# 2019 Kerry Senior Football Championship

The 2019 Kerry Senior Football Championship was the 118th edition of Kerry GAA's premier gaelic football tournament for senior teams in County Kerry, Ireland. The tournament consists of 17 teams (8 club teams and 9 divisional teams), with the winners representing Kerry in the Munster Senior Club Football Championship if they are a club team. If the winners are a divisional team the winners of the Kerry Club Football Championship represent the county.
The championship has a back-door format for the first two rounds before proceeding to a knock-out format. Generally, any team to lose two matches will be knocked out of the championship.
This was Kilcummin's return to the senior ranks after only a one year absence, meaning they will no longer provide players to the East Kerry District panel for this season. An Ghaeltacht (who were relegated to the I.F.C. for 2019) will provide the West Kerry Divisional side with players for the S.F.C.
Dr. Crokes were the 2018 champions after they defeated Dingle in the final.
Rathmore lost their 20-year senior club championship status after a surprising no show in the second half against neighbours Kilcummin. Rathmore’s exit is all the more surprising in a season where they had beaten Dr. Croke's in the Senior Club Championship and topped Division 1 of the County League. However All-Ireland Intermediate champions Kilcummin had no desire to join the band of clubs who went up to senior only to come back straight down the following season.

## Format Structure Change

8 club teams and 9 divisional teams (17 in total) will take part in this year's S.F.C. It was decided that only 8 divisional sides would take part in the competition proper so the 2 lowest ranked divisional sides from the previous 5 years would play off in a qualification match with the winner entering the draw for the 2019 County Championship proper.
Relegation (See below): The club team to be relegated from the Senior County Championship will be the same team to be relegated from the Senior Club Championship (The 8 senior clubs play off against each other in two pools in the Club Championship. The two teams that finished bottom of the Group Pools enter a relegation final. This loser will be relegated to the I.F.C. for 2020. Should a club reach the final of the County championship they will be exempt from the Relegation process in the Club championship).
The winner of the 2019 I.F.C. will be promoted to the 2020 Senior County and Club Championships.

## Team Changes

The following teams have changed division since the 2018 championship season.

## Participating teams

The teams taking part in the 2019 Kerry Senior Football Championship are:
| Team | Team Location | Club/Divisional | Club's Divisional Side |
| Austin Stacks | Tralee | Club | St. Brendan's |
| Dingle | Dingle | Club | West Kerry |
| Dr. Crokes | Killarney | Club | East Kerry |
| East Kerry | x | Divisional (Firies, Fossa, Glenflesk, Gneevguilla, Listry, Spa) | x |
| Feale Rangers | x | Divisional (Clounmacon, Duagh, Finuge, Listowel Emmets, Moyvane, St. Senan's) | x |
| Kenmare District | x | Divisional (Templenoe, Tousist, Kilgarvan) | x |
| Kenmare Shamrocks | Kenmare | Club | Kenmare District |
| Kerins O'Rahillys | Tralee | Club | St. Brendan's |
| Kilcummin | Kilcummin | Club | East Kerry |
| Killarney Legion | Killarney | Club | East Kerry |
| Mid Kerry | x | Divisional (Beaufort, Cromane, Glenbeigh-Glencar, Keel, Laune Rangers, Milltown/Castlemaine) | x |
| Rathmore | Rathmore | Club | East Kerry |
| Shannon Rangers | x | Divisional (Asdee, Ballydonoghue, Ballyduff, Ballylongford, Beale, Tarbert) | x |
| South Kerry | x | Divisional (Derrynane, Dromid Pearses, Renard, Skellig Rangers, Sneem, St. Mary's, St. Michael's/Foilmore, Valentia Young Islanders, Waterville) | x |
| St. Brendan's | x | Divisional (Ardfert, Churchill, John Mitchell's, Na Gaeil, St. Patrick's Blennerville) | x |
| St. Kieran's | x | Divisional (Ballymacelligott, Brosna, Castleisland Desmonds, Cordal, Currow, Knocknagoshel, Scartaglin) | x |
| West Kerry | x | Divisional (An Ghaeltacht, Annascaul, Castlegregory, Lispole) | x |

## Championship Qualifier

It was decided that only 8 of the 9 Divisional Teams would play in the Senior Championship proper. To determine which team would be excluded, all divisional teams placed into an open draw. Two of these divisional sides were drawn to play in a Qualifying Round. The winner would proceed to Round 1 of the championship proper while the loser would exit the championship until the following year. The ranking system of previous years was abolished.
| 29 August 2019 Qualifying round | St. Kieran's | 2-11 - 0-8 | Feale Rangers | Austin Stack Park Referee: Paul Hayes |

