McCarthy Insurance Group South Kerry Senior Football League Final:
Templenoe 1-05, Waterville 0-07.
Templenoe are South Kerry league champions for 2023 following a narrow one-point victory over Waterville at a wet and windy Valentia last Saturday. This is Templenoe’s second South Kerry senior league title since the club first entered this competition back in 1998.
Despite the unfavourable weather conditions, there was still a good turn out to witness this final. The fact that both teams could only manage one point each when playing into the strong breeze, underlines just how much of an impact the weather conditions had on this game. Templenoe were the more wasteful of the two sides with eleven wides while Waterville had a total of four wides.
Templenoe had the wind advantage for the first half and got their first score three minutes in through Colin Crowley. A minute later Colin Crowley went one better when he got inside the Waterville defence before rounding the keeper and finishing the ball home. This goal was to prove crucial in the finish. Soon after Stephen O’Sullivan had another goal chance for Templenoe, but Waterville keeper Cillian O’Shea was equal to his effort. Templenoe were dominating but not capitalizing on the scoreboard as they would have liked. Though Stepen O’Sullivan did add another score from a mark to put Templenoe 1-02 to 0-00 ahead by the 13th minute. Barry Dwyer opened Waterville’s account with a well struck free from an angle and this would be their only score of the first half. The wides continued to mount for Templenoe in the second quarter, who ultimately had to settle for just two more scores before the break courtesy of a 45 from Aidan Crowley and a fine score from corner back Michael Hallissey.
Half Time Score: Templenoe 1-04, Waterville 0-01.
Kerry U20 panelist Mark Casey was introduced for Templenoe for the second half, but the question was the Templenoe lead enough of a foundation to withstand the likely Waterville fight back over the next half hour of football. The third quarter saw Waterville reduce the margin to just a goal courtesy of three points from Barry Dwyer, with two from frees and one from play. In between, Templenoe’s John Moriarty had a goal bound shot saved by Cillian O’Shea. Both sides squandered chances over the next few plays, before Barry Dwyer eventually added another point in the 52nd minute. The score was now 1-04 to 0-05. Templenoe needed a score to help steady the ship and finally after a gap of 29 minutes from their last score, Aidan Crowley kept his composure to slot over the side’s only score, but a very important one in the second half. Credit to Waterville they kept coming even after losing Cillian Clifford to a second yellow card and points from Barry Dwyer and Oran Clifford deep into injury time did bring the margin down to the minimum, but there was to be time for no more.
After the game the South Kerry League Cup was presented to Templenoe captain Joseph Sheehan. Congratulations to all our players and management on winning the club’s first bit of silverware since the Munster Intermediate Club title in December 2019, not forgetting the many famous wins Templenoe had in between and hopefully more to follow.
Final Score: Templenoe 1-05, Waterville 0-07.
Scorers:
Templenoe: Colin Crowley 1-01, Aidan Crowley 0-02 (1f) (1 45), Stephen O’Sullivan 0-01 (1m), Michael Hallissey 0-01.
Waterville: Adam O’Dwyer 0-06 (4f), Oran Clifford 0-01 (1f).
Teams:
Templenoe: Danny Cahalane, Ciaran Crowley, Kieran O’Neill, Michael Hallissey, Kieran McCathy, Joseph Sheehan©, Martin Reilly, Sean Sheehan, Michael F O’Connor, John Moriarty, Patrick Clifford, Colin Crowley, Stephen O’Sullivan, Aidan Crowley, Daniel Crowley.
Subs Used: Mark Casey, Hugh Granville.
Waterville: Cillian O’Shea, Cillian Cronin, Fionan Clifford©, Shane Draper, Sean Murphy, Oran Clifford, Jack Curran, Jamie O’Sullivan, Cillian Clifford, Gearoid O’Sullivan, Barry Dwyer, Niall Fitzgerald, Dylan O’Huggard, Adam Dwyer, James Fitzgerald.
Subs used: Timothy O’Sullivan, Darragh Dwyer Bernard Dwyer.
