AIB Munster Club SFC: Kerins O'Rahillys advance

AIB Munster Club SFC Semi-Final

Kerins O'Rahillys 1-9 ire g, Ennis 1-8

By Paul Brennan at Austin Stack Park

They might have fallen well short in the County Senior Football Championship, failing to win a game in the group stage of the competition, but 14-man Kerins ORahillys advanced to the Munster Club SFC final after beating Clare champions ire g.

ORahillys had earned their place as Kerrys representative in the provincial championship through a combination of East Kerry a divisional team winning the County SFC, and ORahillys winning the County Senior Club Championship, and they needed to recapture some of that steel and character to get them over the line this afternoon after their midfield talisman David Moran was sent off after 22 minutes.

It left ORahillys with a rod for their back for the next 40-plus minutes, but they hung on against an ire g team that was big on effort but short on precision in front of the posts.

ORahillys were helped by a brilliant start, taking the lead after just 12 seconds a after which they were never behind, and further boosted by Tommy Walshs goal in the third minute.

Unperturbed by that poor start, ire g settled into their work thereafter and points from Gavin Cooney 2 and Mark McInerney had them to within a point of ORahillys 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 the referee issuing a few yellow cards, two of which went to Moran which significantly shifted the dynamic of the game.

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 ORahillys took a 1-4 to 0-4 lead to the half time interval, Cooney getting ire gs last score of the half from a close-range free.

A man down, ORahillys needed a strong start to the second half and they got it with two early points from Gavin OBrien but the Clare champions hit back with a great goal from wing-back Einne OConnor after being set up by Cooney.

ORahillys responded in the best way, points from Jack Savage and Cormac Coffey they led 1-8 to 1-4 after 42 minutes.

Savage and Coffey were brought home from Dubai for the game, while Gavin OBrien was flown back from his New York base, and all three made the effort worthwhile with six points between them.

Morans absence around midfield was apparent for ORahillys, who moved Tommy Walsh to the middle of the field to try and win some badly needed primary possession and stifle ire g from getting on the front foot. It worked up to a point but the Ennis men clawed their way back with scores from Talty, Ciaran Russell and two Cooney to make it 1-9 to 1-8.

They played the last five minutes with 14 men after Mark McInerney was sent off for a double yellow, but in between Talty fluffed his chance to level the scores and maybe take the game to extra-time.

Big of effort but short on execution, ire Og will be left rue what might have been as ORahillys will contest their first Munster Club SFC Final since 2009, which they lost to Kilmurry-Ibrickane.

Scorers for Kerins ORahillys: T Walsh 1-2 0-1 mark; J Savage 0-4 0-2 frees; G OBrien 0-2; C Coffey 0-1 each.

Scorers for ire g Ennis: G Cooney 0-5 0-3 frees; E OConnor 1-0; C Russell, M McInerney 0-1 mark, P Talty 0-1 each.

Kerins ORahillys: Shane Foley; Darragh McElligott, Ross OCallaghan, Cormac Coffey; Con Barrett, Karl Mullins, Padraig Neenan; David Moran, Tom Hoare; Cian Sayers, Jack Savage, Gavin OBrien; Barry John Keane, Tommy Walsh, Conor Hayes

Subs: Ben Hanafin for G Savage 39; Ryan Carroll for Barrett 49; Diarmuid OSullivan for Hoare 58.

ire g: S Daniels; Manus Doherty, A Fitzgerald, R Lanigan; C Russell, A McGrath, OConnor; Darren ONeill, D McNamara; N McMahon, I Ugwueru, O Cahill; Gavin Cooney, M McInerney, J Collins.

Subs: David Reidy for McMahon 37; Philip Talty for Cahill 40; Conor OHalloran for Lanigan 48; Dean DAuria for Collins 62.

Referee: Sean Lonergan Tipperary