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Gavin O’Connor watched St Brendans take on Kenmare District at Austin Stack Park yesterday in the Garveys Supervalu Kerry SFC Round 1 tie…
Kenmare District 1-16
St Brendans 1-10
Alan O’Donoghue on the attack for St Brendans with Tadhg Morley of Kenmare District defending. Photo by Dermot Crean
KENMARE District’s attacking superiority was the difference in a match that was pedestrian throughout and lacked the intensity you come to expect from a championship encounter.
They started with nine of the Templenoe All-Ireland Junior winning side, but it was senior inter-county man Stephen O’Brien whose industry and workrate led his side to what was, in the end, a comfortable six point victory.
Early on in the second half, St Brendans took a one point lead (0-6 to 0-5) but from then on they were outscored 1-11 to 1-4 by a Kenmare District team who were far more economical when it mattered.
Continued below…
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The match was blighted with some poor wides, 21 in total with St Brendans hitting 10 and Kenmare District 11. Crucially, in the second half, the District tidied up their wide count and only hit three astray.
Kerry U21, Killian Spillane, who hardly had a kick in the opening 30 minutes, came into the game as it went on and was involved in a lot of what his side were doing right going forward.
Leading that attack was Stephen O’Brien who, when the going got tough, battled to swing the game in his side’s favour and showed that inter-county injection of pace and power he has in his locker.
Dara Carmody about to be tackled by Patrick Clifford of Kenmare District. Photo by Dermot Crean
Richard Barrett’s side will regret not making more of the advantage they enjoyed in midfield in the opening 20 minutes thanks to the combined efforts of Paul McMahon, Stefan Okunbor and Kevin Shanahan.
On the balance of play, St Brendans should have got more on the board during this period. Churchill’s Ivan Parker who finished with 0-4 was looking like their best attacking outlet and they were level going in at the break.
St Brendans Stefan Okunbor and Kenmare District’s Peter O’Shea contest a ball. Photo by Dermot Crean
However it was Kenmare who accelerated in the second half and pushed on with some fine scores.
Trailing by seven points with two minutes remaining, St Pat’s, Brendan Poff linked up with Ardfert’s, Darren Wallace to concoct a well worked goal giving St Brendans an unlikely lifeline.
Any thoughts of a comeback were crushed spectacularly with the next District movement. From 20 metres, on the right side of the goal, Paul O’Connor fired a beautiful shot outside of the boot that crashed to the back of the net. Game over. Scroll down for photos
Darragh O’Shea of Kenmare District is tackled by Brendan Poff. Photo by Dermot Crean
Scorers
Kenmare District: Paul O’Connor 1-5 (1f), Sean O’Shea 0-4, Steven O’Brien 0-2, Patrick Clifford, Adrian Spillane, Steven O’Sullivan, Brian Crowley and Killian Spillane with a point apiece
St Brendans: Ivan Parker 0-4 (2f), Brendan Poff 1-0, David Griffin, Eoin O’Brien, Paul McMahon, Alan O’Donoghue, James Duggan and Darren Wallace with a point apiece
Kenmare District
1. Kieran Fitzgibbon (Kenmare)
2. Dara Crowley (Kenmare)
3. Tadhg Morley (Templenoe)
4. Michael Hallissay (Templenoe)
5. Gavin Crowley (Templenoe)
6. Darragh O’Shea (Kenmare)
20. Patrick Clifford (Templenoe)
8. Adrian Spillane (Templenoe)
17. Stephen O’Sullivan (Templenoe)
10. Brian Crowley (Templenoe)
11. Kevin O’Sullivan (Kenmare)
12. Sean O’Shea (Kenmare)
13. Killian Spillane (Templenoe)
14. Steven O’Brien (Kenmare)
15. Paul O’Connor (Kenmare)
Substitutes
Peter O’Shea (Tuosist) for Kevin O’Sullivan (Kenmare) (37min)
Teddy Doyle (Templenoe) for Brian Crowley (Templenoe) (59min)
Mike Tim O’Sullivan (Tuosist) for Stephen O’Sullivan (Templenoe) (60min)
St Brendans
1. Eoin O’Brien (Churchill)
2. Eoin Courtney (Ardfert)
3. Laurence Bastable (John Mitchels)
4. Kieran Dwyer (St Pats)
5. Michael Griffin (Na Gaeil)
6. Michael Brennan (Churchill)
7. Paul McMahon (St Pats)
8. Stefan Okunbor (Na Gaeil)
9. Kevin Shanahan (Ardfert)
10. David Griffin (Ardfert)
11. Brendan Poff (St Pats)
12. Brandon Barrett (Ardfert)
17. Alan O’Donoghue (John Mitchels)
13. Ivan Parker (Churchill)
15. James Duggan (John Mitchels)
Rory Horgan (Ardfert) for Paul McMahon (St Pats) (40min)
Trevor Wallace (Ardfert) for Kevin Shanahan (Ardfert) (43min)
Dara Carmody (Na Gaeil)x for James Duggan (John Mitchels) (54min)
Darren Wallace (Ardfert) for Brandon Barrett (Ardfert) (54min)
Adrian Greaney (St Pats) for Ivan Parker (Churchill) (54min)
Brendan Poff is brought down by Peter O’Shea. Photo by Dermot Crean
