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Club Preview: Home semi-final for high-flying Spa

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3 years ago

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Ciarán Spillane will man Spa's midfield alongside Liam Kearney. Photo: Anne Holland.

by Adam Moynihan and Eamonn Fitzgerald

They might be new to the scene but Spa are really shaking things up at the highest level of Kerry football.

It took the Tullig-based club a decade to regain their senior status and their performances since re-emerging on the main stage in 2021 have been remarakble.

Few expected them to advance from a Club Championship pool that included last year’s beaten finalists Kenmare and Dingle (who are veterans of the senior scene) but they did just that – and as group winners, no less.

The welcome return from injury of Liam Kearney has given them a lift and they will fancy their prospects at home to Kerins O’Rahillys (Saturday 6pm).

Strand Road were held to a draw by Templenoe on Sunday last thanks to a late Killian Spillane goal. Spa, for their part, defeated Na Gaeil away 1-16 to 0-12, which was a great result.

If the defence can minimise conceding frees anywhere inside the 45 they will be in a good place as Rahillys depend to a large extent on the free-taking of Jack Savage. The David Moran v Liam Kearney battle for midfield supremacy will also be crucial. If Spa win this sector, they have forwards like Evan Cronin, Mike Foley and David Spillane to rack up a winning score.

Templenoe host Dingle in the other semi-final (also Saturday at 6pm).

INTERMEDIATE

The fight for a coveted seat at the top table of Kerry football is heating up as the Intermediate Club Championship reaches the quarter-final stage this weekend.

Half the participants have now been eliminated following the final round of group games and the draw for the last eight has thrown up some exciting ties.

Chief amongst them is surely the local grudge match between two teams who are keen to make their spell at intermediate level as brief as possible: the Killarney Legion and Kilcummin (Sunday 2.30pm, Derreen).

The Legion, who are now managed by Cork native Ned English, made light work of their pool, defeating Laune Rangers, Dromid and John Mitchels pretty comfortably. Four first-half points by James O’Donoghue set the hosts on their way against Mitchels on Sunday and they eventually prevailed on a double-scores scoreline: 0-14 to 0-7.

Legion lost their senior status last year following defeat to Dr Crokes. Climbing back up at the first time of asking would be a massive boost for the club.

Standing in their way at the quarter-final stage are Kilcummin, who themselves dropped down to the second tier as recently as 2020. Noel Duggan (six frees) top-scored in last weekend’s victory over Glenbeigh-Glencar and the ever-reliable Brendan Kealy chipped in with a couple of placed balls of his own.

Legion, the pre-tournament favourites, will be fancied to get over the line but Kilcummin are never an easy team to play against. This tie could end up going down to the wire.

Elsewhere, Rathmore welcome Laune Rangers to Rathbeg (Saturday 6pm), Beaufort host Glenflesk (Sunday 2.30pm), and Gneeveguilla face a tough task away to An Ghaeltacht in Gallarus (Sunday 2.30pm).

In the Junior Premier, Listry will have home advantage for their quarter-final against Ballyduff (Saturday 6pm), Fossa have a tricky journey to Annascaul (Saturday 6pm), Ballymac face St Senan’s (Saturday 6pm) and Skellig Rangers are up against Ardfert (Sunday 2.30pm).

Firies are gunning for promotion from the Junior Championship; the next step for them is a home quarter-final against Scart (Sunday 2.30pm).

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

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1 month ago

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7 November 2025

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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.

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

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1 month ago

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7 November 2025

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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.

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