Crokes squeeze past Na Gaeil into Kerry Club SFC final

Dr Crokes' Tony Brosnan scored 0-8 against Na Gaeil in the Kerry club SFC final at Austin Stack Park ©INPHO/Bryan Keane

Holders Dr Crokes beat Na Gaeil on penalties at the end of an absorbing Kerry senior club football championship semi-final.

With Rathmore awaiting the winners in the final, Sunday’s thrilling semi-final meeting at Castleisland was a repeat of last year’s decider and the teams proved almost impossible to separate...

Crokes might have sensed it was going to be there day when Mark O’Shea’s long punt at the end of normal time bounced over the bar for a fortuitous two-pointer that tied the scores up and forced an additional 20 minutes – 0-18 to 2-12.

The Tralee men had the ball in the net through Dan Goggin inside the first minute and Oisin Maunsell supplied their second major as they closed in on what would have been a famous win.

Tony Brosnan fired a goal for Dr Crokes in the first half of extra time but a Darragh Carmody two-pointer had them level at half time in extra time before Jack Doyle’s score from outside the arc sent the contest to penalties – 2-22 to 1-25.

The sides had also been deadlocked at half time in normal time, 1-5 to 0-8, but something had to give somewhere and Crokes finally prevailed 4-2 in the penalty shootout.