Action from when Austin Stacks faced Dingle in the Club Championship last May. Photo by Adrienne McLoughlin
Gavin O’Connor looks at the Austin Stacks v Dingle Super Valu Senior County Championship Semi-Final at Austin Stacks Park, this Sunday…
STACKS and Dingle have a few things in common. Firstly – and they won’t like being reminded of this – they have both suffered heavy county final defeats to Crokes in recent years.
Secondly, with Crokes out, both teams will see this year as a golden opportunity to bridge lengthy gaps between county titles – 20 years for Stacks and a whopping 66 for Dingle.
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Thirdly there are some fantastic young players coming through the ranks – from Stacks, Shane O’Callaghan and Greg Horan and for Dingle, Mark O’Connor and Matthew Flaherty.
There is also next year’s captaincy of the Kerry team up for grabs. No doubt this will be on the minds of Kieran Donaghy and Paul Geaney.
Looking at form coming into this, Austin Stacks, have the edge. The Rock have gone unbeaten in the league this year while Dingle lie in the middle of the pack in Division One.
Both sides have faced each other twice this year. The first game ending in a six point victory for Dingle in the club championship, the second a seven point win for Stacks, with games played in Dingle.
In the first game, Stacks lost without Donaghy and Bohane, while Dingle can point to the absence of five Kerry minors in their defeat.
This all makes Sunday’s game extremely difficult to call. One thing I will call though is, I fancy that this game will not be a pretty affair. This is going on the way both teams have setup at times during the year and the high stakes involved.
Shane O’Callaghan playing in Austin Stacks 7 point victory over West Kerry in the County Championship quarter-final. Photo by Dermot Crean.
Dingle were quiet defensive against Legion, but I guess who wouldn’t be when the opposition has the best forward in the country, James O’Donoghue, in the side.
The men from the west did a pretty good job in limiting O’Donoghue’s supply line and ultimately his imprint on the game. If Legion had manged to get the ball to him more often there is no doubt they would have won.
One of the efforts Dingle made in starving him of possession, was moving Mikey Geaney back as a sweeper in front of the half back line.
In this role against Legion, the inter-county man was aggressive. The way he performs will likely have a bearing on how much ball the Stacks forwards will see.
With a massive free count being notched up in the championship this year and it likely to be a tight game, the side that concedes the least frees could well be the deciding factor.
Kerry football has a serious issue with how to tackle without fouling, it has been evident in this year’s county championship and in this year’s All-Ireland final.
Obviously, what way Donaghy performs will have a massive say in this game. When you look at that Stacks forward line, without Donaghy it lacks the fear factor, while Dingle have an ever present menace in Paul Geaney.
I can see Donaghy starting in midfield and moving closer in as the game moves on. Sunday would be a great time for him to strike up a partnership with Shane O’Callaghan, whose good form this year (and ginger hair!) should help Donaghy lock in on the young Kerry panellist as he did so often in the past with the Gooch.
Dingle have a fantastic troupe of young players which will make this game a must watch in itself. My head is finding it difficult to pick a winner so I’ll go with my gut.
Verdict: Austin Stacks by one point
