Updated 21.40pm
Kerry SFC quarter-finals
Dingle 0-12
South Kerry 0-11
SOUTH KERRY’S REIGN as Kerry senior football champions came to an end this afternoon when West Kerry side Dingle knocked them out at the quarter-final stage in Austin Stack Park.
A terrific second-half comeback propelled Dingle to glory with the Geaney cousins, Paul and Conor, kicking 0-9 between them to clinch the spoils.
Dingle are now one game away from getting back to the first senior final appearance since 2012 when they lost out to Dr Crokes.
Reigning kingpins South Kerry were forced to line out without senior inter-county defender Killian Young but with Bryan Sheehan and Brendan O’Sullivan to the fore, they were 0-3 to 0-0 ahead after 10 minutes.
Dingle pegged them back to parity at 0-3 apiece before South Kerry stormed clear again by 0-7 to 0-3 in the 27th minute. Late points from Paul and Conor Geaney left Dingle 0-7 to 0-5 adrift.
That deficit that Dingle faced had increased to four points, 0-9 to 0-5, early in the second-half with Daniel Daly and Greg Gibson pointing for South Kerry.
But then Dingle took over to seven of the game’s next eight points. Three in succession cut the gap to one by the 39th minute and even a Bryan Sheehan free that put South Kerry in front 0-10 to 0-8 did not deter Dingle, as they strung together four points to go two clear.
A late Sheehan free gave South Kerry hope but they could not force a levelling score as Dingle progressed.
Scorers for Dingle: Conor Geaney 0-5 (0-5f), Paul Geaney 0-4 (0-2f), Aidan O’Connor, Breandan Kelliher, Cathal Bambury 0-1 each.
Scorers for South Kerry: Bryan Sheehan 0-5 (0-4f), Brendan O’Sullivan, Daniel Daly 0-2 each.
Dr Crokes 1-16
Kerins O’Rahilly’s 0-14
COLM COOPER’S GOAL proved a key moment in enabling Dr Crokes to become the first side to book a place in this year’s Kerry senior football semi-finals earlier this afternoon, when they saw off Kerins O’Rahilly’s by five points at Austin Stack Park.
Cooper, who contributed 1-5 overall, found the net in the 21st minute and that goal helped provide a vital cushion on the scoreboard for Dr Crokes throughout.
The game was marred by a lengthy stoppage in the early moments of the first-half when Kerins O’Rahilly’s defender Giles O’Grady suffered a serious leg injury.
When the match resumed, the teams were tied at 0-1 apiece but then Dr Crokes accelerated clear by 0-6 to 0-2 before Cooper pounced to raise a green flag.
At the interval Dr Crokes enjoyed 1-10 to 0-6 advantage with Cooper getting good support in the scoring stakes from Daithi Casey and Tony Brosnan. Despite a missed penalty from Casey in the first-half, Dr Crokes were still in a commanding position.
Kerins O’Rahilly’s fought hard int he second-half with Jack Savage, Barry John Keane and David Moran all on target. They were only four points adrift, 1-14 to 0-13, in the finale but Eoin Brosnan and Jordan Kiely kicked the insurance points to clinch victory for Dr Crokes.
Scorers for Dr Crokes: Colm Cooper 1-5 (0-3f), Daithi Casey 0-3 (0-1f), Tony Brosnan, Shane Murphy (0-1f, 0-1 ’45) 0-2 each, Alan O’Sullivan, Kieran O’Leary, Eoin Brosnan, Jordan Kiely 0-1 each.
Scorers for Kerins O’Rahilly’s: Jack Savage 0-5 (0-3f), Barry John Keane 0-4 (0-1f), David Moran 0-2 (0-1 ’45), Kieran O’Mahony, Greg O’Connell, Tommy Walsh 0-1 each.
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