AN GAELTACHT 2-14
KILCUMMIN 1-7
WHILE they may have been brothers in
arms in Kerry's glorious All-Ireland
success, Dara Ó Cinnéide certainly won
the personal battle with fellow
countyman Michael McCarthy in this AIB
Kerry senior football quarter-final
played at the Austin Stack Park, Tralee
on Sunday afternoon.
Indeed Ó Cinnéide's performance was
instrumental in the West Kerry side's
march to the semis as he notched up a
personal tally of 2-7 with both goals
coming within a minute of each other
half way through the first to
effectively settle the tie.
Gaeltacht were stronger in all
departments and on this performance must
rank as favourites for the title. They
play Kerins O'Rahillys in the semi-final
with the winners facing either West
Kerry or Dr Crokes in the final.
Late changes saw Seán Ó Beaglaoí and
Roibeard MacGearailt cry off to be
replaced by JJ Corduff and Conal Ó
Cruadhlaíoch and both turned in
admirable work throughout. They
reshuffled the team considerably but
they settled the better and Ó Cinnéide
opened their scoring with an easy
pointed free in the second minute of
play.
Kilcummin could have goaled with their
first attack a minute later when DJ
Fleming's perfect pass put Michael
O'Connor through on goal. However, his
effort hit the side netting and it
certainly was a chance squandered.
Pol Quinn with an eighth minute point
and a Tomás Ó Conchuir effort two
minutes later made it 0-3 to nil with
ten minutes gone.
With Darragh Ó Sé and Pol Quinn getting
the better of the midfield exchanges and
Corduff, O'Connor, Crowley and
MacGearailt working hard in the forward
area, the West Kerry side continued to
dominate.
Kilcummin full-back Michael McCarthy had
been getting the better of the exchanges
in his battle with full-forward Dara Ó
Cinnéide, but on the quarter mark all
that changed and how dramatically it
altered.
Three movements involving the long ball,
three crucial scores from one man and
the game was all but over.
In the 15th minute Poll Quinn collected
the ball around the centre and left it
long to the edge of the square. Ó
Cinnéide got the better of McCarthy to
turn and crash the ball to the net.
A minute later a replica with Tomás Ó
Conchúir this time delivering the ball
for Ó Cinnéide, who again got the better
of McCarthy and goal number two followed
to make it 2-3 to no score.
From the kick out the ball was once
again returned to the danger area, Ó
Cinnéide once again gained possession
and he sweetly lofted it between the
posts for another Gaeltacht point.
The two minute blitz yielded 2-1 to put
clear daylight between the sides,
Kilcummin still not having a score on
the scoreboard.
Dream stuff for Ó Cinnéide and
Gaeltacht; nightmare stuff for McCarthy
and Kilcummin.
It looked a rout at this stage but
Kilcummin, to their credit, stuck to
their task and DJ Fleming eventually got
to open their account with a pointed
free nineteen minutes into the half.
Two minutes later full-forward Paul
O'Donoghue took a quick free to the
in-running Eamon O'Donoghue and he
lashed the ball to the net to give the
East Kerry side a brief lifeline.
Indeed they could have added another
minutes later when a brilliant upfield
movement put Sean O'Leary through but
his effort was well saved by Pat Ruiseál
in the Gaeltacht goal.
Another goal at that stage nearing the
break would have done their confidence
the world of good.
As it was Ó Cinnéide with a free and DJ
Fleming exchanged points for the
Gaeltacht to go in at the break leading
by a six point margin, 2-5 to 1-2.
Desperate to get a hold on the game, the
Willie Maher trained side brought Mike
McCarthy to midfield on restart while
Tomas Ó Sé did not appear after the
break for the winners, being replaced by
Seán Ó Conchuir.
Young Conal Crowley put Gaeltacht
further ahead with a fine point inside
the first minute before Michael O'Connor
and a DJ Fleming free after Darragh Ó Sé
had upended McCarthy, brought Kilcummin
to within five points of the Westerners.
However, they never really looked like
getting back into serious contention and
the eventual winners again upped a gear,
kicking five unanswered points in a six
minute spell to copperfasten their
commanding advantage.
