Kerry All-Ireland Senior Football Champions 1955

£34.50

Until the Wednesday before the final Kerry’s seven-day-a-week training regime, led by Dr Eamonn O’Sullivan, began with a brisk walk before celebration of Mass each morning; there followed light breakfast, a training session out on the pitch, lunch, an afternoon training session. This was considered revolutionary at the time, particularly as the GAA, fearing the advent of professionalism within its ranks, had implemented an unsuccessful ban on collective training of inter-county teams just the year before, only for it to be overturned within a year. Tadghie Lyne (uncle of Pat Spillane) scored six points to give Kerry a commanding 0-12 to 0-6 lead. Ollie Freaney’s goal five minutes from the brought Dublin within three points, but Kerry weathered the storm and won.
It was the second of three All-Ireland football titles won by Kerry in the 1950s.
Kerry player Jim Brosnan, scorer of two crucial second-half points, was flown home from New York for the final; he was over there studying medicine.
Back: Ned Fitzgerald, Micksie Palmer, Seán Murphy, Ned Roche, Jerome O’Shea, John Cronin, Mick Murphy, Tom Moriarty, Bobby Buckley, Tadhgie Lyne, Jim Brosnan, John Joe Sheehan.
Front: Gerald O’Sullivan, Colm Kennelly, Dinny O’Shea, Johnny Culloty, Paudie Sheehy, John Dowling (Captain), Garry Mahony, Donal O’Neill, Tom Costello, Diarmuid Dillon, Dan McAuliffe, Tadhg Crowley (Sec. Co. Board).

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