Liam O’Connor.

“Gavin pulled off an unbelievable save, absolutely unbelievable, but he had his homework done. There’s a lad in the squad, Jack O’Sullivan, who had done great research, and was it a guess in the end? It was just a magnificent save.

“There are things like that which happen in a game, like a save like that, like a great block down, like a huge catch, and it just inspires everyone around to give that extra little bit. When you can smell it there, the lads will just go that extra yard.” 

Despite losing a three-point lead down the stretch, it was Dingle, principally because of Curran’s excellence, who ended up with the momentum heading into extra-time. Dominating the 20 added minutes, they outscored their wilting opponents by 0-7 to 0-2.

“It’s just one of those days, it was our day, and it was going to be our day and, thanks be to God, we came out on the right side of it,” added O’Connor. “Dylan Geaney is a super talent. He’s been coming, incrementally, in the last number of years, getting a little bit stronger, and his skill on the ball, his intelligence on the ball, is second to none. I think he’s going to have a very, very good career. I love watching him play.

“Tom (O’Sullivan) came back, batteries recharged, he’s had a few very long, hard years, where he doesn’t spare himself. In a strange sort of way, that injury was a blessing in disguise for him.

“It gave him the chance to get a rest, and last Sunday he was the Tom O’Sullivan of old, and again today. He was marking David (Clifford), it didn’t stop him from going up the field and joining in the attack."

Dingle had led by the minimum at half-time (1-3 to 0-5), Tom Leo O’Sullivan with the 23rd minute goal. On the resumption, both David Clifford and Paul Geaney found the net for their respective outfits, with the late, late penalty drama leaving it level at the 60-minute mark (2-9 to 1-12).

Buckley’s injury-enforced withdrawal before extra-time was a blow to East Kerry, and the champions just didn’t have much left in the tank down the stretch. Manager Jerry O’Sullivan had no complaints with the eventual result on the day.

“I’m extremely proud of our bunch of players. We went on a journey six or seven years ago, we’ve had one whale of a time. We’ve won those tight games back along,” he said.

“I can’t have any qualms about it. Dingle won on the day. I think it was a spectacle, it was a nice game of football to watch, and so be it. We’re after being beaten, and I’m not making any excuses.” 

Scorers for Dingle: P Geaney (1-4 (1f, 1m), D Geaney (0-6, 1f), T Leo O’Sullivan (1-0), C Geaney (0-3, 2fs), M Flaherty (0-2), T O’Sullivan (0-1).

Scorers for East Kerry: D O’Sullivan (0-6, 1m, 3fs), D Clifford (1-2, 2fs), P Clifford, N Donohue, R Murphy, L Crowley, R Buckley, P O’Leary (0-1 each).

DINGLE: G Curran; C Flannery, C O’Sullivan, T O’Sullivan; Brian O’Connor, D O’Sullivan, T Leo O’Sullivan; B O’Sullivan, Billy O’Connor; C Bambury, M Flaherty, N Geaney; D Geaney, P Geaney, T de Brún.

Subs: M Flannery for C O’Sullivan, inj (ht), C Geaney for de Brún (44), M Geaney for D O’Sullivan (49), De Brún for Bambury (65), S Óg Moran for Billy O’Connor (80), B Kelliher for Brian O’Connor (80).

EAST KERRY: B Kelly (Legion); C O’Leary (Kilcummin), D O’Brien (Glenflesk), N Donohue (Firies); Kieran O’Sullivan (Fossa), C Lynch (Glenflesk), P O’Leary (Gneeveguilla); R Buckley (Listry), D Lyne (Legion); S O’Leary (Kilcummin), L Crowley (Glenflesk), R Murphy (Listry); D Clifford (Fossa), D O’Sullivan (Kilgarvan), P Clifford (Fossa).

Subs: C Gammell (Legion) for K O’Sullivan (ht), D O’Callaghan (Kilcummin) for C O’Leary (46), F Murphy (Killarney Legion) for S O’Leary (49), E O’Shea (Fossa) for R Murphy (58), R Murphy for Buckley, inj (61), K O’Sullivan for Donohue (71).

Referee: B Griffin (Clounmacon).