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Legion pair call time on Kerry careers

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5 years ago

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CHAMPIONS: Jonathan Lyne and Brian Kelly celebrate Kerry's All-Ireland final victory over Donegal in 2014. Pics: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile.

Killarney Legion clubmates Jonathan Lyne and Brian Kelly will both be unavailable for selection for Kerry in 2021 after announcing their respective retirements from the intercounty scene earlier this week.

Lyne had been a member of the Kerry set-up since 2011 while Kelly made his debut in 2012, and both were part of the All-Ireland winning side of 2014.

The news came as somewhat of a surprise to Kerry supporters, many of whom took to social media to thank the long-serving players for their dedication to the green and gold jersey.

LYNO

Lyne, a versatile player who could operate in defence or attack, made a very significant contribution to that successful 2014 campaign when he came off the bench in the semi-final replay against Mayo and kicked two inspirational scores in extra-time. The match is affectionately remembered by Kerry fans as one of the team’s finest results of the last decade.

The 30-year-old schoolteacher followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, Denny, and granduncles, Jackie, Michael and Teddy, all of whom represented Kerry with great distinction in the past.

In a tweet signaling his intention to opt out of the Kerry camp, Lyno, as he is affectionately known, said that playing for Kerry had been “a true honour”.

“The right time has come for me to finish up my Kerry journey and retire. It has been a true honour to represent my family, friends, club and Kerry people. I'm looking forward to supporting the lads just like these 3 legends that I lost this year always supported me #CiarraíAbú.”

The tweet also contained photographs of the three people in question, namely his brother Damien, friend and teammate Derek Twomey and grandfather Arthur O’Keeffe, all of whom tragically died in 2020.

 

https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Lyne/status/1345064811630100480?s=20

 

KELLY

Goalkeeper Kelly was an ever-present for Eamonn Fitzmaurice throughout the 2014 championship and he kept a clean sheet in the Munster final, All-Ireland quarter-final and All-Ireland final against Donegal.

He dropped to the bench for the 2015 championship but regained his place for 2016 and 2017. In 2018 he had to settle for No. 16 again, but he was drafted in towards the end of the year for the Super 8 matches against Monaghan and Kildare.

The Ardshanavooly native was generally a substitute under Peter Keane but he did make a couple of appearances in the league, his final one coming against Meath in Killarney last February.

In a statement released via the Kerry GAA website, Kelly said he had lived out his dream.

“The time is right for me to step away from intercounty football. I would like to acknowledge all the management and backroom teams, the County Board and Kerry Group for their support over the last nine years.

“As a teenager growing up in Killarney I sold match programmes on Munster final days and dreamed of one day climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand to lift Sam Maguire. Thankfully I have lived out my dream and I am proud to have played my small part in the Kerry GAA history books.

“This would not have been possible without the help of my teammates, family, friends, girlfriend, my club Killarney Legion and my employer, O’Carroll Engineering. I am especially grateful for your guidance and encouragement down through the years.

“A final thank you to the Kerry fans for their unwavering support. I look forward to cheering on the team with you in 2021.”

Lyne and Kelly will now turn their attention to the club scene, and the Killarney Legion will be hoping that Kerry’s loss will be their gain.

Meanwhile, another member of the victorious 2014 team has also decided to retire from intercounty football. Defender Shane Enright from Tarbert is calling it a day, citing a persistent back injury and lack of game time as factors.

 

Pics: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile.

 

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

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4 weeks 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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4 weeks 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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