Kieran Donaghy beat the goalie but his effort is saved off the line. Photo by Dermot Crean
AUSTIN STACKS, booked their place in the SuperValu Kerry County Senior Championship semi-final after they overcame West Kerry by 0-14 to 0-7 at a rain-soaked Fitzgerald Stadium.
Stacks will now go into the semi-final draw tomorrow which will be made live on Radio Kerry at lunchtime. They will face either, Mid Kerry, Dingle or Shannon Rangers.
Judging by the way the Rock brushed aside divisional side West Kerry, they are now well capable of bridging that gap of 20 years without a county title.
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Shane O’Callaghan was in fine form against West Kerry. Photo by Dermot Crean
The players who stood out for Stacks were Wayne Guthrie, Greg Horan and Shane O’Callaghan. The match was the second of a double header in Killarney where, as soon as the ball was thrown in, it turned into a squally nightmare for players to operate in.
The opening exchanges exhibited this and it was West Kerry who actually took the lead first, but this was to be the last time the men from the west would lead in the match with Stacks taking full control from then on.
Midfielder, Wayne Guthrie contributed greatly to this dominance in the centre of the park, aided by the Rocks half backs who hoovered up everything that came their way to make sure West Kerry could not get a foothold in the game.
High fielding action from the Austin Stacks V West Kerry championship tie in Fitzgerald Stadium. Photo by Dermot Crean
Kieran Donaghy was selected at full forward, but only rarely went into that position, preferring to roam the pitch in Killarney and be a link man for his side’s attacks.
The game at half-time was all but over, with Stacks leading by 0-9 points to 0-2. In such horrible conditions the Stacks backs looked particularly mean, with Conor Jordan and Greg Horan not giving an inch in the tackle and winning possession.
In the second half, Stacks tagged on an extra five points, the pick of the bunch being a long range effort by Wayne Guthrie right at the beginning of the second half. West Kerry put up some resistance towards the end, but the game was long gone from them at that stage.
The Rockies march on…
• Full match report and more photos will follow tomorrow