## Rounds 1 to 3
### Round 1

The sixteen remaining teams play in eight matches in Round 1. The winners proceed to Round 2A while the losers play in Round 2B.
| 21 September 2019 Round 1 | St. Kieran's | 0-12 - 0-9 | Mid Kerry | Brosna Referee: Denis Sayers |
| 21 September 2019 Round 1 | Dingle | 0-12 - 0-6 | Austin Stacks | Dingle Referee: Padraig O Sullivan |
| 22 September 2019 Round 1 | Killarney Legion | 1-16 - 1-12 | Kilcummin | Fitzgerald Stadium Referee: Sean Joy |
| 22 September 2019 Round 1 | St. Brendan's | 2-11 - 1-12 | East Kerry | Austin Stack Park Referee: S Mulvihill (St. Senan's) |
| 22 September 2019 Round 1 | I Parker (1-1), D O’Connor (1-2), N Sheehy (0-3, 3f), E O’Brien (0-2); D Griffin (0-1), J Duggan (0-1), A O’Donoghue (0-1). | Report | D Roche (1-4), D Moynihan (0-3), B O’Donoghue (0-2), E Cronin (0-2), L Kearney (0-1). | Austin Stack Park Referee: S Mulvihill (St. Senan's) |
| 22 September 2019 Round 1 | South Kerry | 3-16 - 1-10 | Shannon Rangers | Caherciveen Referee: Brendan Brosnan |
| 22 September 2019 Round 1 | West Kerry | 2-18 - 2-17 | Kenmare District | Templenoe Referee: Donal Casey |
| 22 September 2019 Round 1 | Kerins O'Rahilly's | 2-15 - 1-17 | Kenmare Shamrocks | Austin Stack Park Referee: Jonathan Griffin |
| 22 September 2019 Round 1 | Dr. Croke's | 3-26 - 2-12 | Rathmore | Fitzgerald Stadium Referee: Brendan Griffin |

### Round 2
#### Round 2A

The eight winners from Round 1 play each other in this round. The winners proceed to the knock-out quarter finals while the losers play in Round 3.
| 28 September 2019 Round 2A | South Kerry | 1-12 - 1-9 | St. Brendan's | Austin Stack Park Referee: James O'Sullivan |
| 28 September 2019 Round 2A | Dr. Croke's | 0-17 - 0-8 | St. Kieran's | Austin Stack Park Referee: Peter Lyons |
| 28 September 2019 Round 2A | Dingle | 2-9 - 1-11 | Kerins O'Rahilly's | Dingle Referee: Edmund Walsh |
| 29 September 2019 Round 2A | Killarney Legion | 2-15 - 2-9 | West Kerry | Annascaul Referee: Jermiah Lynch |

#### Round 2B

The eight losers from Round 1 play each other in this round. The winners proceed to Round 3 while the losers are eliminated from the championship having lost two games.
| 29 September 2019 Round 2B | Kenmare Shamrocks | 1-13 - 2-9 AET | Rathmore | Fitzgerald Stadium Referee: Paul Hayes |
| 29 September 2019 Round 2B | Kilcummin | 2-12 - 0-13 | Mid Kerry | Killorglin Referee: Eamonn Moran |
| 29 September 2019 Round 2B | Shannon Rangers | 0-14 - 1-10 | Kenmare District | Templenoe Referee: Tom Moriarty |
| 29 September 2019 Round 2B | East Kerry | 3-13 - 3-7 | Austin Stacks | Fitzgerald Stadium Referee: B O'Shea (Keel) |
| 29 September 2019 Round 2B | P Clifford (2-1, 1 pen, 1 '45), S Cronin (1-1), D Clifford (0-3, 2f), D Roche (0-3, 2f), B O'Donoghue (0-2), R Buckley (0-2), L Kearney (0-1). | Report | M O'Gara (2-0), M O'Donnell (1-0), S Quilter (0-3, 2f), D O'Brien (0-3, 2f), S O'Callaghan (0-1). | Fitzgerald Stadium Referee: B O'Shea (Keel) |

### Round 3

The four Round 2A losers (who won a game and lost a game) play the four Round 2B winners (who lost a game and won a game) in this round. The four winners progress to the knock-out quarter finals while the losers are eliminated from the championship.
| 5 October 2019 Round 3 | St. Brendan's | 4-22 - 1-12 | Shannon Rangers | Austin Stack Park Referee: Edmund Walsh |
| 5 October 2019 Round 3 | East Kerry | 0-20 - 3-9 | Kerins O'Rahilly#s | Austin Stack Park Referee: B Griffin (Clounmacon) |
| 5 October 2019 Round 3 | D Clifford 0-8 (3f), M Foley 0-4, D Roche 0-3 (2f), P Clifford 1 ('45'), S Cronin 0-1, L Kearney 0-1, R Buckley 0-1, B O'Donoghue 0-1. | Report | J Savage 1-4 (0-3f), T Walsh 1-2, K Mullins 1-1, R Carroll 0-1f, D Moran 0-1. | Austin Stack Park Referee: B Griffin (Clounmacon) |
| 6 October 2019 Round 3 | Kenmare Shamrocks | 2-11 - 2-8 | West Kerry | Fitzgerald Stadium Referee: Denis Sayers |
| 13 October 2019 Round 3 | St. Kieran's | 0-21 - 1-13 | Kilcummin | Fitzgerald Stadium Referee: Jonathan Griffin |

