Mike O’Halloran looks forward to the Garveys Supervalu Kerry SHC clash between St Brendan’s and Causeway in Kilmoyley this Sunday at 6.30pm…
Causeway will have to get past the formidable presence of St Brendan’s Darren Delaney. Photo by Dermot Crean.
St Brendan’s will take on Causeway in the quarter final in Kilmoyley on Sunday evening.
This is a game which will see the battle of the cousins with Darren Dineen hoping to overcome his Causeway cousins Colum and Padraigh Harty.
St Brendan’s were beaten in the first round in the sunshine in Causeway by a rampant Abbeydorney, I had seen St Brendan’s destroy Ballyduff in Ballyduff a few weeks earlier and had visions of the Ardfert boys going all the way to the final.
St Brendan’s were without a few for that game due to emigration but they were defeated and had to face fellow losers Ballyheigue to get to this make or break game against Causeway.
Ballyheigue gave them a quite a challenge on that day in wind and rain, the quality of one or two players in the St Brendan’s ranks was the difference that day against a young team from Ballyheigue.
Causeway saw off Ballyduff in Kilmoyley in a game that looked like both teams had decided “look if we are beaten sure we have another chance”.
After the Causeway win, some said they had won “pulling up” but I was not so sure and so it proved when they met the might of Lixnaw in Abbeydorney where the game was over after thirty minutes with Lixnaw choking the Causeway forwards and the silky forwards of Lixnaw giving the Causeway back a torrid time.
The Causeway management team had also made some decisions in calling players ashore that were hard to understand.
There is no doubt that Causeway have some of the best hurlers in the county, almost all of them have starred for Causeway Comprehensive School and worn the county shirt with distinction but for whatever reason that does not transfer on to the field.
If Causeway can manage to get their immensely talented group to play as a harder unit they will be impossible to stop and if they can gain some self belief they could be bigger history makers than the great Causeway teams that have gone before them.
There are a lot of ifs about Causeway and perhaps a few ifs about St Brendan’s. If Causeway were to curtail John Egan, if Darren Dineen, Rory Horgan, David Griffin and Fionan MacKessey were to have quiet games, would they have enough to overcome Causeway?
Colm Harty (seen here in action during the Kerry v Meath Christy Ring Cup match) will be vital for Causeway on Sunday. Photo by Gavin O’Connor
The role of the cousins, Darren Dineen and Colum Harty will be vital. Colum Harty has a reputation for scoring goals at the highest level, he will have to produce more that one goal to prevent his Kileacle cousin from having the family bragging rights for another year.
In order to get goals, Harty will have to get past one of the best keepers in Darren Delaney.
Causeway men like Muiris Delaney, John Fitzgerald, Anthony Fealy, Keith Carmody will give it every ounce they have to advance the Causeway cause, but it may not be enough.
Verdict: St Brendan’s to advance.
