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Munster masters Kerry trounce Cork

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Kerry sent us all searching through the record books after defeating Cork 3-18 to 2-4 in a runaway victory in the magnificent revamped Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday last. It’s the biggest winning margin since 1938 and Kerry were complete masters in the one-sided match.

Cork got off to a dream start playing into the city goal in the first half. The game was just 80 seconds old when they worked the ball up the left wing. Following good work by Ruairí Deane and a nice ball across the Kerry goalmouth, it was an easy tap-in for Jamie O’Sullivan and there was little Shane Murphy could do about the inevitable goal. It was the dream start for Cork, but it did not rattle Kerry. They responded well in the 5th minute when David Moran made a mark with a clean catch from the kick-out and parted to Stephen O’Brien, who set of on his trademark runs through the Cork defence and scored Kerry’s opening goal. Cork bounced back for their second goal in the 9th minute and once again it was Ruairí Deane who did the good approach work. It was a replica of the first goal with Mark Collins adding the final touch.

At this stage it looked as if Cork were going to make a real game of it as they led 2-0 to 1-2. They added a point and it is hard to believe that they went to 2-1 and that was their last score until the 45th minute when they added another point. They scored three more points late in the game and that was all Cork could manage. Just six scores in total over 70 minutes tells its own story for a bewildered Cork team as they were brushed aside by a rampant Kerry side who took complete control and scored at will. They chalked up the points with good support play all-round and led 1-11 to 2-1 at the interval.

They lost the influential Stephen O’Brien to a black card in the 27th minute and he was replaced by Kevin McCarthy. Cork also lost two players to black cards. Sam Ryan gave way to James Loughrey in the 19th minute and Deane was replaced by Paul Kerrigan in the 32nd minute. They seemed to be harsh calls. Ruairí Deane in particular was a big loss to Cork, as was Stephen O’Brien for Kerry.

Darran O’Sullivan came on for Micheál Burns at half time but he made little contribution. He was a good player in his younger days but last lost that dash. The same can be said for Donaghy and Killian Young who came on in that second half. Once again I was impressed by Seán O’Shea and David Clifford. They are blending in well . O’Shea ended with four points and Clifford scored two points, but once again it was Paul Geaney who shone brightest of all, ending with a remarkable tally of 2-5 and all of these scores were from play. The Dingle man is invaluable for the Kerry attack.

Kerry did well at midfield as they were up against Aidan Walsh and Ian Maguire. When the Cork goalkeeper Mark White went long with the kick-outs, David Moran and Jack Barry were able to win clean ball. White also tried the short kick-out but Kerry were so dominant that they pressed up on these and for the most part they were able to deny Cork possession.

The Kerry defence settled well after the first 10 minutes and once again Gavin White was the outstanding defender. He can solo with both legs and his up-field sallies, especially in the second half, were a joy to behold. He has a wonderful turn of speed which is so much part of today’s game. He scored a point from one of these long runs out of defence. Kevin McCarthy did well when he came in but I would like to see him take his own score instead of passing it off. He is unselfish but needs to score more himself to nail down a place in the starting 15.

My match notebook showed a succession of Kerry points including two from Paul Murphy who was caught for the first goal but recovered well. James O’Donoghue was on the ball quite a lot and ended with three points, one from a free. Barry John Keane kicked a point after coming in late in the game for O’Donoghue in the 59th minute.

How good are Kerry? They have done what has been asked of them and brought in huge scores against Clare and Cork. They have not been tested in a close contest so the next game in two weeks’ time against Galway will provide a closer examination of their progress. They have exceptionally good scoring forwards and there is an intensity to their game in the tackle which will stand to them throughout the field. The two goals they conceded early in the Cork game would have knocked another team but Kerry have youth in their side. Remember there is no one over the age of 30 in the starting 15.

Last week alone, the Kerry U-17s, the juniors and the seniors all recorded big wins. Meanwhile, the Dubs are winning by big margins also and what we have seen to date suggests that Kerry are the only team capable of taking on the All-Ireland champions. Well done to Kerry.

The newly revamped Páirc Uí Chaoimh is a credit to the Cork County Board.

KERRY: S Murphy (c); J Foley, P Murphy, T Morley; B Ó Beaglaoich, P Crowley, G White; D Moran, J Barry; M Burns, S O’Shea, S O’Brien; D Clifford, P Geaney and J. O’Donoghue.

Subs for Kerry: K McCarthy for S O’Brien (black, 26); D O’Sullivan for M Burns (h-t); M Griffin for J Foley (54); K Donaghy for D Clifford (55); BJ Keane for J O’Donoghue (59); K Young for T Morley (64).

