Peter O’Connell and Sports Editor Seamus Hayes look ahead to the opening round of the Senior Football Championship

 

TEN months after Clare clubs last played championship football, the 2012 campaign will throw in at six venues throughout the county this weekend.
Friday will feature three games in Kilmihil, Cusack Park and Gurteen, while Lissycasey and Cooraclare will host first-round games on Saturday. The lone Bank Holiday fixture will be played in Corofin at 2pm on Monday when 2011 intermediate champions Clondegad play their intermediate-winning predecessors St Breckan’s.
The new championship format takes a bit of explaining but the definite fact is that two teams will be relegated to intermediate grade. Equally, two intermediate teams will be demoted to Junior A for 2013.
This weekend, the senior championship will feature eight first-round games, with the eight winners playing each other in Round 2.
The four winners of these games will qualify for the quarter-final of the championship. The four losers will play the winners of the games between the eight first-round losers. The winners of these games will then qualify for the last eight.
So how does a club get relegated? If this weekend’s losers lose again on the weekend of August 18, their next game will be a relegation final. Basically, the four teams that win no game in the first two rounds of the championship will meet to decide who is relegated.
Another factor that needs to be taken into consideration this weekend is that extra time will be played if any game is level at the end of 60 minutes. In fact, the first three rounds of the championships will be subject to this rule.
This step ensures that a championship that runs from just the first week in August to mid-October, 10 weeks in total, cannot be extended beyond that time.
The intermediate championship also starts this weekend and it’s interesting to note that one team from the group consisting of Kildysart, Corofin, O’Curry’s and Kilmihil will be relegated to junior football status.

 

 

Kilmurry Ibrickane to maintain winning run over Cratloe

THE game between Kilmurry Ibrickane and Cratloe is the most eye-catching fixture of the first round of the Senior Football Championship. It has also been the most taxing game to fix date wise, with one-third of Cratloe’s likely starting 15 involved in next Wednesday’s U-21 Munster Hurling Championship final.
Is it feasible to expect that Conor McGrath, Podge Collins, Conor Ryan, Cathal McInerney and Enda Boyce will be fully focused on Friday’s game with such a huge hurling fixture just days away? Once they pull on their club jerseys, they will be.
Along with Liam Markham, Seán Collins, Barry Duggan and Seán Chaplin, Cratloe’s U-21s are the core of a potentially outstanding team. Realising that potential, while also competing for the county senior hurling championship and representing Clare, is an onerous task though.
So perhaps drawing Kilmurry Ibrickane in the first round was the best draw that Cratloe could hope for? They know that if they are to beat the champions, they will have to be fully tuned in and completely focused. Had they drawn a less able opponent, perhaps Cratloe might not have been psychologically prepared, given the amount of fixtures their players are due to partake in.
Kilmurry have beaten Cratloe by a point at the quarter-final and semi-final stages of the last two championships. With their panel weakened by the loss of Stephen Moloney and Michael Hogan to emigration and Mark McCarthy to a knee injury sustained against Dr Croke’s, even Kilmurry’s playing resources will be stretched. McCarthy should be back in action later this month but has yet to receive the go-ahead to play competitive football.
Even without these players, Kilmurry have plenty of proven talent to hand a starting jersey to. In fact, it will be very interesting to see who starts in goal with Dermot O’Brien back on the panel for his first season since Kilmurry reached the 2010 All-Ireland club final. Peter O’Dwyer had an outstanding 2011 between the posts for Kilmurry, who now have two excellent goalkeepers to choose between.
The Hickey brothers, Darren and Shane, Declan Callinan, Paul O’Connor, Peter O’Dwyer (senior), Keith King and Martin McMahon will have key roles in either defence or midfield, while youngsters Thomas Lernihan and John Willie Sexton will be hoping to make their mark on the 2012 championship.
Up front, Ian McInerney, Johnny Daly, Michael O’Dwyer and Niall Hickey have the nous and big-game experience to trouble Cratloe, while Enda Coughlan could be located anywhere from the half-back to full-forward line.
With Kilmurry down some important players, Cratloe would have a great chance if they weren’t so swamped with fixtures. Collective training has been a scant occurrence for the Cratloe footballers, while at least Kilmurry and all exclusively football clubs can concentrate on one game.
That focus could be the decisive factor in Kilmurry scoring their third successive championship win over Cratloe. The game will throw in at 7.15pm in Cusack Park on Friday.

