Russell inspires Rangers to final

Kerry SFC semi-finals/Laune Rangers 1-13 An Gheaeltacht 1-8: Laune Rangers looked a different class to An Ghaeltacht in the Kerry football semi-final at Austin Stack Park yesterday.

An Ghaeltacht were without Darragh and Tomás O'Sé and Rob Mac Gearailt and they struggled as a superior Rangers side threatened to finish the game before half-time.

An Ghaeltacht goalkeeper Pádraig Ó hÉalaithe made two superb saves to deny Brian Gannon and Pa O'Sullivan but Rangers were moving with menace as John Sheehan, John Lynch and Liam Hassett drove them forward.

Rangers led by 0-4 to 0-1 at the end of the first quarter with Mike Frank Russell kicking two points and one each from O'Sullivan and Gannon had them in pole position. Conall Ó Cruadhlaoich got An Ghaeltacht's only reply.

The defending champions lost Ó Cruadhlaoich with a shoulder injury after 20 minutes and, although Aodán Mac Gearailt landed a point, Russell added another for Rangers and O'Sullivan and Sheehan made it 0-7 to 0-2 before Dara Ó Cinnéide kicked his first point to leave the score at 0-7 to 0-3 in favour of Rangers at the break.

Any hopes of an An Ghaeltacht revival were dashed in the opening five minutes of the second half as Gannon pointed before the excellent Russell set up Lynch for a goal to give the Killorglin side an eight-point lead. The game was effectively over as a contest as Russell, Gannon and Séamus Foley added points for Rangers.

An Ghaeltacht managed to put a more respectable look on the scoreboard through points from Mac Gearailt, Marc Ó Sé and 1-2 from Ó Cinneide, including a last-minute penalty.

LAUNE RANGERS: T Lyons; C Falvey, E Ferris, T Houlihan; P Costello, J Sheehan (0-1), J Coffey; J Lynch (1-0), B O'Sullivan; B O'Shea, L Hassett, S Foley (0-2); MF Russell (0-4), P O'Sullivan (0-2), B Gannon (0-3). Subs: N Lynch for Costello, G O'Brien for O'Shea, C O'Connor (0-1) for O'Sullivan.

AN GHAELTACHT: P Ó hÉalaithe; S Mac Sithigh, M Ó Sé (0-1), M Ó Conchuir; C Ó Celleachair, R Ó Flaharta, B Breathnach; A Mac Gearailt (0-2), P Ó Cuinn; T Ó Conchuir, JJ Cordubh, M Mac Gearailt; C Ó Cruadhlaoich (0-1), D Ó Cinnéide (1-4, 1-0 penalty, 0-2 frees), C Ó Dubhda. Subs: SM Ó Conchuir for Ó Cruadhlaoich, S Ó Beaglaoi for Ó Conchuir, T Ó Mhuircheartaigh for Cordubh.

Referee: T Lynch (Kerins O'Rahillys).