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Crokes reach seventh consecutive club final
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Dr Crokes secured their place in the 2018 Club Championship final with a 0-18 to 1-10 victory over Austin Stacks in Lewis Road on Sunday. Stacks started brightly and raced into an early lead but Crokes’ class eventually began to show and the sides went in level at the break. The hosts dominated the third quarter and scored five unanswered points as the tie, which was effectively a semi-final, began to slip away from Kieran Donaghy and co.
Tony Brosnan (five) and Micheál Burns (four) top-scored for the reigning champions who eventually ran out five-point winners. Pat O’Shea’s side are now preparing for their seventh consecutive Club Championship final. They have won four of the previous six
Their opponents in this year’s decider will be Dingle who maintained their perfect record in Group 2 by defeating Legion in Páirc an Ághasaigh. Dingle came out of the traps quickly and when Paul Geaney registered his sixth goal in three games midway through the first half, the home team were 1-3 to no score up.
Dingle were relatively comfortable thereafter and limited Legion to just a handful of scores en route to a 1-10 to 0-5 win. The Killarney side had an outside shot of making the final heading into this game, but they also could have finished bottom if results went completely against them. James O’Sullivan’s team naturally want to be competing for silverware but they will, no doubt, be relieved to avoid a relegation playoff.
Dingle and Crokes met in the 2015 Club Championship final when a brace from Cathal Bambury fired Dingle to a memorable four-point win.
Kenmare were hammered by Rathmore in their final group game so they’ll face An Ghaeltacht, who lost to Kerins O’Rahilly’s, in a relegation showdown at the end of the season. That is unless either Kenmare or An Ghaeltacht manage to reach the final of the County Championship, in which case the other team will be automatically relegated. If they both make the final (which is unlikely, to be fair) Rahilly’s will face Legion in the relegation playoff.
In the Intermediate, Noel Duggan (twice) and Kevin McCarthy netted the crucial goals as Kilcummin took another step towards reclaiming their senior status at the first time of asking. They secured their passage to the last four with a comprehensive 3-11 to 0-8 victory over Brosna. Their opponents in the semi-final will be Division 1 outfit Templenoe.
Glenflesk were already in the hat for the next round following convincing wins against Waterville and Castleisland but they put the icing on the cake with a dominant display against Laune Rangers in Killorglin. Goals from Lee O’Donoghue (two), Ian Roche and Darragh Roche helped them to a 4-12 to 0-11 win. They’ll play St Mary’s in the semi-final. Both semis will take place April 28/29.
Mary’s, who reached the last four in 2017, and Templenoe, who lost to An Ghaeltacht in the final, will provide very stern tests but Kilcummin and Glenflesk both have enough about them to go at least one step further. From an East Kerry point of view, it would be great to see an Oskars reunion over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
Beaufort, who finished on maximum points, will play Churchill in the last four of the Junior Premier. On the other side of the draw, Fossa won’t know the identity of their opponents until after this weekend’s rescheduled Na Gaeil v Finuge tie. Finuge must win to advance. A draw would do for Na Gaeil.