Dr. Crokes prove too strong for The Nire in Munster Final

Kerry side Dr. Croke’s won a seventh Munster Senior Club Football Championship at Mallow on Sunday afternoon as they beat The Nire appearing in their third Provincial final since 2006, having eighteen points to spare at the end of the hour.

The Waterford champions after recording excellent wins over Ballinacourty and Carberry Rangers in their last two games went into this game with many expecting them to pull off what would have been a first ever championship win for the Déise County at this level, but as it turned out it was always going to be an uphill battle for them as the game was in effect over after twenty two minutes when the Kerry side raised a third green flag in this game.

The winners took control of this game from the off and by the break they were 3-9 to 0-1 in front, with all three goals coming off the boot of the impressive Daithi Casey.

The scores for the winners in the second half dried up somewhat in the second half and while The Nire were well beaten at the end they never gave up and were rewarded near the end with some good scores from Dermot Ryan and Liam Lawlor.

The Nire knew that they could not afford to give the Kerry side an early start. In the semi-final they slipped six points behind against Carberry Rangers but they were playing a much tougher side in this game and to fall behind early could well prove costly.

Kieran O’Leary opened the scoring on three minutes and four minutes later Ambrose O’Donovan, the son of the All-Ireland winning Champions  captain with the same name in the G.A.A. Century Year Final  put his side two in front.

The first goal of the game came on nine minutes as the impressive Daithi Casey slotted past Tom Wall in The Nire goal after some good link play by Colm Cooper and Eoin Brosnan in the build-up.

Casey from a free and then Brian Looney and Kieran O’Leary followed up with points for the Killarney side giving them a 1-5 to no score lead after just sixteen minutes.

Benjie Whelan’s side were dealt another blow on eighteen minutes when Shane Ryan was judged to have impeded Kieran O’Leary as the ball was played in towards The Nire goal and Cork referee Kevin Murphy awarded the Kerry side a penalty which Casey blasted to the net despite Tom Wall guessing right in The Nire goal as to what direction the ball was going to be put.

Kieran O’Leary put Dr Crokes 2-6 to no score up after nineteen minutes which was quickly followed by The Nire’s first and only score of the first half put over by the impressive Dermot Ryan.

Any prospect of that score bringing The Nire back into contention were quickly dashed however, as within sixty seconds, Daithi Casey completed his hat-trick when he brilliantly rounded off a sweeping move, blasting into the top left hand corner of Tom Wall’s net.

Further scores from John Buckley, Colm Cooper and Brian Looney followed for the winners to give them a seventeen point lead at the break.

Scores in the third quarter were hard won.

The first score of the second half did not arrive till the thirty eight minute from the hard working Liam Lawlor.

Colm Cooper from a free cancelled out Lawlor’s score two minutes later which were followed with efforts from Eoin Brosnan and a Shane Murphy ’45 with Dermot Ryan responding with a brace for The Nire to leave the score 3-12 to 0-4 after forty six minutes.

Kieran O’Leary and Chris Brady just seconds after coming on for Brian Looney extended the Dr. Crokes lead with five minutes of normal time still to play.

Liam Lawlor got his second of the game on fifty six after which another Dr. Crokes sub Jordan Kiely showed manager Pat O’Shea that he might deserve a place in the team from the start the next day when he pointed on fifty seven minute, his sides last score of the game.

Deep in stoppage time Dermot Ryan hit his fourth of the game for The Nire but it was to be but a mere consolation score.

The Kerry side will now have an All-Ireland semi-final against Corofin to look forward to in the spring, while The Nire after a long season will now take the winter off and come back next year hoping to win a ninth County Senior Football Championship, and if they do, expect them to challenge once more on the provincial campaign next autumn.

Dr. Crokes: Shane Murphy; John Payne, Michael Moloney, Fionn Fitzgerald; Gavin White, Alan O’Sullivan, David O’Leary; Ambrose O’Donovan, Eoin Brosnan; Johnny Buckley, Daithí Casey, Brian Looney; Kieran O’Leary, Colm Cooper, Gavin O’Shea. Subs: Micheál Burns for Ambrose O’Donovan (44), Jordan Kiely for Daithi Casey (48), Tony Brosnan for Gavin O’Shea (51), Luke Quinn for John Payne (51), Chris Brady for Brian Looney (54), PJ Lawlor for Alan O’Sullivan (57).

Scorers: Daithí Casey 3-1 (1-0 penalty, 0-1 free), Kieran O’Leary 0-4, Colm Cooper (0-1 free), Brian Looney 0-2 each, Ambrose O’Donovan, Johnny Buckley, Eoin Brosnan, Jordan Kiely, Chris Brady, Shane Murphy (0-1 45) 0-1 each. Scorers

The Nire: Tommy Wall; Martin Walsh, Tom O’Gorman, Justin Walsh; Shane Ryan, Jamie Barron, James McGrath; Shane Walsh, Dylan Guiry; Dermot Ryan, Séamus Lawlor, Darren Guiry; Brian Wall, Conor Gleeson, Liam Lawlor. Subs: Jake Mulcahy for Justin Walsh (half-time), Craig Guiry for Darren Guiry (half-time), Conal Mulcahy for Jamie Barron (39) (Black Card), Stephen Ryan for James McGrath (48), Keith Guiry for Brian Wall (54), Dave Nugent for Liam Lawlor (59).

Scorers: Dermot Ryan 0-4, Liam Lawlor 0-2.

Referee: Kevin Murphy (Cork)