Even The Gooch got in on the act.
Dr Crokes are cutting a swathe through Kerry and Munster and look well set to be crowned provincial champions.
The Kerry champions made short work of Cork’s St Finbarr’s to reach the Munster final, and scored for fun in some horrendous playing conditions.
Daithi Casey and Tony Brosnan were too much for the Finbarrs defence to handle in the first half, while Micheal Burns and sub Colm Cooper drove the match home after the break. There was little to no let-up for Crokes.
Throughout the game, Johnny Buckley was a class above and he was rightly awarded the man-of-the-match accolade. Buckley scored 1-1 and Crokes registered 5-20.
Incredibly, all 5-20 (35 points) were scored from play. Not a single score was from a placed ball as Crokes ran their Cork opponents ragged.
Following the game, Buckley told TG4:
“Any day you score 5-20 is a great one and to do so in these conditions – even though the pitch held up excellently – on a winter’s day like that, we’re very happy.”
Buckley scored a gem of a goal in the second half but he credited Casey for burying his goal-scoring chance before the break to sap the spirits of their Cork rivals.
Asked how this year’s team compares to the Crokes side that claimed All-Ireland glory in March 2016, Buckley responded:
“There is absolutely [more competition for places] and, thankfully, you can see that in training every night. To see the likes of Dave Shaw coming in and putting his name on a jersey, and we had a lot of subs that came on and did well, and fit in seamlessly.”
Is é Johnny Buckley ó @DrCrokesGAA laoch na himeartha! @GAA_BEO @MunsterGAA pic.twitter.com/uYVlz3C9lf
— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) November 11, 2018
Buckley may not be involved with the Kerry senior panel any more but he looked every inch a county star this afternoon.
Cooper contributed 0-3 off the bench and Jordan Kiely chipped in with 1-1. Crokes are coming into some ominous form as the days get darker and trophies are readied to present.
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