 

Joseph’s aim to continue league form

THIS game will help to prove the significance of league form and if it really counts come championship. St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield have qualified for their first Cusack Cup final, where they will meet Kilmurry Ibrickane, who defeated them in the O’Gorman Cup final earlier this summer.
Meanwhile, Cooraclare were relegated from Division 2 to Division 3 of the league. So, clearly, if league form is a guide, St Joseph’s will win in Lissycasey on Saturday in a game that will throw in at 2.30pm.
Two years ago, under Aidan Moloney, Cooraclare reached the championship semi-final, while last year they lost to Kilmurry Ibrickane by just a point in Kilmihil. So their recent championship form is decent. They have lost some good players, however, with Mark Tubridy joining his brother Gerard in Australia. While it is envisaged that Mark may be back later in the championship, he will not be home in time for this weekend’s first round.
The players Cooraclare will look to on Saturday include Fergal Lillis, the Marrinan brothers, David and Conor, Thomas Donnellan, Declan McMahon, Rory Donnelly and the Looney brothers, John and Gearóid. All of these players are good footballers who, if they hit form, will hurt St Joseph’s.
Coached by Dave Loughman, Cooraclare will face a St Joseph’s team steeled by the experience of Declan O’Keeffe in goals, Kevin Dilleen and Seán Flynn, while Alan O’Neill, Luke Brannock and Cathal Duggan provide plenty of youth and vim. David O’Brien excelled against Éire Óg in the Cusack Cup semi-final last weekend and will cause trouble if afforded space by the Cooraclare centre-back.
What will surely motivate Doora-Barefield is the unhappy memory of their last championship game, when they were hammered by Kilmurry Ibrickane in the county final. As impressive as their league form has been, they will judge themselves by how they fare come championship. Their best hour of 2011 was their quarter-final defeat of Doonbeg. If St Joseph’s can recapture that level of performance, they will give Cooraclare a torrid time.
Whatever about their poor league season, Cooraclare will still travel to Lissycasey confident they have what it takes to produce a big display.
Yet, based on recent performances and on reaching the county final last year, St Joseph’s are given the nod to record a narrow win.

Match sharpness to win it for Éire Óg

WHILE Éire Óg definitely won’t have been too happy with elements of their display against Doora-Barefield in last Sunday’s Cusack Cup semi-final, the upside is that they will be match sharp. They also had to play Miltown a week earlier in a Cusack Cup play-off to ascertain who would qualify for the semi-final.
Kilrush have been inactive since their final Cusack Cup fixture against Shannon Gaels on June 16, so will be heading into Friday’s championship opener in Kilmihil at a loss as to where they stand.
While Éire Óg, under James Hanrahan, were doing well in the Cusack Cup, Kilrush scored a lone win over Doonbeg and were relegated to Garry Cup Division 2 for 2013.
Aidan Moloney is in his first year in charge of Kilrush and it might take time before he imparts his methodology to what is largely a young squad.
Donal O’Sullivan and Peadar McMahon have played no football yet this year and are huge losses to Kilrush, who will need John Hayes, Matthew Moloney, Padjoe McGrath, Chris Dixon and Rory O’Connor to turn it on in Kilmihil. O’Brien is back from a cruciate knee injury, so too much cannot be expected until he regains full match fitness, while Kilrush have an excellent goalkeeper in Tony Burke.
Eoin Tarrant is a youngster who will be a key player for Kilrush, while Eoghan O’Kelly should feature, having missed a couple of years of football while abroad.
Along with established players like Donie Lyne, David Russell, Shane Daniels and Stephen Hickey, Éire Óg have brought through a number of excellent youngsters, including the Smyth brothers, David and Colin, Darren O’Neill who made his mark last year and Seán Crotty, who has the potential to be a big player for the Ennis club. Eoin Glynn was red carded last Sunday evening against Doora-Barefield and, if suspended, will be a huge loss.
Éire Óg’s match sharpness could be the difference between the teams when they meet on Friday at 7.30pm in Kilmihil.

