Walsh to the fore as 14-man St Kierans impress in six-point win over West Kerry
St Kierans 1-14 West Kerry 0-11
NO matter what is to come from the remaining five first round matches to be played on Sunday, St Kierans win over West Kerry will stand as of the most impressive results of the weekend. That they won with six points to spare over a decent, though not brilliant, West Kerry team is one thing, but that they dug it out having played the entire second half with 14 men speaks much to the unity and substance of a team that wouldn’t have seen much of each other before this fixture.
St Kierans had a three-point lead, 1-7 to 0-7, when Eddie Horan was shown a second yellow – followed by a red – in the 29th minute, and the fear as they headed for the half-time tunnel was that the loss of their Scartaglin midfielder might have torpedoed their chance of victory. Undeterred by the set-back, St Kierans played some brilliant football after the break, winning the second half by seven points to four to double their half time lead at the final whistle and progress to the winners side of the second round next weekend.
Central to St Kierans efforts was Paul Walsh – the Brosna man putting 1-6 on the scoreboard in a performance packed with leadership and sharp play – and he was well assisted by Brian Leonard and Luka Brosnan in the defence, and Philip O’Connor and Adam Barry in attack, though in the absence of Horan for the second half it was an impressive collective effort from the Stephen Wallace-managed Saints.
West Kerry didn’t do a whole pile wrong, they just didn’t do enough right either. On a damp evening, when handling was difficult, they just didn’t show enough composure in the top third of the field to ice the crucial scoring chances they created.
Cian O’Grady kept them in the contest somewhat with five well converted free kicks, and Thomas O’Donnell and Killian Falvey put in good shifts either side of him on the ‘forty’, but in general play they didn’t seem to show as much grit and industry or sharpness in front of the posts as St Kierans.
Kerry defender Brian Ó Beaglaoich – named on the bench but unused – was undoubtedly a big loss to the West Kerry cause where he could have either added a bit of punchiness to the team going forward, or perhaps have been detailed to keep a tighter grip on Paul Walsh. Either way it was St Kierans – that only had Brian Lonergan in goal from the Ballymac side that lost their Premier Junior semi-final penalty shoot-out the previous weekend – that seemed the better knitted side.
That West Kerry allowed the 14 men of St Kierans win that second half will be – or should be – something to irk this over the next week as they ready themselves for a winner-takes-all, loser-goesout second round game next weekend.
St Kierans couldn’t have got a better start to this game: Philip O’Connor chipping the ball forward for Cathal Brosnan to fetch and feed across the goal-mouth for Paul Walsh to slap to the net with 25 seconds gone. By the time the clock hit the minute mark Adam Barry had points to put the Saints four ahead.
West Kerry settled and James Crean opened their scoring from a free, followed by the first of O’Grady’s five frees. Niall Collins, Adam Barry (free) and Paul Walsh replied with scores for St Kierans as they moved 1-4 to 0-3 ahead.
The second quarter was nip and tuck, Falvey, O’Donnell, Crean and O’Grady raising flags for West Kerry with Walsh, Philip O’Connor and Cathal Brosnan replying in kind for St Kierans to make it 1-8 to 0-7 at the break, though the major talking point was Horan’s dismissal two minutes before half time.
Scores were scarce in the third quarter with the excellent Walsh on target from play and then from a free to push St Kierans into a 1-9 to 0-7 lead by the 42nd minute.
West Kerry continued to graft hard but their end product betrayed some good approach play. At the other, Barry sent a lovely pass for Cathal McElligott to claim a mark from, which he converted.
In the final quarter St Kierans pushed on, looking every bit the team with the extra play, and points from Walsh (2) and Barry put them 1-13 to 0-8 clear.
West Kerry finished with a bit of a flurry with points from O’Grady (two frees) and Maurice O’Connell but they all had the feel of consolation scores about them. St Kierans, meanwhile, have the feel of a side that could push on and go deep in the competition.
ST KIERANS: Brian Lonergan (Ballymacelligott), Isaac Brosnan (Castleisland Desmonds), Brian Leonard 0-1 (Desmonds), Jack McElligott (Knocknagoshel), Ruairi Burke (Desmonds), Luka Brosnan (Desmonds), Cathal McElligott 0-1 (m) (Knocknagoshel), Eddie Horan (Scartaglin), Sean O’Connell (Cordal), Tadhg Brick (Ballymacelligott), Philip O’Connor 0-1 (Cordal), Niall Collins 0-1 (Ballymacelligott), Paul Walsh 1-6 (0-3f) (Brosna), Adam Barry 0-3 (2f) (Brosna), Cathal Brosnan 0-1 (Currow). Subs: Alex Fleming (Currow) for R Burke (temp, 25-27), Dan O’Shea (Ballymacelligott) for L Brosnan (53), Jason Cronin (Cordal) for N Collins (53), Luke Fitzgerald (Currow) for P Walsh (59), John Walsh (Knocknagoshel) for R Burke (60+3), John McMahon (Currow) for C Brosnan (60+3).
WEST KERRY: Eoin Kennedy (Castlegregory), Jack O’Neill (Castlegregory), Colm Moriarty (Annascaul), Rónán Ó Beagalaoich (An Ghaeltacht), James MacGearailt (Líos Póil), Jason Hickson (Annascaul), Cormac Ó Cinnéide (Lios Póil), Seán Ó Conchúir (Lios Póil), Cathal Ó Beagalaoich (An Ghaeltacht), Thomas O’Donnell 0-2 (Castlegregory), Cian O’Grady 0-5 (5f) (Castlegregory), Killian Falvey 0-1 (Annascaul), Cathal Ferriter (Annascaul), James Crean 0-2 (1f) (Annascaul), Ruaidhrí Ó Beagalaoich (An Ghaeltacht). Subs: Maurice O’Connell 0-1 (Castlegregory) for C Ó Beaglaoich (temp, 25-ft), John Joe Hussey (Castlegregory) for Rónán Ó Beagalaoich (35), Colm Ó Riagáin (An Ghaeltacht) for J Crean (47), Páidí Fitzgerald (Castlegregory) for K Falvey (54), Cathal Ó Gealbháin for T O’Donnell (60+3), Darragh Crean (Castlegregory) for J O’Neill (60+3)
REFEREE: John Michael Fitzgerald (Abbeydorney)