## Knock-Out Stage
### Quarter-finals

The four Round 2A winners play the four Round 3 winners in the quarter-finals.
| 19 October 2019 Quarter-Final | Killarney Legion | 1-10 - 1-12 | St. Brendan's | Austin Stack Park Referee: Sean Joy Man of the Match: Diarmuid O'Connor |
| 19 October 2019 Quarter-Final | Dingle | 1-12 - 1-23 | East Kerry | Austin Stack Park Referee: S Mulvihill Man of the Match: Paudie Clifford |
| 19 October 2019 Quarter-Final | P Devane 1-1, B O’Sullivan 0-2, M Geaney 0-2, P Geaney 0-2, C Geaney 0-2 (1f), T O’Sullivan 0-1, G Durrant 0-1. | Report | D Roche 0-9 (4f), D Clifford 1-6, R Buckley 0-2, P Clifford 0-2, J Sherwood 0-1, L Kearney 0-1, E Cronin 0-1, D Spillane 0-1. | Austin Stack Park Referee: S Mulvihill Man of the Match: Paudie Clifford |
| 20 October 2019 Quarter-Final | South Kerry | 0-17 - 1-10 | St. Kieran's | Fitzgerald Stadium Referee: Paul Hayes |
| 20 October 2019 Quarter-Final | Dr. Crokes | 1-20 - 1-12 | Kenmare Shamrocks | Fitzgerald Stadium Referee: Padraig O'Sullivan |

### Semi-finals

| 27 October 2019 13:30 Semi-Final | East Kerry | 1-18 - 1-14 | St. Brendan's Board | Fitzgerald Stadium Attendance: 4,755 Referee: J Griffin (Glenbeigh-Glencar) |
| 27 October 2019 13:30 Semi-Final | D Clifford (0-9, 2 frees); D Roche (1-3, 0-3 frees); R Buckley (0-2); M Foley, L Kearney, J Sherwood, P Clifford (free) (0-1 each). | Report | N Sheehy (1-3, 1-0 pen, 0-2 frees); I Parker, D Griffin, J Barry (0-2 each); D O’Callaghan, B O’Donoghue, E O’Brien (free), T Kerins, B Poff (0-1 each). | Fitzgerald Stadium Attendance: 4,755 Referee: J Griffin (Glenbeigh-Glencar) |
| 27 October 2019 15:15 Semi-Final | Dr Crokes | 1-15 - 0-18 (aet) | South Kerry | Fitzgerald Stadium Attendance: 4,755 Referee: Paul Hayes |
| 3 November 2019 14:00 Semi-Final Replay | Dr Crokes | 1-14 - 1-08 | South Kerry | Fitzgerald Stadium Referee: Seamus Mulvihil |

## Final

| 10 November 2019 3:00pm Final | East Kerry | 2-14 - 1-07 | Dr. Crokes | Austin Stack Park Attendance: 8,267 Referee: B Griffin (Clounmacon) Man of the Match: Paudie Clifford |
| 10 November 2019 3:00pm Final | D Clifford 1-3 (0-1f), D Roche 1-2 (0-1f), E Cronin 0-4, M Foley 0-3, P Clifford 0-1, P Doyle 0-1. | Report | G White 1-1, T Brosnan 0-4 (1f), M O’Shea 0-1, K O’Leary 0-1. | Austin Stack Park Attendance: 8,267 Referee: B Griffin (Clounmacon) Man of the Match: Paudie Clifford |

## Relegation

The club team to be relegated from the Senior County Championship will be the same team to be relegated from the Senior Club Championship. The 8 senior clubs are placed into two groups containing four teams during the Club Championship. The teams to finish bottom of both groups will face off in the Relegation Final, with the loser being relegated to the I.F.C. for 2020. Should a club reach the final of the County championship they will be exempt from the Relegation process in the Club championship.

## Championship statistics
### Miscellaneous

* East Kerry win the title for the first time since 1999.
* East Kerry qualify for the final for the first time since 1999.
* Dr Crokes lose their first final since 2009, having won in their last seven appearances.
* Rathmor lose their 20-year senior club championship status.