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Gavin O’Connor look at the Austin Stacks v West Kerry, Garveys Supervalu Senior Football County Championship Round 3 match at Austin Stack Park, Saturday 6:45pm
Greg Gibson gives chase to Wayne Guthrie during the Round 2 Austin Stacks v South Kerry replay back in May. Photo by Dermot Crean
AFTER a poor performance against South Kerry in the Round 2 replay in Connolly Park in May, the Round 3 draw was kind to Austin Stacks.
Though they could be without some key players, the Rock were spared a bruising encounter against one of the other big hitters in the competition.
West Kerry shipped 5-19 in their opening round match against Dr Crokes and will be without their main man, Alan Fitzgerald, who is nursing a back injury.
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The Rock have their own injury woes also, Fearghal MacNamara, Shane Carroll and Jack O’Shea are doubted to start alongside the long-term injured, Greg Horan and Colin Griffin.
Still, you would expect Stacks have plenty of ammunition to get past West Kerry who have not played together in seven weeks. After the 22 point loss to Crokes, they beat a rudderless Kilcummin side who were having management difficulties.
Stacks started the campaign with a (shaky at points) five point win over East Kerry in Lewis Road. Fate handed them the big draw in Round 2 when they headed down to Cahersiveen to face champions South Kerry.
Were it not for a Bryan Sheehan special with the last kick of the game, The Rock would have come out of Con Keating Park with a highly impressive win. In the replay the following week, no one saw the 8-point capitulation coming which must be a big worry for Stephen Stack.
The boat has been rocked and Stacks are looking a bit more vulnerable, but you would still expect then to still have too much for West Kerry.
Verdict – Stacks by 5