 

Miltown could shade derby clash

WHILE it is hard to top the Kilmurry Ibrickane v Cratloe tie for possible intrigue, Miltown v Ennistymon might do just that. When neighbouring clubs meet on the championship field, predicting the result is difficult but surely it’s not going too far to predict that this game will be laden with blood and thunder. Hopefully, more of the latter.
Ennistymon have been making significant strides in recent years, reaching five successive minor A finals and winning the U-21A title last year. Even this year, their relatively young junior team won the Division 5 League, while the senior team held their own in the Cusack Cup.
Trained by Colin Lynch, Ennistymon will definitely be fit. Some of their leading players including inter-county corner-back Laurence Healy, county U-21s Enda Ralph, Oisín Vaughan and Seán O’Driscoll, while Micheál O’Loughlin, Ronan Linnane, Seán McConigley, Michael McDonagh, Joey Rouine and Ciaran Devitt have all featured on recent county minor and U-21 panels.
Add in Kevin Scales, U-21 county hurler Cathal Malone and Brian Conway and it’s clear Ennistymon have plenty of potential.
Miltown aren’t short of talented young players in the Malone cousins, Micheál and Seánie, Joe Curtin, the Cleary twins and Darragh McDonagh. Most of their panel have been around for a few years though, with the Kellys, Enda Malone, Seán Meade, Eoin and Brian Curtin and Dessie Molohan well aware what it’s all about.
Substituted last Saturday against Kerry, Graham Kelly will be delighted to have a crack at championship football just a week later. Niall Quinn has developed into a very solid goalkeeper for Miltown, who are coached by Kerry man James Fleming. In a recent Radio Kerry interview, Fleming made clear his ambition to manage the Kerry senior team at some point.
A Miltown–Ennistymon championship game should be value for money in Cusack Park at 4pm on Saturday, with Miltown starting marginal favourites.

 

Liscannor tipped to record opening win

WHO can tell which Wolfe Tones team will surface in Gurteen on Friday at 7.30pm? Will it be the team that resolutely defeated Kilkee in last year’s quarter-final replay in Kilmihil or the team that capitulated so tamely in the Cusack Park semi-final against Doora-Barefield?
What is certain is that Liscannor will put in a consistent, committed display as has been their calling card for a decade, playing high-quality senior championship football.
Inspired as ever by players like Brian, Niall and Ciarán Considine, county captain Alan Clohessy, Shane Canavan, Dara Blake and Ronan Slattery, the Garry Cup finalists will give their last ounce for the jersey. Sometimes their shooting deserts them but never their spirit.
So if Wolfe Tones are not prepared for a battle, their chances of staying with Liscannor are limited. Conversely, if Chris Dunning, Kevin Cahill, Stephen Monaghan, Daniel Gallery, Seán Brennan and William Flynn, who excelled at wing-back last year, bring their best form with them to Gurteen, they will have an excellent chance of notching up a first-round win.
Craig O’Brien and Colm McCall are also outstanding young defenders, who add pace and vigour to the Shannon club’s back line. Gary Leahy has been one of their most dangerous forwards in recent seasons and if he is available and reasonably fit, he will be a huge threat to Liscannor.
In the league, Wolfe Tones just managed to avoid relegation from Division 3, while Liscannor are due to play Lissycasey in the Garry Cup final. Reaching the final was enough to ensure Liscannor will play Cusack Cup football next season, having been relegated in 2011.
Liscannor will be favourites to win this one and make it to Round 2. Their vast experience will stand to them but, more importantly, their recent league form indicates they are ahead of Wolfe Tones in terms of their 2012 performances so far.

 

Injury concerns for St Breckan’s

THE last big meeting of St Breckan’s and Clondegad was in the intermediate final in 2010, when the Lisdoonvarna side emerged as winners. Many Clondegad followers felt their side could have won that game and they will be looking to Monday’s meeting of the intermediate champions of the past two years as an opportunity to avenge that result.
These clubs have provided some very entertaining games when they have met at different levels in the past decade and this week’s clash should provide another interesting tie.
St Breckan’s have concerns about the fitness of three key players ahead of the bank holiday clash. Daniel Carey, Conor Howley and Stephen Tierney have had their training disrupted because of hamstring complaints. The loss of any or all of these would be a big blow to their hopes of progress.
The teams met in April in the league and Clondegad had seven points to spare at the end of a tie played at Ballynacally.
They will, of course, be looking to inter-county players, the Brennan brothers, Gary and Shane, to lead the way together with Paudge McMahon, who was part of the county junior side that contested the Munster final. In addition, they can call on last year’s Clare minor captain Conor Gavin, Paddy and Gearóid O’Connell, Brian Carigg, recently returned from Australia and Kieran Browne.
Gary Brennan is a key figure in the Ballynacally-based side’s line-up. He is expected to line out at midfield and may spend some time in the full-forward line.
The inter-county man’s ability to dominate midfield has led to many victories for his side in recent seasons. If St Breckan’s are to be in with a chance of winning, they will have to ensure he doesn’t dominate.
Talented dual player, Tony Kelly will not be available this week due to the upcoming Munster U-21 Hurling Championship final.
Veteran Denis O’Driscoll continues to be a key player in the St Breckan’s line-up and it is also expected to include Pat Nagle, Conor and Sean Cormican, Donal Howley, Raphael Considine and Daniel Collins.
Inconsistency has been a problem for the North Clare side over the years. On form, they can match the best and it remains to be seen if they can hit their best form this week. They will need to, if they are to overcome Brennan and his team mates.

