THE stage is set for what promises to be an enthralling East Kerry Senior Football Championship final with local rivals Spa and Dr Crokes set to engage on Sunday, December 12 at Fitzgerald Stadium.
The 2020 decider is scheduled for a 2.00pm throw-in and extra time will be played, if necessary.
It should be a super game, with all the tension of a local derby, and it is the first time the sides met in and O’Donoghue Cup final since 1989.
In-form Spa registered a 3-11 to 0-15 semi-final victory over Glenflesk at the weekend and never before was the old saying about goals winning games more apt as Spa required three to cancel out the massive contribution from Glenflesk’s Dara Roche who accounted for an incredible 13 of his side’s 15 points tally.
Spa’s first-half goal came following a great run from Shane Cronin who set up the opportunist Cian Tobin who blasted to the back of the net and at half-time, Spa led 1-6 to 0-7.
Within the first minute of the second half, Spa were again celebrating when Dara Moynihan lobbed the keeper to make it 2-6 to 0-7 and, at the end of the third quarter Mike Foley landed a pass into Niall McCarthy and he finished it to the back of the Glenflesk to leave it 3-9 to 0-12 at the second water break.
Three great scores from Darragh Roche soon followed to put just a goal between the sides but points from Shane Cronin and Ryan O’Carroll left the full-time score Spa 3-11 Glenflesk 0-15.
Dr Crokes, meanwhile, had a 0-22 to 3-9 victory over plucky Rathmore in a fabulous game of football.
It was a great victory for Edmund O’Sullivan’s side given that they had to line out without the services of five regulars and the concession of two first-half penalties made their task even harder.
There were tremendous performances from Evan Looney and Michael Potts in with Jordan Kiely impressing up front but the stand-out player of the day was undoubtedly the magnificent Tony Brosnan who had a personal tally of 0-13.
