Connect with us

Sport

Kerry to host Treaty in Munster derby

Published

3 years ago

on

Kerry FC manager Billy Dennehy will be aiming to pick up points at home to Treaty. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile.

LOI First Division

Kerry FC v Treaty United

Friday at 7.45pm

Mounthawk Park

Kerry FC will play their second ever home match in the League of Ireland tonight (Friday), still searching for that first ever win in the second highest tier of Irish football.

Billy Dennehy’s side were valiant in defeat against Cobh Ramblers on opening night a fortnight ago and they registered a historic first goal last Friday when Leo Gaxha slotted home in a 3-1 defeat to Bray Wanderers.

Next on the checklist will be getting some points on the board, and on paper tonight’s match is a decent opportunity to do so.

Limerick outfit Treaty are also relatively new to the league having joined in 2021 and after opening this campaign with two defeats, they find themselves joint bottom with Kerry, Wexford and Finn Harps.

Having said that, the Shannonsiders will surely be targeting a victory in this one themselves and they will go into this match as slight favourites, despite their uninspiring start.

Last season Treaty reached the First Division promotion playoffs before bowing out to Waterford at the semi-final stage. They also reached the semi-final of the FAI Cup where they just came up short against eventual winners Derry City.

It will be an interesting fixture for Kerry captain Matt Keane. The Killarney man played for Treaty for two seasons in 2021 and 2022 before returning to the Kingdom for the county’s first venture into the League of Ireland.

Meanwhile, Killarney Advertiser sports editor Adam Moynihan has singled out Leo Gaxha as a key player for Kerry in 2023. Speaking on Sporting LK’s Soccer Scene podcast, Adam suggested that Gaxha will be “massive”.

“Gaxha is really good. He was on the books at Sheffield United for five years and in the first game-and-a-half that he’s played, he looks like someone who has been on the books of a Premier League or Championship club for the last few years.

“As soon as he came on against Cobh, he was jinking past fellas and he was getting shots off. He was very unlucky not to score in that match. And then against Bray he showed good composure to take a touch and slot it home. 

“He’s going to be a massive player for Kerry. There’s no doubt about it. He just has that spark, that ability to go by players. He’s a real livewire.”

Related Topics:
Advertisement

News

Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

Published

1 month ago

on

7 November 2025

By

Paudie O’Connor National Cup (Round 1)

Utility Trust St Paul’s v GCU Brunell

Saturday 7.30pm

Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

The St Paul’s women’s team will be hoping to get their National Cup adventure off the ground on Saturday when they welcome 2024 champions Brunell to Killarney. Tip-off in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre is at 7.30pm.

Paul’s have displayed some fine early season form, although their unbeaten start in the Super League came to an abrupt end last weekend when they lost to the Trinity Meteors in Dublin. James Fleming’s side weren’t at their best on the day but they were well in contention heading into the final quarter with the scores at 47-45 in favour of the hosts. The Meteors pushed on in the fourth, however, eventually running out 63-53 winners.

St Paul’s scorers on the night were Maisie Burnham (13), Tara Cousins (12), Lorraine Scanlon (12), Lovisa Hevinder (9), Denise Dunlea (5) and Leah McMahon (2).

The Killarney club are now joint second in the table alongside the Meteors with both teams holding a 4-1 record. Killester are top having won each of their first five games.

Paul’s opponents on Saturday, Brunell, have won three out of five league matches so far.

LAKERS

The Utility Trust St Paul’s Lakers have now won three of their last four games in Division 1 of the Men’s National League following an impressive home victory over Moycullen in Killarney.

Eoin Carroll and Jack O’Sullivan made significant contributions of the Boys in Black; Carroll hit 17 points and collected 13 rebounds while O’Sullivan had 14 points, 12 rebounds and some spectacular blocks.

Steve Kelly posted 30 points and the durable Sam Grant played every second, adding 21 points along the way.

The Lakers started well before the visitors found their footing and the sides went in level at the half-time break after scores by home captain Carroll. There was still nothing to separate the teams entering the fourth quarter (68-65) but buckets by Carroll, Pablo Murcia and Grant opened up a nine-point lead. Moycullen fought back admirably, however, cutting the deficit to just four, but Luke O’Hea’s charges held firm to prevail by eight (88-80).

Next up is a cup tie against the Tipperary Talons, a side they defeated by 30 points just a couple of weeks ago. The cup can be very different to the league, though, and they will need another solid performance to advance to the next round. Tip-off in in Killenaule is at 6.30pm on Saturday.

Attachments

Continue Reading

News

Chances of Kerry v Cork Munster final in 2026 decrease as Munster GAA delay seeding plan

Published

1 month ago

on

7 November 2025

By

After facing a backlash from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipperary players, Munster GAA have postponed their plan to keep Cork and Kerry separate in the 2026 Munster Football Championship.

The new seeding system – which gives the two highest ranked Munster teams in the National League byes to separate semi-finals – will now come into play in 2027, twelve months later than initially planned.

This will give Clare and Limerick a chance to earn promotion to Division 2 of the league, potentially overtaking Cork if the Rebels were to get relegated to Division 3.

Despite traditionally being the two main contenders for Munster football honours, Kerry and Cork haven’t met in a provincial decider since 2021. The Kingdom have won each of the finals since then (one versus Limerick and three versus Clare) by an average margin of 15.75 points.

More high-profile Kerry v Cork finals might be desirable for fans of those teams, businesses in Killarney and Cork, and neutrals alike but Munster GAA’s plans to effectively keep the great rivals on opposite sides of the draw understandably drew criticism from the other participating counties. A statement by the GPA confirmed that players from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipp had met via Zoom to discuss the matter. They were said to be “deeply disappointed and concerned” by the decision.

The 12-month delay will at least give two of those disaffected teams an opportunity to benefit from the new seeding process.

The draw for the 2026 Munster Football Championship will take place on November 27 under the old rules. As 2025 finalists, Kerry and Clare will get byes to the last four (but they will not necessarily be kept apart).

Nine members of Kerry’s squad are up for All-Stars at tonight’s awards ceremony in Dublin with Joe O’Connor and David Clifford also in contention for the prestigious Footballer of the Year award.

Attachments

Continue Reading