 

Doonbeg to do the business

LISSYCASEY will be primed for this one. In the opening round of last year’s championship, the Garry Cup finalists played excellent football against Doonbeg but didn’t finish the Magpies off.
Now they have been afforded an opportunity to have another go at Doonbeg in Cooraclare on Saturday evening at 7pm. Of course, Doonbeg won’t fear Lissycasey and will feel they have the players of proven quality and experience to repeat their 2011 win.
While Lissycasey have qualified for the Garry Cup final, Doonbeg didn’t make it to the knock-out stages of the Cusack Cup for the first time in several seasons.
However, the 2010 champions are well aware they will be judged, nowhere more than in their own community, by how they get on in championship.
Strengthened by the recent return of Padraic Aherne and Joe Blake from Australia, Padraig Gallagher, Richie Vaughan and Conor Whelan are still key men for Doonbeg, who are managed by Padraig Conway and Eddie Killeen.
Enda Doyle, Colm Dillon and Frank O’Dea are likely to fill central positions in the middle third of the field, while David Tubridy, Shane Ryan and Paul Dillon are their main men in attack.
Lissycasey are largely a young team with county U-21s Martin O’Connor, Enda Finnucane and Matthew O’Shea featuring, along with Francie Hayes, the Nagle brothers, Daniel Clohessy and county goalkeeper Joe Hayes. Michael Melican and Derek McMahon are very experienced players, as is Danny Lynch if he features on the senior panel.
If Lissycasey were to pull off a surprise win, if not a huge shock, it could be the making of this team, who just need a couple of championship wins to underline their impressive 2012 league displays.
Doonbeg have been forewarned though and definitely know they will have to turn in a decent performance if they are to emerge with a win from Cooraclare on Saturday evening.
They are tipped to do just that.

 

 

Crunch game for Senan’s and Gaels

THE 2012 league campaign didn’t go well for either Shannon Gaels or St Senan’s, Kilkee. Both ended up being relegated, the Gaels from Division 1 and St Senan’s from Division 2.
Each managed just one win and as they head into the championship, there are those who fear the losers of Saturday’s first-round tie will struggle to avoid relegation.
The Gaels have lost Tomás Madigan (London), Fergal Kenny (Australia) and Sean Reynolds (Isle of Man) to emigration, while leading forward John Paul O’Neill has seen little action this year because of injury.
He is a major doubt for this weekend’s tie and Gaels followers are keeping their fingers crossed that he will get to play some portion of the game.
The Seasiders have also been hit with the loss of some key players to emigration and injury. Gearóid Lynch (Australia), Chris Williamson and Brian Clancy (England) are not available this year, while injury has ruled out Kevin Larkin, Christy Kirwan and Conor King.
According to team manager Donal Hayes, St Senan’s will be forced to give senior championship debuts to a number of minors this week because so many of their regulars are not available.
They will again be looking to experienced inter-county men David Russell and Michael O’Shea to lead the way, along with Darragh Kelly, a member of the Clare junior side this year, and Kevin and Barry Harte.
The Neylon brothers, Noel Kennedy, John Bermingham, Michael Donoghue and Keith Ryan are key members of the Gaels line-up.
Team manager Gerry Killeen, along with Peter O’Connell will be hoping to steer the side to a much-needed victory.
The Seasiders are noted championship battlers and, when least expected, they tend to produce their best football. However, the loss of so many key players is a big blow this year and they are likely to struggle.
This looks like being a very even contest and it won’t come as a great surprise if extra time is needed.