Scorers for Kerry: P Geaney (2-5); S O’Shea (0-4, 1 free, 2 45s), J O’Donoghue (0-3, 1 free); S O’Brien (1-0); D Clifford, P Murphy (0-2 each); G White and BJ Keane (0-1 each).

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Lakers aiming to secure first win at home to Malahide

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The Utility Trust St Paul’s Lakers will be hoping for a turn of fortunes this weekend after suffering a defeat in Week 2 of the 2025/26 National League season.

The club’s men’s team came up short in Jordanstown against the University of Ulster (91-70) having trailed by just four points heading into the final quarter. There were some positives – mainly the form of Steve Kelly, Sam Grant and Mark Sheehan – but head coach Luke O’Hea will be eager to pick up his first win of the Division 1 campaign at home to Malahide on Saturday. Tip-off at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre is at 7.30pm.

Malahide have also lost both of their opening two matches, to Drogheda and Portlaoise.

Meanwhile, James Fleming’s women’s team maintained their 100% Super League record by beating the Panthers in Portlaoise on a scoreline of 62-72. The Killarney girls raced into an early lead but they had to weather a storm in the second half as the Panthers rallied admirably.

Maisie Burnham led the St Paul’s charge early doors with Lovisa Hevinder, Lorraine Scanlon and Leah McMahon making important contributions as the game wore on, but it was Tara Cousins who really made her mark in the fourth quarter, racking up 16 crucial points. Each one was significant as Paul’s tried to keep the Panthers at bay – in fact, the American guard registered her team’s final 10 points of the game to help secure a hard-fought 10-point victory.

“It was a good win on the road,” Hevinder told club PRO Enda Walshe. “Portlaoise is always a tough place to play and a difficult team to play against. I think we did a great job defensively, and at times we had really good flow on offence.”

Like their male counterparts, the St Paul’s women have a home game at Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre tomorrow. They host Munster rivals Fr Mathews with the tie tipping off at 4pm. Mathews are seeking their first win of the season.

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Killarney Athletic stalwart Donie does it for the love of the game

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Ahead of Killarney Athletic’s 60th anniversary, Adam Moynihan spoke to club stalwart and current chairman Donie Murphy about his passion for soccer (and the Blues)

Donie, Athletic have a big milestone coming up. Sixty years in existence. How and when did you first come to be involved with the club?

I joined the club in the 1974/75 season as an 18-year-old, so I have 50 years done. People think I didn’t play with anyone else but I joined from Woodlawn Rovers, which was a team made up of a group of friends who used to play down in Billy Doyle’s place at the back of Woodlawn. When that team disbanded, 90% of the boys joined Killarney Athletic. The rest is history, as they say. I didn’t move anywhere else after that.

What sort of footballer were you?

I would consider myself a whole-hearted player. I had a bit of pace. Not an awful lot of skill, but good in the air. I was committed and I expected much the same from everybody else. I played centre back all my career except for one game when I was coming back from injury and I was thrown up centre forward for the B team.

And? How did it go?

One game, one goal [laughs]. I had a 100% record.

Who were some of Athletic’s best players that you lined out with?

You had the likes of Brian McCarthy Senior, Denny Hayes, Pat Moynihan, Connie Doc, Pat Shea… You could throw Mikey Sullivan in there as well. He was a whole-hearted player.

What was the highlight of your playing career?

Well, we were runners-up and beaten finalists in a lot of things, but the one thing we did win was the Munster Junior Cup Kerry Area. It was a big thing at the time. We beat Tralee United 1-0. On the other end of the scale we had a relegation battle over in Castleisland. We had to win and we did, 1-0. We were mean enough in defence. Other than that, I played with the Kerry District League in the Oscar Traynor Cup for a couple of seasons, which was nice as well.

When did you hang up the boots?
I stopped playing with Athletic in 1990. But, of course, there was the Killarney Athletic 7-a-side then as well and I played in the over 35s for a few years after that.

You must have fond memories of the 7-a-side, going all the way back to the start in 1976?

The memories are great. Well, for the first tournament in 1976, Brian McCarthy refereed all the games and I was his sidekick. So I didn’t play, I was running the show while he was reffing. But I played with Killarney Hardware for many years alongside Connie Doc, Pat Shea, Seánie Shea… And DD Mulcahy and Dan Leary from Rathmore.

It would have been staged in the Áras Phádraig at the time. What was that like, for those who weren’t around back then?

Ah, it was unbelievable. We had 74 teams one year with every game being played on the one pitch. So it went on for nearly three months of the summer, because it had to. Everyone who was there saw every game. It is handier in Woodlawn, it takes half the time, but up in the Áras, you could see everything. You couldn’t replicate that atmosphere anywhere else. It was like a cauldron.

