Kerry Petroleum Intermediate Club Football Championship Final Replay
Match report by Aidan Clifford
Laune Rangers 0-5
Austin Stacks 1-14
Austin Stacks had a comfortable win over Laune Rangers in the Kerry Petroleum Intermediate Championsihp Final replay on Saturday afternoon, reclaiming their place in the County Senior Football Championship.
The nine week wait between the drawn game and replay was not kind to Laune Rangers, who lost Tom Whittleton to injury in the intervening period, while a number of players carried injuries onto the field on the day. Meanwhile the loss of Fiachra Clifford to pastures new in Australia was felt most of all.
Austin Stacks set the pace from early on. Greg Horan pointed twice within the first seven minutes, establishing Stacks’ intent to dictate play. Laune Rangers, while defensively resilient, struggled to break down the disciplined and organized Austin Stacks defense, finding their own scoring opportunities few and far between.
Midway through the first half, Laune Rangers were dealt another blow with the loss of Eoin O’Sullivan to injury. Austin Stacks continued to build their lead, with points from Joey Nagle and Donagh McKivergan extending their margin. John Tyther registered Laune Rangers’ first score with a point in the 23rd minute. However, Stacks quickly responded through Paddy Lane, ensuring they maintained control. Just before the whistle, Eoghan Hassett added another point (a free) for Laune Rangers, but they entered the break trailing 0-6 to 0-2#.
As the second half unfolded, Austin Stacks maintained their momentum. Despite a spirited effort from Laune Rangers, including points from Patrick Daly and a couple of free kicks, the Stacks’ defensive structure and swift attacking play proved too much. Every Laune Rangers point was met with an equally, if not more decisive, score from Austin Stacks. The introduction of John Burke and David Mangan added fresh legs, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Stacks from pulling away.
A critical blow came in the 28th minute when Cian Purcell struck a goal for Austin Stacks, effectively sealing the match. The score widened to an insurmountable margin as the clock ticked down, with Brendan O’Sullivan adding one final point for Stacks in the closing minute.
Laune Rangers:- Jason Browne; Shane Clifford, Oisin Daly, Sean Cleary; Patrick Carey, Eoin Clifford, Calum Moriarty, Shane Daly, Gearoid Hassett, Stephen Sealy, John Tyther (0-1), Patrick Daly (0-2, 1f), Dáire Cleary, Eoin O’Sullivan, Matthew Leslie. Subs: Eoghan Hassett (0-2, 2f) for O’Sullivan, David Mangan for Leslie, John Burke for Tyther, Ryan Diggin for P Daly, Stephen Gannon for Moriarty.
Austin Stacks: Michael Tansley; Colin Griffin, Dylan Casey (0-1), Joey Nagle (0-1); Armin Heinrich (0-1), Jack O’Shea, Paul O’Sullivan; Michael O’Donnell, Joe O’Connor; Fiachna Mangan, Greg Horan (0-3), Daniel Kirby (0-1); Donagh McGivergan (0-3, 3f), Shane O’Callaghan, Paddy Lane (0-2, 1f). Subs: Cian Purcell (1-0) for O’Callaghan, Ronan Shanahan for P O’Sullivan, Darragh O’Brien (0-1) for F Mangan, Colm Browne for C Griffin, Brendan O’Sullivan (0-1) for P Lane.
