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Irish Examiner
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Austin Stacks hold on against St Kierans to seal back-to-back Kerry U21 football titles
Austin Stacks 1-14 (1-1-12) St Kierans 0-14 (0-2-10) Austin Stacks secured back-to-back Kerry U-21 Football Championship titles as they hung on against St Kieran's on Wednesday and gained sweet revenge for last year MFC final defeat. The cohesion and interplay between the players of the club side was very evident from the outset as Stacks dominated the midfield exchanges thanks to the powerful fetching of Ben Murphy, Daniel Kirby and Gavin Casey while Jack Murphy was hovering up breaking the ball. Stacks opted to play against the wind in the opening half and despite falling behind to a Killian Dennehy free, after Cathal McElligott had been fouled, that was the only time St Kierans led the holders for the rest of the final. Stacks almost found the net a minute later when Ben Murphy, with a trademark run through the midfield, saw his goal bound effort pushed onto the crossbar by St Kieran's keeper Conor Wilkinson. But once Daniel Kirby leveled in the fifth minute, Stacks took over and three Paddy Lane points and a fine effort from Donnacha Sayers had them 0-5 to 0-1 in front and St Kieran's were struggling to stay in touch. A two pointer from Cathal McElligott helped to close the gap to two but that was as good as it got for the combo as Stacks, with the Murphy brothers and Casey brothers prominent, powered on. Paddy Lane fired over a two pointer, Sayers followed with a free and points from Ben Murphy and Lane saw Stacks move six clear, 0-10 to 0-4. Dennehy added two frees but Stacks then struck for the killer goal, created by sixty metre upfield run by Colm Browne and dispatched to the net by Paddy Lane. Stacks led 1-10 to 0-6 at half time and it looked game over. An early Paddy Lane free increased the Tralee side's lead as Michael Tansley denied Ruairi Bourke from point blank range. In fact, it was the story of the second half as St Kieran's created six goal chances, three were saved by Tansley, and Killian Dennehy crashed the ball against the underside of the crossbar in the 53rd minute. Michael Horan then shot wide, and when the game was in the balance, Jack Murphy took a Cathal Brosnan cross off the line with Cathal McElligott steaming in behind him. It was all going Stacks way until the 50th minute when they led 1-14 to 0-8. But the introduction of Kian Downey appeared to spark St Kieran's into life with two frees soon converted. Dennehy converted another as Stacks began to turn over the ball and Cathal Brosnan kicked a massive two pointer and suddenly the fat was in the fire. Stacks were fortunate that Jack Murphy and keeper Michael Tansley came to their rescue late on, as they held on by three points to complete the two in a row. Scorers for Austin Stacks: P Lane (1-6, 2pt, 2fs), D Sayers (0-4, 3fs), R O'Driscoll (0-2, 2fs), B Murphy and D Kirby (0-1 each). Scorers for St Kieran's: K Dennehy (3fs), and C McElligott (1f, 2pt) (0-4 each), C Brosnan (2pt) and C Downey (0-2 each), M Nolan and C Mangan (0-1 each). Austin Stacks: M Tansley; S Óg Brosnan, C Browne, J Murphy; B Murphy, L Casey, G Casey; F Ryan, D Kirby; C Dillane, P Lane, R Carroll; D Sayers, D Hogan, R O'Driscoll. Subs: Cillian Litchfield for D Hogan (40), S Heaslip for C Browne (49). St Kieran's: C Wilkinson (Castleisland Desmonds); S O'Sullivan (Brosna), I Brosnan (Castleisland Desmonds), O O'Connor (Currow); R Bourke (Castleisland Desmonds), J McElligott (Knocknagoshel), R Dennehy (Cordal); J Brosnan (Knocknagoshel), K Dennehy (Cordal); M Nolan (Brosna), C McElligott (Knocknagoshel), R Brosnan (Currow); C Mangan (Knocknagoshel), C Brosnan (Currow), M Horan (Scartaglen). Subs: T Conway (Castleisland Desmonds) for J Brosnan (24), J O'Sullivan (Brosna) for R Bourke (39), M Lane (Brosna) for C Mangan (40), C Downey (Castleisland Desmonds) for T Conway (43), J O'Connor (Currow) for R Brosnan (58). Referee: C O Dhúbhda (Kilcummin).
