Fitzgerald the inspiration as title goes south

Kerry SFC final/South Kerry 1-13 Laune Rangers 2-5: A great year for Kerry football ended with one of their iconic figures being chaired aloft in the crepuscular gloom of a darkening Fitzgerald Stadium. Maurice Fitzgerald, now retired from the intercounty stage, had just led South Kerry to an unexpected but thorough victory in the county final.

So he followed in a family tradition. Twenty-two years ago his brother Séamus played with the last team from the south division to win the title, just as their father Ned had done in the 1950s.

"We lost to Killorglin last year so we had that little bit of experience and had tasted defeat and it formed a bond in the squad for this year," Fitzgerald said after the victory. "It was a very whole-hearted performance and that's what we demand of ourselves. At the end of the day, thankfully, everyone can hold their heads high."

For Killorglin opponents Laune Rangers, defeat was especially disappointing as 12 months ago they had the winning of the final against An Ghaeltacht. This time around there wasn't much room for agonising. After a smart first half, when they took some clinical scores against the run of play, Laune were left standing.

South Kerry took command of centrefield with John Sugrue giving what many felt was the best individual display of the afternoon. This had the twin impact of creating a stream of chances for the forwards who, after a spendthrift first half, found range and accuracy as well as putting the opposition attack on starvation rations - an imbalance that Laune couldn't redress.

There had been early signs that the divisional side meant business and they hit the front with three points in the first six minutes. But immediately the slate was wiped clean when, with their first meaningful attack, Laune plundered a goal. Pa O'Sullivan's wonderful ball placed Séamus Foley on goal and he finished to the net.

It was characteristic of the first half that the Killorglin side absorbed pressure and hit quickly on the break. The risk of conceding possession was set against some poor finishing by the winners.

Nonetheless, Laune's game never really got into top gear. A few moves of slick passing at pace were disrupted by a misplaced pass along the way and with the South Kerry inside defence marking tightly, the opposing full forwards never found sufficient space and only Brian Gannon scored a point from play.

But the team was inspired to its best phase after the early goal. They pulled clear when a loose back pass was intercepted by Colin O'Connor, whose injections of pace was causing problems and he rode a series of dubious tackles before twisting clear to slot in the second goal after 22 minutes.

Ronán O'Connor had an opportunity for a quick response but he swung wildly at the ball and it flew wide.

Trailing by three at the break, having squandered a feast of chances, South Kerry had reason to feel apprehensive. But they didn't panic.

"It looked a small bit dodgy at half-time," said former All-Ireland winner Killian Burns, who was in the middle of a solid full-back line, "but the goals didn't really rock us. We just went about it in a more business-like way. Three points down at half-time we felt that we could turn it."

These suspicions were confirmed when Laune found no answer to their opponents' opening blast on the resumption. Their manager John Evans acknowledged as much afterwards. "When we didn't take the initiative at the start of the second half," he said, " when Declan O'Sullivan got that point I think it lifted them big time. They drove at us, used their physique and played some wonderful stuff."

Although O'Connor responded to O'Sullivan's score, the big picture was of a disastrous third quarter for Laune, which they lost on the scoreboard by 1-5 to 0-1.

It was foremost a team effort by South Kerry. Fitzgerald and his full forwards came deep and Declan O'Sullivan launched a series of slashing runs from centre forward. He and Bryan Sheehan improved their accuracy and the latter tied up the match, 0-10 to 2-4, nine minutes after the break.

By now Laune's game plan had gone to pieces. Losing out around the middle, they couldn't build effective attacks and what possession they managed was sprayed loosely all over the field.

Once Ronán O'Connor had restored the lead that South Kerry were never to lose, the match was draining away.

The goal summed up South Kerry's improvement. Moved from the back, the ball went from Robert Hussey to Fitzgerald and he decided to forego the chance in favour of the better placed O'Connor who sealed the match in the 45th minute.

It took this nightmarish run of events to wake up the Killorglin side but they looked to have lost even the imperfect rhythms of the first half. In the last minute, however, Mike Frank Russell was on the end of a good move that sent him in on goal but he drilled the chance wide.

"We wanted to do it for all the clubs in South Kerry." added Burns. "But yesterday afternoon on Cahirciveen pitch Maurice had a few words with us and was very much a leader on and off the pitch. At the back of it all he's been campaigning for a long time and still hadn't got that medal. We wanted to do it for him and ourselves."

Laune Ranger can take small consolation in that they still qualify to play Milltown-Castlemaine in a game that decides what team represents the county in the Munster club championship.

SOUTH KERRY: M Drummond; S O'Sullivan, K Burns, G O'Driscoll; P Sheehan, B Hickey, A O'Connell; A O'Sullivan, J Sugrue (0-1); D O'Dwyer (0-1), D O'Sullivan (0-3), B Sheehan (0-5, three frees); R Hussey (0-2, both frees), R O'Connor (1-1), M Fitzgerald (capt).

LAUNE RANGERS: T Lyons; C Falvey, E Ferris, T Houlihan; P Costello, J Sheehan, J Coffey; J Lynch, B O'Sullivan; S Foley (1-0), B O'Shea (0-1), C O'Connor (1-1); B Gannon (0-1), P O'Sullivan (0-2, frees), MF Russell (capt). Subs: N Lynch for Ferris (49 mins), A Hassett for B O'Sullivan (55 mins).

Referee: P Sheehy (Clounmacon).