Kerry SHC: Late drama as gutsy Tralee Parnells grab draw and history
Tralee Parnells trailed Causeway by 10 points at half-time but they scored four second half goals to earn a draw. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Causeway were rocked by a last second goal from Oisín O’Brien that saw gutsy Tralee Parnells grab a share of the spoils having trailed by 10 points at half-time in this Group C, second round SHC game played at the Austin Stack Park.
It now means that Causeway’s continued progression in the SHC depends on Tralee Parnells' game with Abbeydorney where even a nine point loss would see them make the knock-out stages.
Causeway will be bitterly disappointed at not winning this game that they appeared to have in the bag down the stretch but they conceded four second half goals, including three goals in the last 12 minutes when they appeared to be coasting. For Tralee Parnells, this was a historic day in only their second year in the senior ranks and a huge boost for the promotion of hurling in Tralee.
They had Cillian Litchfield, Morgan Madden, Tadgh Reen, Eoghan Costello and Oisin O’Brien in superb form but Causeway will debate one controversial incident in the sixth minute that probably cost them victory, Causeway dominated from the outset despite Parnells taking an early lead thanks to an Eoghan Costello free.
But once the Jason Diggin-powered Causeway half back line got going, Parnells were on the back foot for the rest of the opening quarter.
Billy Lyons effected a superb catch and leveled the contest before Colum Harty fired over the lead point. Then came a controversial moment in the sixth minute when a long delivery by Jason Leahy appeared to deceive Parnells keeper Diarmuid Quirke and appeared to drop under the crossbar and into the net. But after protests from Quirke, the referee consulted his umpires and awarded Causeway a point instead of a goal. This proved decisive in the final reackoning. Causeway added four unanswered points, three from Keith Carmody and one from Mark Murphy, before Eoghan Costello converted another free.
Causeway then struck for the opening goal at the end of the opening quarter when Gearoid Mahoney burst through for Mark Murphy to find the net.
Causeway, with the wind, drove on to half-time adding five more points to lead 1-12 to 0-5 at the interval. Carmody pushed Causeway 11 clear but Eoghan Costello’s effort for a point deceived Stephen Murphy and dropped into the net and points from Eddie Sheehy and Costello saw the gap close to seven.
It was still seven points in the 48th minute but goals from Shane Healy and Oisin O’Brien saw Tralee Parnells grab a famous draw.
K Carmody (0-8, 4fs, ’45), M Murphy (1-1), C Harty (0-4), B Barrett (0-2), B Lyons, J Leahy, D Legg, and G Dooley (0-1 each)
E Costello (1-6, 5fs), O O’Brien (1-1), D Quirke and S Healy (1-0 each), C Litchfield (0-2), E Sheehy (0-1)
S Murphy; G Carey, A Fealy, K Leahy; B Lyons, J Diggin, J Leahy; K Carmody, B Barrett; M Murphy, D Legg, D Mahoney; C Harty, G Mahoney, G Dooley.
A Egan for M Murphy (40), A White for D Mahoney (53).
D Quirke; S Healy, D Keane, N Cassidy; R O’Sullivan, T Reen, T Brick; C Litchfield, D Moloney; M Madden, D Reen, A Morrissey; E Costello, O O’Brien, E Sheedy.
G O’Doherty for D Reen (inj 35), G Lynch for A Morrissey (50)
M Browne (Limerick)
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