Kerry County SFC Semi-final

Dingle 2-16

East Kerry 1-14

(after extra time)

DINGLE AND Dr Crokes will contest this year’s Kerry Senior Football Championship final after the former dethroned champions East Kerry in a dramatic extra-time semi-final in Tralee.

David Clifford had a 61st-minute penalty brilliantly saved by Dingle goalkeeper Gavin H Curran to keep the score level, 1-12 to 2-9, and send the game to extra-time, where Dingle dominated the three-in-a-row title-seeking champions, outscoring them by 0-7 to 0-2, to win through to face Dr Crokes in a fortnight.

Another view of the David Clifford penalty and his sportsmanship afterwards acknowledging Gavan H Curran's brilliant save.
Full game, and it was brilliant, on @clubber TV@Kerry_Official pic.twitter.com/EE4D81KBiw

— John C. O'Shea (@jcoshea) October 13, 2024

This game was, in its simplest terms, billed as a shoot-out between Kerry teammates Clifford and Paul Geaney, and on that front, it was the latter who just about edged that battle by 1-4 to 1-2.

However, there was so much more to this contest, with Donal O’Sullivan scoring six points for the champions, and Dylan Geaney putting in a tour de force for Dingle, and also scoring six points.

The odd goal in three was scored by Dingle defender Tom Leo O’Sullivan, which helped the West Kery club to a 1-3 to 0-5 half-time lead, but there was so much more to come in a final of high quality and high drama.

Points from Donal O’Sullivan and Clifford brothers, David and Paudie, had the champions 0-3 to 0-1 ahead early on, but Tom Leo’s goal, set up by Dylan Geaney, in the 23rd minute put Dingle 1-2 to 0-4 ahead, before Donal O’Sullivan and Paul Geaney traded last first-half points to keep the minimum between the team at the first interval.

Ruairi Murphy and Luke Crowley pointed early in the second half for East Kerry, with Dylan Geaney on target from a free, but then in the 38th minute Murphy’s precise pass found David Clifford inside and he did what he does best: fired the ball low and hard past Curran to make it 1-7 to 1-4 to the champions.

Dingle’s second goal came four minutes later, a well-worked move involving Tadhg de Brun and Tom Leo O’Sullivan before Kery defender Tom O’Sullivan teed up Paul Geaney for a close-range finish to level the contest, 2-5 to 1-8.

Dylan Geaney then reeled off three unanswered points as they tested the pulse of the champions in the fourth quarter, but East Kerry hit back with scores from Donal O’Sullivan, David Clifford and Ronan Buckley to square the scoreboard.

In the final five minutes of the 60, Donal and Tom O’Sullivan traded points but then it looked as if East Kerry were going to make it to their fifth final in six years when Buckley was fouled in the box by Paul Geaney. Curran was equal to Clifford’s really well-struck penalty to deny the Fossa man and send the game to extra-time.

Dingle, understandably, took huge confidence from that lifeline, while the champions looked deflated.

Paud O’Leary pointed first for the champions but Dingle hit back with points from Conor Geaney, Paul Geaney (2) and Matthew Flaherty to lead 2-13 to 1-13 at the turnaround.

Three more points in the second period iced a deserved win for Dingle, and sent them to their first county final since 2018 when they lost to Dr Crokes — the last time the Killarney men were county champions.

The clubs also contested the Kerry Senior Club Championship final six weeks ago, which Dr Crokes won. Neither side will lack motivation in a fortnight.

Scorers for Dingle: Dylan 0-6 (1f), Paul Geaney 1-4 (0-1f, 0-1m), Conor Geaney 0-3 (2f), Tom Leo O’Sullivan 1-0, Matthew Flaherty 0-2, Tom O’Sullivan 0-1

Scorers for East Kerry: Dónal O’Sullivan 0-6 (3f, 1m), David Clifford 1-2 (0-2f), Niall Donohue, Paud O’Leary, Ronan Buckley, Luke Crowley, Ruairí Murphy, Paudie Clifford 0-1 each

DINGLE: Gavin H Curran, Conor Flannery, Conor O’Sullivan, Tom O’Sullivan, Brian O’Connor, Darragh ‘Dan’ O’Sullivan, Tom ‘Leo’ O’Sullivan, Barry ‘Dan’ O’Sullivan, Billy O’Connor, Cathal Bambury, Matthew Flaherty, Niall Geaney, Dylan Geaney, Paul Geaney, Tadhg de Brún.

Subs: Micheál Flannery for C O’Sullivan (inj), half-time, Conor Geaney for T de Brún, 43, Mikey Geaney for D O’Sullivan, 48, T de Brún for C Bambury, 64, Seán Óg Moran for B O’Connor, 79, Brendan Kelliher for B O’Connor, 80

EAST KERRY: Brian Kelly (Legion), Chris O’Leary (Kilcummin), Dan O’Brien (Glenflesk), Niall Donohue (Firies), Kieran O’Sullivan (Fossa), Cian Lynch (Glenflesk), Paud O’Leary (Gneeveguilla), Ronan Buckley (Listry), Darragh Lyne (Legion), Seán O’Leary (Kilcummin), Luke Crowley (Glenflesk), Ruairí Murphy (Listry), David Clifford (Fossa), Dónal O’Sullivan (Kilgarvan), Paudie Clifford (Fossa)

Subs: Cian Gammell (Legion) for K O’Sullivan, half-time, Dara O’Callaghan (Kilcummin) for C O’Leary, 45, Finbarr Murphy (Legion) for S O’Leary, 48, Emmet O’Shea (Fossa) for R Murphy, 57, R Murphy for R Buckley (inj), full-time, K O’Sullivan for N Dohohue, half-time in extra-time

REFEREE: Brendan Griffin (Clounmacon)