Mid Kerry 3-10

Dingle 0-9

MID KERRY are back in the county final after a powerful 10-point defeat of Dingle, who finished with 13 players on the field.

AFL star Mark O’Connor was dismissed in added on time at the end of the game on a straight red card that appeared to be for retaliation to a foul, but it was Mikey Geaney’s sending off that damaged the club side more.

Geaney picked up a second yellow for a clumsy foul in the 44th minute, when Dingle were just a point behind, but without their former Kerry player the West Kerry side struggled in the fourth quarter.

Indeed, Dingle failed to score for the final 32 minutes of the game, a statistic that will haunt them given how prolific their forward unit had been throughout the championship, with Paul, Conor and Dylan Geaney to the fore.

Though that trio scored eight of Dingle’s nine points (the ninth was scored by another cousin, Niall), it is to Mid Kerry’s huge credit that they restricted Dingle to just one point from play, with Nathan Breen, David Roche and Pa Kilkenny particularly impressive in their defence.

Dingle started as one would expect, getting quick ball to the Geaneys, who made particularly good use of the advanced mark to see their team lead by 0-5 to 0-3 after 15 minutes.

By the 23rd minute, Dingle were 0-7 to 0-4 ahead, but Mid Kerry finished the half strong with points from Cillian Burke and Sean O’Brien, and then Burke scored a super goal in additional time to send Mid Kerry to the break 1-6 to 0-7 ahead.

Paul and Conor Geaney converted ‘marks’ inside the first three minutes of the second half to level the scoreboard, but remarkably Dingle didn’t score again.

After Mikey Geaney’s dismissal, Mid Kerry sensed the edges begin to fray on Dingle’s challenge, and when substitute Daire Cleary coolly slipped the ball past Gavin Curran Mid kerry were six clear, 2-9 to 1-9.

Dingle were seven down when O’Connor’s red card arrived, and to add insult to injury, substitute Jack Brosnan scored Mid Kerry’s third goal to send them back to the final, while Dingle will wonder how it all unravelled so quickly.

MID KERRY: Seán Coffey; Pa Wrenn, Nathan Breen, David Mangan; David Roche, Mike Breen, Pa Kilkenny; Seán O’Brien 0-1, Gavin Horan; Fiachra Clifford, Cillian Burke 1-1, Keith Evans; Gavan O’Grady 0-2 (1f), Darren Houlihan 0-1, Éanna O’Connor 0-3 (2f).

Subs: Daire Cleary 1-2 for F Clifford (41), Gearóid Hassett for G O’Grady (48), Gavin McKenna for P Kilkenny (53), Jack Brosnan for G Horan (53), Liam Carey for D Houlihan (58), Jack O’Connor 1-0 for D Roche (temp, 63-ft).

DINGLE: Gavin Curran; Conor Flannery, Conor O’Sullivan, Tom Leo O’Sullivan; Niall Geaney 0-1 (m), Tom O’Sullivan, Brian O’Connor, Mark O’Connor, Billy O’Connor, Mikey Geaney, Dylan Geaney 0-1 (m), Micheál Flannery, Conor Geaney 0-4 (2f, 1m), Paul Geaney 0-3 (1f, 2m); Matthew Flaherty.

Subs: Tomas Mac a tSithigh for C O’Sullivan (ht), Barry Dan O’Sullivan for M Flannery (53), Eoghan Hoare for M Flaherty (57), Darragh O’Sullivan for Billy O’Connor (60), Brian Devane for C Flannery (61)

REF: Brendan Evans (Clounmacon)