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O’Leary the hero as Kilcummin bounce back in style
It was an excellent team performance by Kilcummin but one young star stood out more than most, writes Adam Moynihan
All-action wing-back Seán O’Leary was the undisputed hero in Tralee last Sunday as he threw off the shackles to score 2-2 in Kilcummin’s six-point victory over Glenflesk in the County Intermediate final. The win means Kilcummin, who suffered the ignominy of relegation as recently as six months ago, will be a senior club once again in 2019. Glenflesk, meanwhile, are still searching for the first intermediate title in the club’s 67-year history.
Mastergeeha native O’Leary gave his side the best possible start when he goaled in the 2nd minute and it proved to be the catalyst for a glorious opening spell for Kilcummin as they built up an imposing early lead. When Kerry star Kevin McCarthy fired home the second goal of the game in the 12th minute, the men in green and red led 2-3 to a solitary point.
Mike O’Shea pulled one back for Glenflesk but Kilcummin were finding openings at will and when Pádraig Nagle tucked away another goal midway through the first half, some neutrals in Austin Stack Park started talking about throwing shapes.
Glenflesk needed some magic from their main man and the ever-reliable Darragh Roche came good yet again with a crucial goal in the 21st minute. Glenflesk ended the period in the ascendency and managed to cut the deficit to three (3-5 to 1-8) by half time. In fact, within five minutes of the restart they were ahead as a Brian O’Donoghue point was quickly followed by another Darragh Roche goal.
Kilcummin responded well, however, and by the 50-minute mark they were three points to the good once again. Glenflesk were up against it by this stage but they were handed a lifeline when referee Pádraig O’Sullivan awarded them a penalty. Darragh Roche, who was on a hat-trick, accepted the responsibility but unfortunately he dragged his effort wide and the entire parish of Kilcummin breathed a huge sigh of relief.
In the end, the man who kick-started proceedings finished the game off as a contest. The outstanding Seán O’Leary burst forward with five minutes to go and rattled the back of the net for the second time, bringing his tally to 2-2 and clinching the Intermediate County Championship in the process. It was an imperious display by O’Leary, who has now won a Hogan Cup, a minor All-Ireland and an Intermediate title in the space of 13 months.
Brendan Kealy made some crucial point blank saves and Kevin McCarthy and Shane McSweeney had a huge impact but O’Leary, who is still a teenager, was deservedly presented with the sponsor’s the Man of the Match award at full time.
It was an exceptional all-round display by Kilcummin and they can now look forward to representing Kerry in the Munster Championship in November. The Kerry champions have claimed 11 of the last 12 Munster titles and five of those teams have gone on to win the All-Ireland. Any talk of Kilcummin in Croke Park might seem premature but following their heroics of last weekend, they can at least start to dream.
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