Kerry stars Paul Murphy and Shane Ryan were the late, late heroes for Rathmore after they slotted over the winning points in the East Kerry side’s comeback victory over an unlucky Austin Stacks in the Kerry club SFC quarter-final at an extremely windswept Austin Stack Park.
Having led from the very first minute, the Tralee side were still four points up, 1-12 to 1-8, entering the game’s last 10 minutes after rebounding superbly from the clinically dispatched Brian Friel goal which ignited Rathmore in the 45th minute.
With the deadly attacking double act of Paddy Lane and Cian Purcell notching 1-11 between them over the hour, and Greg Horan working like a trojan further out the field, Darragh Long’s men were in pole position heading into the last 10 minutes.
However, Rathmore simply would not throw in the towel. They had the elements in their favour on the resumption and, while they hadn’t made the best use of them up to that juncture, there was still the chance of a sting in the tail.
Substitutes Mark Ryan and Mark Reen narrowed the margin to two points and, though the outstanding Lane (0-9 in total) pushed Austin Stacks three clear once more, 1-13 to 1-10, a penalty awarded for a foul on Mark Ryan in the 57th minute granted Rathmore a potential reprieve.
Kingdom U20 forward Ciaran Collins drilled the spot-kick past his inter-county teammate Michael Tansley to level the contest, and the destination of the spoils was well and truly in the melting pot heading into the tension-filled last couple of minutes.
Stacks, with Purcell netting in the 17th minute, had enjoyed a five-point lead at half-time, 1-5 to 0-3, and they had remained in the ascendancy all the way up to the Rathmore penalty. That green flag was a serious sucker punch for the Rockies’, and they just couldn’t respond.
Instead, with the bit firmly between the collective teeth, it was David McCarthy’s charges who finished the strongest. Murphy punched his only point of the evening to put his side in front, and then Ryan sealed the deal with a brilliantly struck ’45 to give Rathmore a two-point win, and a spot in the semi-finals next weekend.
Scorers for Rathmore: C Collins (1-1, 1-0p), B Friel (1-1), S Ryan (0-3, 1tpf, 0-1 ’45), B O’Keeffe (0-2, tp), J Moynihan, A Dineen, M Ryan, M Reen, P Murphy (0-1 each).
Scorers for Austin Stacks: P Lane (0-9, 1tpf, 0-2fs), C Purcell (1-2), G Horan, D Kirby (0-1 each).
RATHMORE: S Ryan; T O’Doherty, D Murphy, B O’Keeffe; A Dineen, C Dineen, F Holohan; A Moynihan, C Ryan; B Friel, P Murphy, D Rahilly; J Moynihan, C Collins, P Moynihan.
Subs: F Murphy for P Moynihan (27), M Reen for J Moynihan (45), M Ryan for Rahilly (45), C O’Connor for Holohan (49), T Holohan for O’Doherty (56).
AUSTIN STACKS: M Tansley; C Griffin, J O’Shea, N Fitzmaurice; A Heinrich, D Casey, R Shanahan; J O’Connor, D Fitzmaurice; D O’Brien, C Horan, G Horan; S Quilter, C Purcell, P Lane.
Subs: D Kirby for C Horan (ht), F Mangan for Quilter (ht), C Browne for D Fitzmaurice (40), L Casey for O’Brien (49), F O’Brien for N Fitzmaurice (60).
Referee: B Griffin (Clounmacon).