Aodhan McGearailt and Ó Cinnéide had two
each while Crowley rounded off a fine
movement involving McGearailt and
Corduff to claim his second of the game.
Kilcummin could do nothing to stem the
flowing attacks and their only other
scores came from the boot of DJ Fleming,
who added three points, two from frees,
to bring his tally to six for the
afternoon.
It was pedestrian stuff in the last ten
minutes as the sides played out the
remainder with the issue well and truly
settled long before the whistle.
Ó Cinnéide, from a free and 45 added two
more while Corduff kicked over after an
unchallenged run and Cha Doherty in the
Kilcummin goal did well to deny Ó
Cinnéide his hat trick when he saved
well four minutes from time.
By any standard it was a highly
impressive performance by a well
balanced Gaeltacht outfit. Backboned by
the quartet of Kerry seniors and with
Roibeard McGearailt to come into the
side they will surely be fancying their
chances of going all the way.
Scoring 2-11 from play is a good return
in championship and if they can repeat
something similar then it could make a
memorable year on the western coastline.
On the day it was a real team effort
with everyone putting their shoulder to
the wheel. The backline was solid over
the hour and the withdrawal of Tomás Ó
Sé failed to unsettle it in the second
half. Indeed Ó Sé was not having it all
his own way as Michael O'Connor was
causing him problems in the first 30
minutes.
At midfield, Ó Sé and Quinn worked hard
giving support throughout the field
while up front really shone on a day
that Ó Cinnéide will savour for a long
time. Apart from the first two or three
balls he could do no wrong with
everything he touched turning into
success.
Aodhan McGearailt and Tomas O'Connor did
a tremendous amount of foraging while
the late replacements JJ Corduff and Ó
Crualaioch proved ample substitutions.
After the win over Stacks in the
previous round Kilcummin will no doubt
be disappointed with their poor
performance. The absence of Ronan
O'Connor no doubt hampered them and the
loss of Kevin Bruton through injury half
way through the first half certainly
didn't help their cause.
However, it is doubtful that even a full
strength outfit would have come close to
the winners on the day such was their
superiority.
Michael McCarthy will certainly want to
forget the game as fast as possible
while the rest of the backs struggled to
cope with the swiftness of the Gaeltacht
forwards.
Eamonn O'Donoghue gave it his all at
midfield and while the forwards did
carve out two goaling chances, the
sextet were quite overall. Dangerman DJ
Fleming, although finishing up with six
points (four frees), was well shackled
throughout.
Referee Timmy Sheehan handled the game
well, but it must be said there was
little in the way of intensity such was
the margin between the sides throughout
the hour.
AN GAELTACHT: Pól Ruiseál, Micí Ó
Conchúr, Seán McSithigh, Marc Ó Sé,
Tomás Ó Sé, Caoimhin Breathnach, Fergal
Ó Sé, Darragh Ó Sé, Pól Ó Cuin
(0-1),
Tomás Ó Conchúir (0-1), JJ Corduff
(0-1), Aodhan MacGearailt (0-2), Conal Ó
Cruadhlaíoch (0-2), Dara Ó Cinnéide
(2-7, 0-3 frees), Cathal Ó Dubhda. Subs:
Seán Ó Conchúir for T Ó Sé, Tomás
Ó
Muirceartaigh for Ó Dubhda; Eoin Ó
Cruadhlaíoch for Conal Ó Cruadhlaíoch.
KILCUMMIN: Cha Doherty, Tommy Cooper,
Michael McCarthy, Timmy Joe Fleming,
Derry O'Leary, Tommy Brosnan, Kevin
Bruton, Eamon O'Donoghue (1-0), Seán
O'Leary, Michael O'Connor (0-1), Michael
O'Leary, Paul O'Donoghue, DJ Fleming
(0-6, 0-4 frees). Subs: John O'Connor
for K Bruton (inj); Kieran O'Donoghue
for T Cooper; Donald Dwyer for Michael
O'Leary.
Referee: Timmy Sheehan (Templenoe).