Dr Crokes add 13th senior county title to impressive honour roll
A Gavin White goal in the final minute of normal time sealed a 13th senior county title for Dr Crokes, putting them top of the county’s honours list.
A slick move involving Brian Looney, White and Kieran O’Leary in the build-up gave the Killarney men the necessary breathing space having been pushed all the way by Dingle.
Between the halves, Crokes didn’t score for 20 minutes but went four points up in the 44th minute after a Daithí Casey free.
Paul Geaney’s frees kept Dingle in touch and with Barry O’Sullivan impressing in midfield the difference was two points on a couple of occasions in the final 10 minutes but the loss of Pádraig Ó Conchuir to a second yellow card was always going to make Dingle’s life difficult and the reigning champions held them off.
It took Dr Crokes the opening 10 minutes to measure Dingle but when they did the points flowed. Seven came in succession between the 10th and 21st minutes, David Shaw impressing as a target man inside.
He opened his account in the 10th minute and added the last two of those seven points, the last having retrieved a Shane Murphy ball that was heading wide.
He also set up Looney for a 16th-minute score having held the ball up well from the sideline.
Crokes were seizing on so many of the Dingle kick-outs and Paul Geaney and Tom Sheehy inside were starved.
White and John Payne were performing well in cutting out the supply to them.
Just as the game seemed to be turning away from Dingle, Tom O’Sullivan drove into the game, the half-back sending over two points before the break as well as winning a free for Paul Geaney to convert Sheehy was also off the mark and the scoreline read 0-8 to 0-6 at the break.
D. Casey (3 frees), D. Shaw (0-4 each); G. White (1-1); T. Brosnan (0-2); G. O’Shea, B. Looney, J. Buckley, K. O’Leary (0-1 each).
P. Geaney (0-6, 5 frees); T. O’Sullivan (0-2); T. Sheehy, M. O’Flaherty, B. O’Sullivan, M. Geaney (0-1 each).
S. Murphy; M. Moloney, J. Payne (c), F. Fitzgerald; D. O’Leary, G. White, S. Doolan; J. Buckley, D. Casey; M. Burns, G. O’Shea, B. Looney; T. Brosnan, K. O’Leary, D. Shaw.
C. Cooper for G. O’Shea (38); A. O’Sullivan for D. O’Leary (45); J. Kiely for T. Brosnan (50); M. Potts for D. Shaw (55); E. Brosnan for M. Burns (60+2); P. Clarke for K. O’Leary (60+3).
G. Curran; M. Boyle, T. Leo O’Sullivan, P. Ó Conchuir (c); A. O’Connor; T. O’Sullivan, M. Flannery; L. Ó Conchuir, B. O’Sullivan; P. Devane, M. Geaney, B. Ó Conchuir; T. Sheehy, P. Geaney, M. O’Flaherty.
E. Murphy for P. Devane (43); B. Kelleher for M. Flannery (58); C. Geaney for T. Sheehy (60+3).
P. Ó Conchuir (52, second yellow).
S. Mulvihill (St Senans).
