Austin Stacks hold the middle to keep Kenmare at bay
Ronan Carroll of Austin Stacks in action against Cian O'Sullivan of Kenmare Shamrocks during their Garvey's SuperValu Senior County Football Championship quarter-final in the Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney, on Saturday. Photo by Tatyana McGough
The midfield magnificence of Kerry star Joe O’Connor and young prodigy Ben Murphy was the catalyst for Austin Stacks to finish superbly in a deserved victory over Kenmare Shamrocks in the Kerry SFC quarter-final at a sun-splashed Fitzgerald Stadium.
After Donal O’Sullivan fired over a point from play in the 48th minute, Kenmare Shamrocks had raised three white flags on the trot to draw level with the Rock Street club. With Jack O’Sullivan inspirational, and Sean O’Shea to the fore, the game’s momentum had now changed.
Austin Stacks had been pegged back from their four-point interval advantage (1-10 to 0-9), and the destination of the spoils was well and truly in the melting pot. Credit therefore to the Tralee club for immediately responding and seizing back control.
U20 prospect Murphy had been outstanding in the opening 30 minutes, almost netting within the first 30 seconds, only to be foiled by Shamrocks’ goalkeeper Kieran Fitzgibbon. Kicking two points off his left boot, the target of AFL clubs showcased his full repertoire.
With his side’s final point of the first half, Murphy’s centre-field partner O’Connor began to make his presence felt, adding to that with Austin Stacks’ opening two scores on the resumption. By the denouement, the Footballer-of-the-Year contender was everywhere, ending up with 0-4 from play.
Indeed, with the protagonists at parity entering the closing 12 minutes, Kenmare Shamrocks wouldn’t register again. Taking a grip at the back where Joey Nagle was introduced to telling effect, Darragh Long’s outfit shut up shop with the need was greatest.
Then, with O’Connor and Murphy at their inspirational best around the middle, Austin Stacks fired over seven points without reply – Paddy Lane (3), Armin Heinrich, substitute Ronan Carroll, O’Connor and Conor Horan all on the mark – to pull away with a bit to spare.
Indeed, the lively Lane was prevented from raising a second Austin Stacks’ green flag in the 59th minute when Fitzgibbon made a fine reflex save as the corner-forward attempted to deftly chip the custodian. That would have simply put extra icing on the Rockies’ cake.
The contest’s only goal did arrive in the 23rd minute of the first half when a defensive blunder from Kenmare Shamrocks culminated in Lane setting up Cian Purcell for the easiest of tap-ins, with Daniel Kirby also rocketing a drive off the opposing crossbar just four minutes later.
Sean O’Shea’s excellent two-point free gave Shamrocks hope heading into the changeover and, when they got on level terms, they would have hoped to kick for home. Instead it was Austin Stacks who stood tallest when it mattered most. It will take a serious team to halt their growing charge.
P Lane 0-6 (0-2fs), C Purcell 1-1, J O’Connor 0-4, D Kirby (tp), B Murphy 0-2 each, M Tansley 0-1 (’45), A Heinrich, R Carroll, C Horan 0-1 each.
S O’Shea 0-7 (0-4fs, 1tpf, 0-1 ’45), J Tangney 0-2, T Murnane, P O’Connor, T Cronin, C O’Sullivan, D O’Connor, D O’Sullivan 0-1 each.
M Tansley; C Griffin, L Casey, N Fitzmaurice; E Carroll, A Heinrich, R Shanahan; J O’Connor, B Murphy; M O’Donnell, C Horan, D Kirby; P Lane, C Purcell, J Kissane.
R Carroll for Kissane (38), J Nagle for Shanahan (39), C Browne for Casey (48), J Murphy for O’Donnell (52), J O’Shea for Griffin, inj (56).
K Fitzgibbon; C O’Sullivan, J McCarthy, D Crowley; D O’Shea, D O’Connor, T Cronin; J O’Sullivan, D Hallissey; J Lehane, S O’Shea, P O’Connor; J Tangney, D O’Sullivan, T Murnane.
S O’Brien for Lehane (44), S O’Sullivan for Hallissey (50), T O’Sullivan (Atlantic) for Murnane, inj (52), E McCarthy for P O’Connor (55), T O’Sullivan for Cronin, inj (56).
S Joy (Laune Rangers).
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