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All to play for in Fantasy Club 20

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5 years ago

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Forwards ruled the roost in Round 1 but the adverse weather conditions meant that backs and midfielders were the big points-getters in the second round of the Killarney Advertiser Fantasy Club game in association with Gaelic Plus.

The wet ball tends to lead to better defence than offence and that was very much the case in the Kerry Senior Club Championship last weekend. In fact, seven of the eight sets of backs earned bonus points for holding the opposition to fewer than 15 points. The eighth team, Templenoe, were denied this bonus (and their victory) due to a last-gasp goal against Kenmare. This is in stark contrast to Round 1 when only three teams held their opponents to 15 points or fewer.

So it was the backs and, to a lesser extent, goalkeepers and midfielders who did the bulk of the damage for this week’s top managers and we have some new names at the top of the leaderboard after an exciting round of action.

LEADING THE WAY

The forwards may not have been firing on all cylinders but that didn’t stop five managers from breaking the 200-point barrier (two reached this milestone in Round 1). Unsurprisingly, all five find themselves towards the very top of the updated table.

A tally of 200 by John Crowley from Kenmare Shamrocks has shot him up the leaderboard from fifth to joint top where he is joined by Rathmore stalwart Conor Healy, who scored 202. Graham O’Connor from Castleisland is just one point back in third with Cian Foley (Kilcummin) and Alan Kelly (Dr Crokes) in fourth and fifth.

There is an air of controversy surrounding the manager currently occupying sixth spot. Killarney Legion and Kerry star James O’Donoghue was granted late entry to the competition when it was discovered that he had forwarded his team to the wrong email address. Satisfied that his case was genuine and after consulting with fellow participants on Instagram, his entry was accepted ahead of Round 2.

Competitors were left questioning their act of kindness, however, when it emerged that O’Donoghue had scored 216 points in Round 1, a score which put him in first place on the leaderboard. He subsequently posted a less imposing score of 159 in the second round but he is still in sixth place and well in contention.

DJ Murphy, who led the competition after the first week, has slipped to seventh, just ahead of myself in eighth. Philip O’Connor of Dr Crokes and Gavin Moriarty of the Legion round off the top 10.

 

 

SULLIVAN

After an impressive performance in Dingle’s victory over Legion, All-Star defender Tom O’Sullivan was the highest scoring player of the week. In addition to the points he earned for starting (1) and winning (3), Sullivan scored two points from play (18) and he also got a bonus as Dingle conceded under 15 points (8). His overall total of 30 is the second-highest score posted in the competition to date.

His teammate Matthew Flaherty also scored big with 21; four of the top five managers in the league have both of the Dingle men in their team.

Karl Mullins of Kerins O’Rahilly’s (27) was just behind Sullivan in the Round 2 scoring charts. He also notched two points from play and his side conceded under 15 but, as Rahilly’s lost, he didn’t pick up the three-point win bonus.

Legion No. 1 Brian Kelly was by far and away the top keeper of the weekend as he scored three points from placed balls and kept a clean sheet to register an impressive tally of 21.

At midfield, Kevin O’Sullivan of Kenmare Shamrocks scored 1-1 to earn a whopping total of 27 points and David Moran (17) also made the Team of the Week by scoring two points from play against Crokes.

Dingle’s Conor Geaney (21) was the top-scoring forward of Round 1 with Tony Brosnan and Killian Spillane (20 each) also doing well.

 

 

The chasing pack will be hoping to make up some ground on the leaders heading into the the break for the Kerry SFC. Only four of the eight teams will still be involved thereafter: two in the relegation playoff and two in the final.

The number of players each manager has at his disposal will be key, so the contenders will be keeping a very close eye on this weekend’s results.

Follow @AdamMoynihan on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest Fantasy Club updates!

 

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Tree of Light ceremony on Monday

The spectacular 100ft Tree of Light in Killarney, festooned with close on 3,000 lights and topped with a giant star, will again illuminate the town this Christmas with the official […]

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6 hours ago

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7 December 2025

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The spectacular 100ft Tree of Light in Killarney, festooned with close on 3,000 lights and topped with a giant star, will again illuminate the town this Christmas with the official switch-on date planned for Monday next, December 8.

