AIB Munster GAA Football Junior Club Championship Semi Final – Dromid Pearses (Kerry) 0-14 Kanturk (Cork) 2-4 (AET)

DROMID PEARSES BATTLE BACK TO BEAT WEARY KANTURK IN EXTRA TIME

Munster Junior Club Football – semi final

Dromid Pearses 0-14 Kanturk 2-4 (After Extra Time)

By Murt Murphy for kerrygaa.ie

What sport can produce such drama, such tension and so much raw courage as we witnessed in this AIB Munster Junior Club Football semi-final, played at a gale lashed Waterville pitch, between Dromid Pearses and Kanturk, would take some beating. Cork champions Kanturk, who only won their county title on Friday night, looked to be showing no ill effects but their manager Padraig Kearns felt that they had let it slip ” We were three points up at half time and six points ahead early in the second half so we may well have gone to sleep. But we just were not able for extra time and considering the final is not on for two weeks, you would think that the game would go to a replay as we had only played on Friday so extra time proved a bridge too far, for our lads”

Dromid boss Michael A O’Connell, was delighted with the character shown by his side “This club has been cocooned in defeats and hard luck stories down the years and this self belief that we have in this squad of players is savage. We said it in the dressing rooms at half time, we had been six points down to Waterville in the South Kerry Championship a few weeks ago and came and again today we were six points down against Kenmare and we were also behind against Firies but we came back. We are a second half team. I knew even when they scored that second goal, and we replied with two quick points that we could comeback.”

On that final equalizing free in injury time of normal time “Would you believe I had Thomas Curran earmarked to take that free, but Declan turned to me and said he would take it. I knew by then by that steely look that he would put it over. We were out there in extra time and we were in a huddle and Declan, who blames himself for Kerry’s defeat against Dublin said look we promised we could win an All-Ireland with the club this year, so lets do it in extra time and the lads took inspiration from his words. He is a great leader and an exceptional player and Dromid/Pearses means everything to him. We needed him today and he delivered along with the rest of the lads because it was not easy out there”

But O’Connell issued a warning to Dromid Pearses “Jack O’Connor, the best manager in the country was in there now and I asked him to say a few words, and he told the lads basically that they should enjoy the night but then to get the heads right for the final- he reminded the lads that there is no silverware for heroic semi final wins, if they lose the big one. The week off will help, we will have field a second string team in the Co League against Currow this weekend, we have no choice but it will matter little because Waterville and Tarbert will do the business”

But Kanturk will be kicking themselves for letting this game slip as they led Kerry champions Dromid Pearses 2-4 to 0-6, with sixteen minutes left in this absorbing contest. Cork senior star Aidan Walsh was putting in a big shift at midfield and their fullback line inspired by John Healy, looked to have Dromid Pearses, well shackled as the gales got stronger. However Dromid Pearses inspired by Declan O’Sullivan suddenly sprung to life and incredibly Kanturk were not to score for the rest of the game, including twenty minutes of overtime.

It was doubtless a combination of outstanding and defiant play from Dromid for whom, Denis Shine O’Sullivan, Kevin O’Shea, Thomas Curran and inevitably Declan O’Sullivan shone when the need was greatest , allied to extra time being a bridge too far for the Cork side, less than forty eight hours after Friday nights exertions! A 24th minute goal from Anthony Nash after defensive error by Dromid saw Kanturk lead 1-3 to 0-3 at half time, in near impossible conditions. Three minutes into the second half the writing appeared to be on the wall for the South Kerry side, when Lorcan O’Neill’s cross was finished to net by Lorcan McLoughlin, and suddenly Kanturk were six clear.

However, Declan O’Sullivan responded in typical fashion by upping his game and points followed from Thomas Curran and O’Sullivan himself. But five wides were to prove costly for Kanturk in the third quarter as Declan O’Sullivan and John Brown swapped points and the visitors led 2-4 to 0-6 entering the final quarter. Then, three unanswered Dromid points , left the game in the balance as the clock ticked into injury time and when Declan O’Sullivan was fouled, he coolly converted a difficult free to force extra time.

Dromid Pearses elected to play with the gale in the first period, but it was Kanturk who attacked incessantly thanks to Aidan Walsh heroics, but they could not judge the elements and Seamus O’Sullivan edged Dromid in front. Then in the second period of overtime, Kanturk looked punch- drunk as Dromid Pearses completed a remarkable comeback, with points from Thomas Curran, Declan O’Sullivan and Niall O’Shea, and they will now face Kildangan (Tipperary) in the final in two weeks!

* Full marks to the Waterville club for doing a wonderful job in staging the game at short notice. Dan Fitzpatrick led the way with his team of stewards and they left no stone unturned while the two ladies in the kitchen played a blinder, making sure officials, Munster Council personnel and most important of all – the press were fed and watered!!

Scorers

Dromid/Pearses

Declan O’Sullivan 0-6 (0-5 free), T Curran 0-4 (0-1 free, 0-1’45), N O’Shea 0-2, E O’Leary and S O’Sullivan 0-1 each

Kanturk

L McLoughlin and A Nash 1-0 each, E O’Connor, A Sheehy, W Murphy and J Brown 0-1 each

Teams:

Dromid/Pearses

A Hogan, P O’Sullivan, Dominick O’Sullivan, Donal O’Sullivan, Denis Shine O’Sullivan, K O’Shea, M Sheehan, T Curran, C O’Connor, C Farrelly, Declan O’Sullivan, A O’Connor, E O’Leary, N O’Shea, J Curran

Subs: C Hallissey for C Farrelly (36), G O’Sullivan for A O’Connor (45), S O’Sullivan for E O’Leary (50), M O’Shea for J Curran (51), J Curran for M O’Shea (extra time), A O’Connor for S O’Sullivan (extra time)

Kanturk

J Kenneally, L O’Neill, J Healy, S Walsh, J McLoughlin, D Riordan, E O’Connor, A Sheehy, A Walsh, K Holland, L McLoughlin, C Burke, A Nash, D Duane, W Murphy

Subs: J Brown for C Burke (h/t), D O’Connor for W Murphy (43), M Healy for D Duane (54), I Walsh for A Sheehy (extra time)

Referee: Michael Rock (Clare)