PHOTOS: Stacks Through To County Final After Dramatic Semi-Final Against St Brendans

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Austin Stacks fans on the terraces on Saturday night. Photo by Dermot Crean

Austin Stacks 2-9

St Brendans 1-12

(Stacks win on penalties 5-3)

AUSTIN Stacks are into the county final after beating St Brendans in a dramatic semi-final which went to penalties earlier this evening at Austin Stack Park.

They will now await the result of tomorrow’s other semi-final between Kerins O’Rahillys and Dr Crokes to see who they will play in the final in two weeks, with every neutral in Tralee wishing for a Rockies v Strand Road derby final.

The game was largely uneventful up to five minutes before the end of normal time when a goal livened up proceedings and was the catalyst for the drama that followed.

Continued below…

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The first half of the game belonged to the two defences who kept the forwards quiet and forced them off into errors and shooting wides on a number of occasions.

St Brendans were dealt a blow just before the short whistle when their captain Alan O’Donoghue went off injured. The half-time score was 0-3 each and the only sparks flying were from the Stacks fans’ flares on the terraces.

Darragh O’Brien on the attack for Austin Stacks. Photo: Dermot Crean

St Brendans suffered another  blow almost immediately after the restart when Kerry star Diarmuid O’Connor went off injured.

Scores were scarce in the second-half with Ivan Parker and Darragh O’Brien trading points before the goal from O’Donnell in the 56th minute put the Stacks two points up.

Darragh O’Brien — who scored all Stacks six points in normal time — took a free which was falling short, but O’Donnell fisted it past the St Brendans keeper.

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However St Brendans came back. Dan Goggin pulled it to a one-point game in the last minute of injury time and they won a free soon after the kick-out.

St Brendans keeper Eoghan O’Brien came up to take the kick which fell short, but a Stacks player got a touch and it went out for a 45. O’Brien got a second crack and nailed it to send it to extra-time. Full-time Austin Stacks 1-6 St Brendan 0-9.

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Stacks started extra-time the better, going two up before Ivan Parker pulled one back on the seventh minute. Parker had a free to level it in the tenth minute, but he missed and straight from the restart Stacks went on the attack.

The ball came to Sean Quilter who hit an innocuous kick which looked like it was falling short, but Eoghan O’Brien misjudged and it went over his head into the net. Stacks 2-8 to 0-10 up at half-time in extra-time.

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St Brendans battled back though and brought it to two point game with scores from Thomas Kearns and David O’Callaghan and when Ivan Parker hit a belter of a goal from 20 yards with a minute left, it looked like it would be the divisional side’s day.

But Stacks went straight down the field and won a free which was pointed by Sean Quilter. Stacks won the kickout and after playing it around the midfield area they engineered another free, but Quilter hit the upright and it went wide. 2-9 to 1-12…penalties!

Sean Quilter scored first for Stacks, but Ivan Parker’s shot was saved by Wayne Guthrie.

Adam Curran, Michael O’Donnell Michael O’Gara scored for Stacks with Mikey Kelliher Jack Barry and Andrew Barry netting for St Brendans.

That left Kieran Donaghy to score the penalty to send the Rockies through and he duly obliged.  Over to you Kerins O’Rahillys!