Kenmare Shamrocks 3-11 Austin Stacks 1-15
Austin Stacks were the Kerry senior champions last year, they were very nearly the Munster champions too.
But they’ll be playing intermediate club football in 2023. That’s how competitive it is in the Kingdom.
It was a Seanie O’Shea inspired Kenmare Shamrocks that sent the Tralee club down, the All-Ireland winning captain kicking 0-8 in their five point win.
But it was one of his last ones, out by the sideline, under the gaze of the stand, a Seanie O’Shea special you might say, that sealed the deal and effectively finished this game as a contest.
We all remember his match-winning kick in the All-Ireland semi-final, where he broke Dublin hearts from the guts of 55 yards but while this one was on the 45, the angle was much tighter and the distance grew as a result. And so, as he let it rip into the Killarney skyline, it looked like it was heading to the right for a start, it soon became clear that, as per usual, O’Shea judged it to perfection.
Why would we ever doubt him?
https://twitter.com/PaidiSull/status/1584176180143353863
It was that beauty that sealed the deal but in truth, the damage was done for Austin Stacks in a five minute first half period where they conceded three goals. Stephen O’Brien, James McCarthy and David Hallissey were the scorers and while Stacks didn’t lie down, they left themselves with too steep of a mountain to climb.
With thirteen Kerry senior championships won, Austin Stacks are the county’s joint most successful club alongside Dr Crokes. It was only 12 months ago when they brought the Bishop Moynihan Cup back to Connolly Park but they’ve been hit hard by injuries this year and in the end, it was enough to send them down.