The lighting up ceremony will take place after a community Mass in the adjacent St Mary’s Cathedral at 6.15pm and a short prayer service will mark the big switch-on.
The towering Tree of Light is a landmark giant Californian Redwood tree located just outside the main door of the Pugin-designed building.
The project is an collaboration between a sub-committee of Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce and the Killarney parish and it creates a wonderful focal point in the town in the lead up to and during the festive season.
Killarney Parish Administrator, Fr Kieran O’Brien and Christmas in Killarney Chairman, Cllr Niall Kelleher extend a warm invitation to all community groups, schools, clubs and organisations, families and individuals to attend the special Mass next Monday evening or to visit the tree this Christmastime.
The feature star on the spectacular tree will take on an extra special meaning this year as it will be dedicated to the late Donal Grady, a long-serving local councillor and former Mayor of Killarney who worked diligently and passionately for the community.
Donal, who passed away in 2024, was a dedicated public representative who worked with great passion and a real sense of purpose on behalf of his loyal supporters.
Through his work as a long-serving chief fire officer in Killarney, he helped so many families at a time when they most needed assistance and reassurance and he brought a great sense of calm and responsibility to the position
The Tree of Light was first lit to mark the millennium year when it commemorated all those who lost their lives in the conflict in Northern Ireland and it was again illuminated in the mid-2000s to remember those who had been killed on Irish roads.
Since then the project is all about community and it celebrates the fact that Killarney is such a wonderful town to live in.
In the past, the star at the top of the tree has been dedicated to great community activists Johnny Hickey, Yvonne Quill, Paul Coghlan and Rena Kennelly.

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O’Donoghue planning National Rally Championship campaign

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7 hours ago

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7 December 2025

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Killarney’s Colin and Kieran O’Donoghue claimed victory in the Modified section of the Killarney Towers Hotel Killarney Historic Rally, delivering a controlled run in their Ford Escort Mk2 to secure Colin’s second win in the category and Kieran’s first.


At the finish ramp outside the Plaza Hotel on Saturday evening, Colin O’Donoghue confirmed he is considering a step into the Triton Showers Motorsport Ireland National Rally Championship next season.

He said he plans to travel to Mayo in March to see how the opening round suits before making a decision.

O’Donoghue set the fastest time on all nine stages to secure the win over second-placed Chris Armstrong/Conor Smith, also in a Ford Escort.


Third place went to Gary McPhillips and Conor Mohan, 17.9 seconds further back in their Escort.


The Modified section also featured the battle for the Carrick Cup, awarded in memory of Mike Gaine to the fastest Kenmare-based crew over Moll’s Gap.


This year it went to Tommy Randles/Darragh Lynch, who set the pace among the local contenders and finished 35th overall.

Randles, a long-serving club official, has hinted this could be one of his final competitive outings.


The best Kerry Motor Club crew was John Michael Kennelly / Dylan Harrington, who took fifth overall in the Modified division.

Dave Slattery / Denis Coffey continued their strong season with 13th overall (Class 6, 4th), while Hugh McQuaid and Rathmore school teacher Declan Casey placed 15th overall and sixth in Class 6.

Other locals included Seán Enright / Kevin Doherty who were Class 3 winners on the recent Thomond Rally and backed that up here with another steady finish in 26th.


Tadhg O’Sullivan /Frank Byrnes, Seán Hartnett/Kieran Doherty, Raymond O’Neill/Jason O’Connor, Cyril Wharton/Donal Falvey and Ray Stack/Gene Stack brought their Escorts home safely inside the top 40.

Gary Healy/Niall Myers, switching from a Civic to a Toyota Twin Cam 20V, took third in Class 5.


Paudie O’Callaghan/Daniel Murphy brought their Starlet home fourth in Class 4.


Noel O’Sullivan/Nicholas Burke, one of the few crews to have contested every Historic Rally since it began in 1996, finished 50th overall.


Killarney father-and-son team Tom and Mark O’Sullivan completed the demanding event in their Peugeot 205 GTi.

Representing Kerry Motor Club, Ken McKenna / PJ O’Dowd reached the finish in their Peugeot 205.

Kevin O’Donoghue / John McElhinney used Super Rally to return to the stages after mechanical trouble, as did Kenmare’s Shane McCarthy / Eamonn Creedon who were among several crews targeting future Carrick Cup success and completed their Honda EG6’s run under Super Rally as well.

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