Atlantic
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
Games: A digital parlor of puzzles and play
Challenges. Curiosities. Games of all kinds. Today The Atlantic makes a major play with the launch of The Atlantic Games ––a new destination for puzzles and play on and in the app––and the release of two brand-new daily word games alongside three existing favorites. All games are playable now, and full archives will soon be available exclusively for Atlantic subscribers. The new games are Stacks, where players stack a bank of words to form new words, and Fluxis, where players build a circuit of words through categories looping back to the first word. The stronger the connection, the more an electrical current lights up between the words. Both are available in The Atlantic Games, along with: Bracket City: Solve clues within clues daily to reveal a single, satisfying fact about this day in history. Players earn city-themed ranks for success, such as 'Commuter,' 'Mayor,' or the coveted 'Kingmaker' for a perfect puzzle. This word puzzle was created earlier this year by an independent game designer and found a new home at The Atlantic in April. Daily plays have more than tripled since coming to The Atlantic. The Atlantic Crossword: Our daily mini puzzle grows a little bigger and a little more challenging every day. This is The Atlantic 's longest-running daily game. Caleb's Inferno: This monthly crossword starts easy but gets devilishly hard as you descend into its depths. Caleb's Inferno launched in summer 2023 and is exclusive for subscribers. It runs on the back page of the magazine each month. All five games are designed to be delightful, highly playable, and the next word-game obsessions for millions. As director of games, Caleb Madison is leading strategy and game development for The Atlantic. The Atlantic has seen record subscription growth in the past several years, and now has more subscribers than at any point in its history; Games add value to those subscribers, and offer the opportunity for discovery and play for new audiences. Check out more about the games at The Atlantic Games.
Irish Examiner
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Kerry's second banana ripe for Croke Park redemption
PRIOR to Saturday's game against Cavan, victory from which pointed Kerry the way of Croke Park and a heavyweight quarter-final, football's curious ingested (with relish) the revelations from Eamonn Fitzmaurice on these pages of previous football crises in the Kingdom. And who, more than anyone else, navigated the group away from the rocks. 'The younger players worshipped him,' Fitzmaurice wrote of Declan O'Sullivan during Kerry's 2014 campaign. 'Declan challenged the group to the core. He said that if we didn't rise our standards and play as we should be playing, he would cross the street to avoid meeting lads in the future. He outlined how he wouldn't be able to look people in the eye if they didn't do the bare minimum - giving it absolutely 100% with a Kerry jersey on their backs, and to never ever give up.' The final of that year was O'Sullivan's last stand, and he was barely able to do so. His knees were mangled but he finished with his son and Sam Maguire in each hand after victory over Donegal. For that Kerry No 11, read the current No 11 in terms of leadership and inspiring respect and the giant-sized hole unfilled when he's absent. Just shy of the tenth minute in Killarney on Saturday, a moment. Cavan's Sean McEvoy cuts back inside for the dish off to Padraig Faulkner. The wing back is coasting mentally and on his blind side, a train is approaching. A train robber. Kerry's second banana. Sean O'Shea effects the steal, sets Joe O'Connor on his road. The Stacks man is in behind cover off the stand side of Fitzgerald Stadium but leaves the kill to Gavin White at the back stick. This circle isn't closed. White hit the outside of the post when he should have goaled, but the point remains – Kerry, with Sean O'Shea running their offence, are a different beast. 'Every time I watched Meath coming out with the ball in Tullamore, all I could think of was a forward who wasn't even on the pitch,' remarked one ex-All-Ireland winner on Monday. 'Seanie would have been in everyone's ear, and if they weren't pressing and tackling, they'd be getting a short, sharp reminder.' 'Seanie is the spiritual leader of that group, no doubt about it,' manager Jack O'Connor reflected after Saturday's win. 'We seriously missed him last week in Tullamore. He doesn't just play well himself, he gets other fellas around him to play well.' In coming to terms with the pile of problems Kerry have ahead of their All-Ireland SFC knockout against Armagh, one must balance considerations with the return of Paudie Clifford and O'Shea in particular. "Look, Seánie has been a serious leader, not only this year but in years gone by,' explains Gavin White. 'He's one of the best players in the country and a serious leader on and off the pitch. To have him on the pitch was a huge bonus and that showed with the performance that he put in. Last week, he did his best when he wasn't playing to try to motivate fellas on the line, which shows the character that he is. He's a serious player for us to have on the pitch and we're very grateful that he was able to make it back from injury at a crucial stage of the campaign." Kerry will need him. The likelihood is that Paudie Clifford will start in the half forward line, shifting Joe O'Connor back to midfield. O'Shea, Clifford and Graham O'Sullivan will need to put in an epic shift in the most difficult line on the pitch. The campaign has not been kind to Kerry's half forward options, from the loss of Cillian Burke to the AFL, to the retirements of Stephen O'Brien and Adrian Spillane and injuries to Dara Moynihan and now Tony Brosnan. That's quite the collateral damage. Said White: "I said a couple of weeks ago at the launch of the Munster Championship that the new rules were going to have a serious impact on injuries. We seem to be impacted an awful lot this year, I don't know what other teams are like. In both games against Cork we picked up a lot of injuries. I think we had three substitutes in the first half in the second game. Look, it's just the next man in. That will be the same this week even though Diarmuid (O'Connor) is a big leader for us. If he doesn't make it back for next weekend, he'll certainly be a loss. But we'll go out and try to put in a performance for him." O'Connor's campaign looks done. It may be that he has shoulder surgery now to stabilise that area and prep him for spring 2026. Any back of a fag box list of the quintet that Kerry could ill-afford to lose would include the Na Gaeil midfielder. It will be Tuesday before Jack O'Connor's management team is able to properly compute who's fit and able for Armagh. Saturday was all about putting the shocker in Tullamore to bed. "It was a mixed bag, I suppose,' reflected White. 