Dylan Geaney's timely recapturing of form provided the required spark for Dingle

Dylan Geaney, Dingle, looking to go past Ciarán Doolan of St Finbarr's. Pic: Dan Linehan

Dylan Geaney assisted a white flag and kicked one of his own during the opening four minutes of Sunday’s Munster club final. 

There was nothing else of note from there to half-time. Geaney wasn’t at all happy with his first-half, the same as he wasn’t happy with his club form arriving into Semple Stadium.

“I was slightly injured coming into the county championship but then I just struggled with form. I just couldn't... my kicking was way off. There was probably a bit of that in the first half again as well. I maybe just didn't feel myself,” explained the Dingle inside forward.

Given he contributed 0-5 from play across the Kerry quarter-final, semi-final, and final, there's definitely an element of Geaney being too self-critical.

That said, the recapturing of form he demands of himself couldn’t have been timelier. His old self showed up in the nick of time.

His second half scorecard carried all the pairs. A pair from play inside the arc, a pair from play outside the arc, and a pair of converted placed balls. From seven kicks, he nailed all bar one.

His two orange flags were launched from roughly the same patch of grass in front of the Kinane Stand. The first closed a seven-point gap to five entering the final quarter. The second, with the outside of the right, closed the gap to the minimum entering the final minute of regulation time.

“I was fairly thick with myself in the first half. I wasn't great all through the county championship, so I had to step up at some stage. Thankfully, it worked out eventually,” said the 23-year-old.

His second-half scorecard might also have included the winner, had older brother Conor not called rank when that late controversial free was advanced 50 metres by referee Chris Maguire.

“He kind of gave me the eyes! It was kind of on his side. Obviously I wanted to kick it, but I said I'd let him have it and he could take the headlines,” Dylan quipped.

Mind you, no bad sign that at least two players wanted to step over a free drenched in pressure when the clock had run past the allotted three minutes of second-half injury-time and the scoreboard showed Dingle behind by one.

“Yeah, I suppose it is. There was a fairly generous breeze going into that goal, so a sweet contact was all you needed. I'm probably making it sound a bit too simple now. If that was me standing over it, I'd have been fairly nervous. But it was a massive free and thankfully he kicked it over.

“After the game, I think it was the first time I ever cried after winning. All the relief and the emotion just came out all at once. It'll probably sink in over the next few days.” 

Páirc Uí Chaoimh is the rumoured venue for Dingle’s first-ever All-Ireland club semi-final, against Ballyboden St Enda’s, on the first weekend of January. Geaney began his 2025 inter-county championship year at the home of Cork GAA last April. He contributed a pair in the extra-time win over Cork. That inter-county championship year had the happiest of endings.

The hope is his 2025 club championship year will also finish at Croker.

“We'll have a nice few days now and maybe a quieter Christmas than normal. It'll be a short winter, and it already has been, but we've got something to look forward to.”