The Austin Stacks team before the start of the game against Dingle yesterday.
Gavin O’Connor reports from yesterday’s Austin Stacks v Dingle county senior championship final in Austin Stack Park and talks to Kieran Donaghy…
DONAGHY was the catalyst for the purple purple patch at the end of the first half which left Dingle’s hopes black and blue.
On current form he is quite simply unmarkable and will no doubt have the Mid Kerry management sweating ahead of the county final in two weeks time.
Six scores with six minutes left at the end of the first half are what ultimately settled this county championship semi-final as a contest.
“We’re just very happy to be into a county final. We were very unhappy with ourselves last year, so to get back to a final is great” said Kieran Donaghy.
“We’d a small bit of an injury today up front so it was felt we had to put me in full forward. It could be very likely that I’ll be out in midfield again against Mid Kerry. It depends which way the management want to play it. Once I’m on the first 15 that’s the main thing,” said Donaghy.
Race for the ball during the match on Sunday. Photo by Dermot Crean
“We’ll be playing Mid Kerry in the final, they’ve got four or five Kerry players so we’ll be up against it, but we’re also looking forward to the challenge. We’ve got a nice young team so hopefully the experience of last year will stand to us,” said Donaghy.
Perfect conditions in Austin Stack Park, the good weather and the prospect of a few inter-county stars battling it out, increased the interest in this double header. Two ticket vans outside the ground weren’t prepared for an unexpected crowd of around 5,000 which led to the game being put back by 15 minutes.
There was one change in the Austin Stacks team at the beginning, veteran, William Kirby coming in at midfield, switching Shane Carroll to the half forward line.
The first goal was the turning point in the game and was classic Donaghy. He waited posed on the edge of the square for a long ball from the boot of Shane Carroll, as it hung in the air, anticipation gathered inside the ground, there could be only one winner here.
Paul Geaney shoots but his effort was brilliantly saved by Stacks goalie Darragh O’Brien. Photo by Dermot Crean
Donaghy rose up against his opponent for the afternoon, young Mark O’Connor, who had a torrid time of it and laid the ball off with those quick hands to, Shane O’Callaghan, who like any good forward worth his salt was ready to feed off the big man.
O’Callaghan’s finish was cool and precise, placing the ball into the inside netting. The alarm bells were ringing now and huge gaps started to open in the Dingle rearguard. Donaghy again caught a high one, turning, but clipping the ball over the bar when it should have been a goal.
With their tails up Stacks added on five more scores in five minutes at the end of the first half. On 28 minutes, David Mannix got a fine score, O’Callaghan and Donaghy linking up again, this time O’Callaghan giving a beautiful chest height ball to Donaghy which he then passed to Mannix who kicked it over from 35 yards. Very pleasing on the eye, simple football.
Two minutes later, Donaghy, appeared to be now toying with the Dingle back line when he swivelled around the opposition to kick his second score of the game. The half ended with a Shane Carroll free, the score, 1-11 to 0-3. Stacks out of sight.
This doesn’t tell the full story of the half. If it had not been for two wonder saves, by Stacks keeper, Darragh O’Brien, the half would have taken a different dimension.
The game really had been quiet even up until the 15 minutes before Donaghy’s influence really began to show.
Shane O’Carroll shoots for a point at the game on Sunday. Photo by Dermot Crean
Dingle came out in the second half and put two quick scores on the board, but any hope of a fight back was dashed when in the 6th minute of the half when The Rock had the ball in the Dingle net once more.
The move began with an exciting solo run by O’Callaghan, who was asking question and showing flair with his movement. He took on his marker and got past him. Just as he started to reach the goalmouth, with the angle now narrowed, O’Callaghan, fisted the ball to Donaghy, but in an effort to keep the ball out, Dingle’s Mark O’Connor, touched the ball into his own net.
It was really puzzling why the Dingle management left a player who played minor this year up against a guy who gives experienced inter-county senior players nightmares. One for the future, but O’Connor neither had the physicality or experience to deal with Donaghy.
With the scores now 2-12 to 0-5, Stacks rested on that lead and only scored one more point in the entire second half and allowed Dingle four unanswered scores, including a penalty which Paul Geaney slotted home.
As Dingle chased the game, Darragh O’Brien in goal was needed on another couple of occasions, with Eamonn Fitzmaurice in attendance, O’Brien may have given the Kerry manager something to think about over the winter.
Mid Kerry now await The Rock in the final, the two favourites before the semi-finals navigating their ways to the final with two comprehensive wins. Two weeks now for both teams to plan, but there’s no doubt what player will be on everyone’s minds ahead of the final.
Austin Stacks: D O’Brien, F McNamara, B Shanahan, R Shanahan; P McCarthy, G Horan, C Jordan; W Guthrie, W Kirby; M Collins, S Carroll, F Mangan; D Mannix, K Donaghy, S O’Callaghan.
Scorers: S Carroll (0-6, 4fs), K Donaghy (0-2), S O’Callaghan (1-0), D Mannix (0-3, 1f), M Collins (0-2)
Own Goal: M O’Connor
Subs C O’Connell (W Kirby), D McElligott for (S Carroll), D O’Brien (M Collins) D Bohan (Mangan) D Long (Mannix)
Dingle: S Flaherty, M Flannery, P O’Connor, T O’Sullivan, P Devane, M O’Connor, B Kelliher, D O’Sullivan, B O’Sullivan, M Flaherty, M Geaney, G Curran, C Geaney, P Geaney O’Sullivan.
Scorers: P Geaney 1-6 (1-0 pen, 0-4 frees), M Geaney (0-1frees), B O’Sullivan and M Flaherty 0
Subs: P Murphy (G Curran), W Devane (J O’Sullivan)