'I think the main thing was that we got a result, maybe fixed a couple things from Meath and just look forward to a quarter-final now in Croke Park. That was the be all and end all – just get to Croke Park and see how we go from there. "We were very disappointed in the way we played in Tullamore. It was hard to put your finger on exactly what happened. It was a complete malfunction from everyone all over the pitch. We were disappointed individually and as a team. But the main thing is that we were still in the Championship and we still had a chance to rectify it and put on a performance to try to get the win." Manager Jack O'Connor and talisman David Clifford used their post match media engagements to speak directly to the Kerry faithful with essentially the same message: get on board with us now, please. 'We got a bit frantic at times, and made poor decisions with the ball up front,' O'Connor lamented, 'and we forced it a bit. There are times when you need to take the sting out of the game, and just work it. Then other times you can go route one. 'But that's understandable, because confidence mightn't have been what it should have been after last week. It's very important to kill the ball in the modern game. Giving the ball away is a no-no because, if you kill it, you have a 50 per cent chance of getting the kick-out back. 'It was good to get Seanie back in, and Paudie Clifford too, because they're the men that drive the rest of them. We'll gather the troops during the week. Obviously there'll be a bit of doom and gloom around with the injuries and all the rest of it, but the lads are very determined to give it a good cut next weekend.' Cavan's Paddy Lynch did all he could to further Kerry's discomfort on Saturday, and as things got tight in the last quarter in Killarney, they became feisty. Cavan and David Clifford's jersey had a running dispute and when Killian Spillane was upscuttled with seven minutes remaining, a Kerry train ploughed in to plant a Cavan man in the back. Setting standards and putting down markers.
Irish Examiner
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Austin Stacks in pole position for Kerry Division 1 League title after derby win
Austin Stacks put themselves into pole position to be crowned Kerry SFL Division 1 champions in two weeks time as a second point from substitute Ben Murphy on the stroke of 60 minutes was enough to see them overcome Tralee rivals Kerins O'Rahillys 0-17 to 3-7 at Connolly Park. Both sides were level at the top on 15 points coming into Sunday afternoon's encounter as Stacks chose to start Kerry panelist Armin Heinrich while Kerins O'Rahillys chose to play Kerry's late scoring substitute against Cavan, Tomas Kennedy, in the second period. The first of two Paddy Lane two-pointers put Stacks 0-4 to 0-1 ahead after 12 minutes but Strand Road punished them on the break by scoring two goals from Daniel Bowler and Darragh O'Connor, although O'Rahillys would regret missing another two goal chances by full-time. The visitors' advantage at half-time stood at 2-5 to 0-8 but O'Rahillys failed to score in the third quarter as five unanswered Stacks points put the hosts 0-13 to 2-6 in front. Read More Kerry SHC: Late drama as gutsy Tralee Parnells grab draw and history Stacks had decided to chance some of their U21 contingent like Murphy, who face a Kerry U21 final meeting with St Kierans on Wednesday night. But it had the desired outcome although Ben Hanafin would soon end O'Rahillys' long wait for a score before Padraig Griffin got a third goal in the 52nd minute to put them 3-6 to 0-13 ahead. It looked like Strand Road might push on to win but Murphy's first point along with Niall Fitzmaurice and Sean Quilter scores gave Stacks the lead again before Conor Hayes levelled the game again at 0-16 to 3-7 on 59 minutes. Murphy remained composed though and he put Stacks back in front for the final time as four additional minutes saw Strand Road miss two potential levelers while substitute Ronan Carroll was dismissed late on for the hosts. The result means Stacks only need to avoid defeat to Laune Rangers on the last day to win Division 1, a year after winning Division 2. Kerins O'Rahillys need to defeat already relegated Glenbeigh/Glencar in their last game and hope for a favour from the Killorglin side to force a playoff for the title. Rangers are in the relegation zone themselves heading into the final day as they lost a relegation 'four-pointer' away to Rathmore, 2-16 to 1-10. They must better fellow Mid Kerry side Beaufort's result on the final day to stand a chance of staying up as Beaufort had started the weekend with a 1-14 apiece draw away to Glenbeigh/Glencar. In the last round, Beaufort face a Kilcummin side that are officially safe after a 0-23 to 1-20 draw at home to Glenflesk who are also now assured of another year in Division 1. Spa gave their hopes of staying up a major boost by defeating Dr Crokes 2-13 to 0-17 meaning they only need to avoid defeat to Glenflesk on the last day to stay up. Ballymacelligott, meanwhile, became the second side relegated from Division 1 despite putting up a good show in their return to their home pitch against Killarney Legion before going down by 0-22 to 2-14. The result means their four year stay in the top flight will end in 2026.
