GEANEY-INSPIRED DINGLE END 77 YEARS OF PAIN

Captain fantastic played through pain barrier to lift trophy

- BY JOHN O'DOWD

AFTER 77 years of hurt, captain Paul Geaney played through the pain barrier to inspire Dingle to a comeback victory over Austin Stacks in the Kerry SFC Final in Tralee.

With the West Kerry town waiting since 1948 to add to their six county titles, it was 34-year-old Geaney who struck a brace of second-half goals to tilt the momentum in their favour.

The Dingle man had picked up a hamstring injury in the previous week’s semifinal win over Mid Kerry, and was touch and go all week as to whether he could play any part.

Indeed, a head knock forced Geaney off for seven minutes during a first half where Dingle also lost AFL star Mark O'Connor to a black card, and trailed by four points at halftime (0-8 to 0-4).

Austin Stacks, driven on by outstanding 18-year-old Ben Murphy (right), were still in the ascendancy, albeit by two points, when Geaney raised his first green flag in the 52nd minute.

His inter-county colleague Tom O'Sullivan, superb in the second half, floated in a long delivery, and the skipper flicked the ball past Michael Tansley and into the net.

Buoyed by that tremendous fillip, Dingle drove on, with O'Sullivan (2) and Dylan Geaney, with an orange flag free, completely turning the game on its head (1-13 to 0-11).