Kerins O'Rahilly's 1-09 Éire Óg Ennis 1-08
Kerins O'Rahillys are back in a Munster club SFC final for the first time since 2009, but they had to do it the hard way after having their Kerry star David Moran was sent off after just 22 minutes.
The Kerry representatives took the lead after just 12 seconds and they were never behind to Clare champions Éire Óg, but O’Rahillys had to fight might and mane to survive a strong challenge from the Ennis-based club who will be hugely disappointed that they could not make their numerical advantage count in the end.
Indeed, Éire Óg will be livid with themselves that they didn’t at least take this game into extra-time when they turned over the ball in the 58th minute and worked the ball to Philip Talty, but the corner forward completely fluffed his shot from 15 metres in front of goal, dropping the ball short into the grateful arms of an O’Rahillys defender.
The Kerry senior club champions – though not the county senior football champions - enjoyed the perfect start at a wet and windy Austin Stack Park when Jack Savage pointed after 12 seconds and Tommy Walsh crashed in a goal three minutes later.
That suggested the Tralee men had rediscovered the form that had delivered them that Senior Club title and their ticket to represent Kerry in Munster, but Éire Óg settled into their work thereafter and points from Gavin Cooney (2) and Mark McInerney had them to within a point of O'Rahillys after 12 minutes.
Jack Savage scored his second point but then hit the post with a very scorable free by his standards as the game remained scrappy in testing weather conditions, with referee Sean Lonergan issuing a couple of yellow cards.
One of those was to Moran after 21 minutes for a fairly innocuous challenge on Iken Ugwueru, and a minute later the O’Rahillys midfielder retaliated to a foul on him by the same player. Again it seemed a thing of nothing between Moran and Ugwueru but refere Lonergan saw it different, issuing a booking and a dismissal to Moran, with the sending off tilting the game massively in Éire Óg’s favour.
Tommy Walsh, who was a big target and threat at full forward for the home side, landed a point from play and then converted a free as O’Rahillys took a 1-04 to 0-04 lead to the half time interval, Cooney getting Éire Óg’s last score of the half from a close-range free.
A man down, O’Rahillys needed a strong start to the second half and they got it with two early points from Gavin O’Brien – home from his base in New York for the game –, but the Clare champions hit back with a great goal from wing back Einne O’Connor after being set up by Cooney.
O’Rahillys responded in the best way, points from Jack Savage and Cormac Coffey – also home from Dubai especially for the match – as they led 1-08 to 1-4 after 42 minutes.
Moran’s absence around midfield was apparent for O’Rahillys, who moved Tommy Walsh to the middle of the field to try and win some badly needed primary possession and stifle Éire Óg from getting on the front foot. It worked up to a point but the Ennis clawed their way back with scores from Talty, Ciaran Russell and two Cooney to make it 1-09 to 1-08.
They played the last five minutes with 14 men after Mark McInerney was sent off for a double yellow, and the last few seconds without Darren O’Neill who was black carded, but in between Talty fluffed his chance to level the scores and maybe take the game to extra-time.
Kerins O’Rahillys: Shane Foley; Darragh McElligott, Ross O’Callaghan, Cormac Coffey 0-01; Con Barrett, Karl Mullins, Padraig Neenan; David Moran, Tom Hoare; Gearoid Savage, Jack Savage 0-04, Gavin O’Brien 0-02; Barry John Keane, Tommy Walsh 1-02 (0-01m), Conor Hayes.
Subs: Ben Hanafin for G Savage (39); Ryan Carroll for Barrett (49); Diarmuid O’Sullivan for Hoare (58).
Éire Óg: Shane Daniels; Manus Doherty, Aaron Fitzgerald, Ronan Lanigan; Éinne O’Connor 1-00; Aidan McGrath, Ciaran Russell 0-01, Darren O’Neill, David McNamara; Oran Cahill, Ikem Ugwueru, Niall McMahon, Jarlath, Gavin Cooney 0-05 (0-03f), Mark McInerney 0-01 (0-01m).
Subs: David Reidy for McMahon (37); Philip Talty 0-01 for Cahill (40); Conor O’Halloran for Lanigan (48); Dean D’Auria for Collins (62).
Referee: Sean Lonergan (Tipperary)