Irish Examiner
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Kerry SFL: Austin Stacks and Kerins O'Rahillys clash to decide title
This year's Kerry County League Division 1 title will be decided when Austin Stacks and Kerins O'Rahillys clash in the second last round at Connolly Park. Both sides are locked at top of the table on fifteen points each. It looks like a winner takes all game as both will be playing teams positioned towards the foot of the table in their final match. Stacks travelled to Beaufort who are battling relegation and emerged victorious 1-20 to 1-16. It was level after the opening quarter at 0-5 each. Fergal Hallissey was accurate from placed balls for the home side while Ferdia O'Brien (2), Brendan O'Sullivan and Sean Quilter had scored for Stacks. The Tralee side stretched 0-11 to 0-17 clear by the 25th minute thanks to two Ryan O'Driscoll points from play, and a two-point free and a close-in free from Quilter. They looked in control. But Beaufort, thanks to a Hallissey free and a goal from Ger Hartnett, saw the sides retire 1-9 to 0-12 at the interval and it was all to play for. Stacks were two clear by the 40th minute thanks to two Joe Reidy points, 0-15 to 1-10, when disaster struck for Beaufort when Sean Coffey, now playing outfield, picked up a yellow card following a clash with Ryan O'Driscoll. He then received a black and Beaufort were reduced to 14 players. But Beaufort refused to throw in the towel and Liam Carey fired over a two-pointer to level the contest 1-14 to 0-17 in the 59th minute. But Stacks finished the stronger with a Ferdia O'Brien goal and a point, and a point each from Ryan O'Driscoll and Joe Reidy. Stacks escaped to victory despite a late Fergal Hallissey two-pointer which brought his total to 0-9. Kerins O'Rahilly's had things far easier against a depleted Rathmore who were not only missing their county players but also those gone to the US. The Tralee club won as they liked on 6-15 to 2-10. O'Rahillys led 4-4 to 1-5 at half-time thanks to a brace of goals each from Conor Hayes and Darragh O'Connor despite an Alan Dineen goal from play for Rathmore. Ciaran Collins was waging a one-man battle for Rathmore but early second half two-pointers from O'Connor and Tom Hoare removed all doubt while O'Connor completed his hat-trick as the Tralee side moved 5-11 to 1-7 clear by the 46th minute. O'Rahillys cruised to a 17-point win. Glenflesk travelled to Glenbeigh to play the locals and they beat them 1-21 to 1-10 with a power-packed second half. This result means that Glenbeigh/Glencar are relegated but they fought hard in the opening half and trailed 1-10 to 1-6 with Callum Cronin and the Roche brothers Darragh and Dylan on the scoresheet. Glenbeigh could only manage four points in the second half while Tommy Bowler kicked three two-pointers and Darragh Roche continued to find the target. Glenflesk move to 10 points in fifth spot. In a relegation four-pointer, Laune Rangers managed to beat Ballymacelligott 2-16 to 1-14 but neither side are safe with Ballymac needing a miracle to stay up as they play Legion and Crokes, along with Beaufort, in their final games. There was nothing in the game at the interval with Rangers leading 1-7 to 0-9. A John Tyther goal from a penalty was the difference at the break with Niall Collins, Aidan Breen and a two-pointer from Donal Daly keeping Ballymac in touch. A point each from Eoin and Darragh Clifford and a two-pointer from Tyther pushed Rangers four clear but a Jack Joy two-pointer offered Ballymac hope. But then once Daire Cleary struck for a Rangers goal, they always controlled the game. Dr Crokes, who will probably have to settle for third place this year, won the Killarney derby by a point, beating Killarney Legion 1-11 to 0-13 with David Shaw kicking some fine second half scores. Crokes led by the minimum at half time, 1-6 to 0-8. Brian Looney, who lined out at midfield for Dr Crokes, kicked two points including the final score of the game. Kilcummin beat Spa 1-21 to 2-11 and that means Spa are still not safe. Philip O'Leary got the all important goal for the winners.
