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08th Nov 2015

Kerry county football final ends in controversy as Legion and South Kerry finishes with punch-up

Drama in Fitzgerald stadium

Kevin McGillicuddy

They will have to do it all over again down in the Kingdom after today’s Kerry county senior club final ended all square at 0-9 apiece.

The game was a thrilling affair in Fitzgerald Stadium as Kerry colleagues on both sides did their best to lift the Bishop Moynihan Cup.

James O’Donoghue and Jonathan Lyne were on the starting 15 for the Killarney side, while South Kerry included Bryan Sheehan and Killian Young as well as former Kerry star Declan O’Sullivan in their match-day squad.

The Killarney side led at the break by 0-7 to 0-4, with Brian Sheehan grabbing four points from the boot for the men from the Iveragh peninsula.

South Kerry began the second half by levelling up the scores at 0-7 each before manager John Sugrue was banished to the sideline.

The sides traded scores until two minutes of additional time flashed up on the sideline.

However, South Kerry looked to have won the game as time ran out when Greg Gibson scored a point to see his side lead 0-9 to 0-8.

But referee Seamus Mulvihill played on and Legion scored an equalising point after 63:53 through Jamie O’Sullivan.

As soon as his score went over there was ugly scenes however as players and mentors from both sides got involved in what was described by Radio Kerry’s commentary as a ‘punch-up’ while co-commentator Weeshie Fogarty said that it was a scene of ‘all hell breaking loose’.

Kerry Senior Football Championship Final, Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney, Co. Kerry 8/11/2015 Killarney Legion vs South Kerry ames O’Donoghue of Killarney Legion and Bryan Sheehan of South Kerry after the final whistle Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Cathal Noonan

Eventually, referee Mulvihill was given a Garda escort to leave the field with the replay fixed for either the 21 or 22 November.

https://twitter.com/aghadoe11/status/663392176492122112

Kerry Senior Football Championship Final, Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney, Co. Kerry 8/11/2015 Killarney Legion vs South Kerry Players try to separate James O’Donoghue of Killarney Legion and Bryan Sheehan of South Kerry after the final whistle Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Cathal Noonan

The Kerry county board initially confimred that the replay would be next Saturday which would have affected five players on the South Kerry side who were due to line out for St Mary’s in a Munster club intermediate clash.

It would have also meant that Legion or Dingle would have had less than 24 hours to prepare to face Nemo Rangers in a Munster senior club encounter.

However the county board confirmed on their website that the fixture headache appears to have been temporarily solved for next weekend at least.

kk

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