When did you first coach an underage team? Do you know how many teams you have trained down through the years?

I couldn’t tell you how many but I’ve been involved with a team every year since I started. I took a Community Games team in 1976 and I did that for a few years. And after that it was Killarney Athletic underage teams. I’m not training a team now but I am involved with the U5s and U6s. Now that is tough going [laughs].

So you’re coming up on 50 years of coaching underage teams? That’s a lot of players…

It’s a lot of players, and it’s a lot of names and faces to remember. Christmas in Killarney is a disaster. There are so many fellas away and they come back for Christmas and they’re saying, “Hey, Donie, how’re things?” I probably didn’t change a lot in the last 30 years, but they did!

What’s your coaching philosophy?

My philosophy is that communication is very important. Everybody should have a voice. I don’t like talking down to anybody. Once I can communicate my ideas to the kids and they buy into it, that’s the big thing. It’s fine going down training and doing the drills but sometimes they just need to be spoken to.

What is it about working with kids that you enjoy?

First of all, it’s the love of the game. But I do prefer to take – I won’t say underdogs – but maybe a B team, and see can I get them better than what they were. Rather than taking a team of stars who are going to be pretty good anyway, I like to bring on the next category of players. That’s what I measure myself against. Within a season, are we better against an opponent in the reverse fixture than we were the first time we played them? I like to see players that are maybe ‘middle of the road’ improving.

Do you find the kids easy or difficult to manage? Do many of them have long-term aspirations of playing professional football?

In general I’ve always found the kids to be great. Boys and girls. I think the girls listen a bit more than the boys [laughs]. Diarmuid O’Carroll and Brendan Moloney have shown that it is possible to go pro. And now Luke Doolan is with Kerry FC. He’s a man who might make it, and he came all the way up along through the ranks. So it is possible.

Do you watch a lot of soccer in your free time?

I do. My wife (Marie) will probably tell me I watch too much soccer. I’m an avid Spurs fan. But I do like to watch other sports as well to switch off.

How would you describe Killarney Athletic’s rivalry with Killarney Celtic?

In the early days it used to be a kind of friendly rivalry. But I think it’s more than friendship now! I would say it’s fierce. We both have so many teams, we’re playing each other at some age grade nearly every single weekend. You always want to win those games. But even going back to my playing days, if you never won another game, the Celtic game was the one you wanted to win. You have to win the derby game for bragging rights. Unfortunately they’ve have had a little bit more bragging rights than us lately but, you know yourself, the wheel might turn, hopefully.

How different is the soccer scene in Kerry today compared to when you first became involved?

There’s no comparison, really. It’s the pitches and the facilities that are the big thing. When I started playing, it was below in the Half Moon field (near Killarney House). It was a case of: jump the wall, put up the goals, line the pitch, play the game, take down the goals… Everything had to be put away. No dressing rooms or anything like that. But now with the facilities we have at the moment, if you haven’t everything in order for them, they’re not happy [laughs].

But the facilities and the all-weather training pitch help the club grow. We have a lot more teams now, going all down the ages, and obviously there’s a lot more coaching going on as well. The kids get into a system of playing, which is good.

Looking back over all your time at the club, what are your fondest Killarney Athletic memories?

For me it’s the people and the players you meet, and the friends you make. My involvement with Athletic has given me lifelong friends. That’s the best thing about it.

You must be looking forward to the club’s 60th celebration dinner?

I am. It’s a big night for the club and it’s a great opportunity to catch up with people you might not have met for a while. There will definitely be a bit of nostalgia. It’s also a great way for people to support the club. We’re developing a new pitch on a piece of land adjacent to our current pitch, so a percentage of ticket sales is going towards that project. Our 50th was a big celebration and a lot of things have happened since then. We have doubled in size membership-wise and girls now make up around 33% of the club. We’re hoping to go from strength to strength.

And, sadly, some of our club members have passed away since the last anniversary so they’ll be remembered on the night as well.

What are your hopes for the future of Killarney Athletic?

There are a lot of great people volunteering in the club so I don’t have any worries about the future. They will take the club onto the next level. Of course I hope we continue to win trophies, but most of all I hope the people involved, be they players or coaches or officers, will enjoy the experience. Everything else will follow after that.

The Killarney Athletic 60th Celebration Dinner takes place in the Gleneagle Hotel Ballroom on Friday, November 14 at 6.30pm. Tickets available via Audrey (087 4585697), Lisa (087 9365322) and Rose (087 6765064).

They can also be purchased from Colette at the Dromhall Hotel, Brian James, O’Neills and the Blackthorn.

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