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FOOTBALL: Third quarter Gaeil sends Corofin off-course

Munster Intermediate Club Football Championship Final Na Gaeil (Kerry) 6-15 Corofin 1-12 KERRY’S unrelenting superiority of the Munster Intermediate Club Championship continued unabated when brushing aside the determined challenge of Corofin to cement a first ever crown in Mallow, reports Eoin Brennan. Able to fend off the first two blows to the solar-plexus to only trail by three by the break, Corofin would be finally knocked to the canvas on the restart when Na Gaeil upped the ante considerably to clinically kick three more goals and finish the game as a contest at 5-12 to 0-08. Taking history into consideration alone, the fact that Na Gaeil’s victory ensured a 14th provincial intermediate title for Kerry in the last 15 seasons showed how much Corofin were up against it from the outset. However, in a first half that they arguably edged, goals at the start of the first two quarters through Diarmuid O’Connor and Jack Bourke would hamper the Clare champions’ …

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Hurley knows importance of battle in middle third for Corofin

Heading in to this Sunday’s Munster Intermediate Club Final, Corofin manager Douglas Hurley is aware his side need a strong showing around the middle third if they are to cause an upset. Corofin come up against a Na Gaeil outfit who certainly don’t lack in the midfield department with Stefan Okunbor, who impressed in Kerry’s comfortable McGrath Cup win over Limerick last week, Jack Barry and Diarmuid O’Connor all capable of dominating the aerial exchanges. Hurley knows his side face a tough task in this sector as they come up against a fancied Na Gaeil outfit. “They have three potential Kerry midfielders. If we can be 50-50 in that area of the field then we will be doing well. If we can win our own ball and try disrupt theirs then we have a chance. If we come out with any type of parity then we will be doing well.” “There are a lot of areas they can hurt you. …

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Corofin will meet Gaeil force head on

Munster Intermediate Club Championship Final Na Gaeil (Kerry) v Corofin at Mallow, Sunday 1.30pm (Jonathan Hayes, Limerick) The wheel has come full circle for Corofin who, 15 years after being Clare’s first Munster Intermediate Club Final representatives, are back vying for honours once more against Kerry opposition this Sunday. Only a late Ardfert goal denied the North Clare side of a historic provincial breakthrough in the Gaelic Grounds in 2006, which would prove a major turning point for both sides. Victory that day would have been a crowning achievement for Corofin goalscorer Colm Clancy and his brother player/manager Seamus, the duo that had been instrumental in a similar provincial giant-killing feat for Clare over Kerry at the same venue 14 years earlier. On the flip side, Ardfert went onto capture Kerry’s first All-Ireland Intermediate success for what was the start of an utter dominance of the grade. Since Ardfert’s 2006 trail-blazing feat, Kerry clubs have annexed 12 of the last …

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Malone eager to make up for lost time with Corofin

Jamie Malone admits that last year was frustrating for him as he missed out on most of Clare’s campaign while only being fit to return for the culmination of Corofin’s county championship campaign. Malone suffered an ankle injury in his side’s Division Two league opener against Laois as he was forced to depart the field after just four minutes. The All Star nominee in 2019 admits it was difficult watching on from the sidelines. “It has been a different type of year. I never had a long term injury before so it was frustrating. These things happen and they are part and parcel of the game. You feel outside the group when you are not training or playing games.” “The lads have been almost 12 months on the go at this stage. When I came back I came off the bench in the quarter final against (Michael) Cusacks I got a few minutes. It takes that bit of time to …

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Corofin’s Gearoid – ‘We shouldn’t fear anyone’

Gearoid Kelly knows that Corofin are heavy underdogs heading in to their Munster Intermediate Final against Na Gaeil this Sunday but remains undaunted, writes Ivan Smyth. While he is aware his side face a tough challenge when taking on the star studded Kerry outfit, he insists that Corofin will not be overawed by the abundance of talent at their opponent’s disposal. “They will be good no doubt but at the end of the day it’s 15 lads against 15. We will give them as much respect as they need but we will be concentrating on ourselves. We shouldn’t fear anyone. We respect them but we are going out to win. Against Newmarket we were not favourites and we managed to turn them over.” Although the 28-year-old insists himself and his teammates are just focused on the task at hand this weekend, he knows there has been large excitement in the village for this game during the Christmas period. “There is …

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Deise duel provides familiar foes for Clare

Munster Hurling Cup Semi-Final Clare v Waterford at Cusack Park Ennis, Saturday 1.30pm (Michael Kennedy, Tipperary) Liam Cahill’s Waterford have been a constant in Brian Lohan’s tenure as Clare manager so far, with this Saturday’s tie being the third knock-out tie between the rivals in as many seasons. Considering that Clare have played all five Munster Senior rivals so far in the last two seasons, the regular battles with Waterford have been memorable affairs that have seen the spoils shared evenly so far as Waterford knocked out the Banner in the last six of the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Championship, only for Clare to exact full revenge last summer in a devastating Munster opener performance. So what to expect of Saturday’s tie? Well, as a precursor for Waterford’s final round trip to Cusack Park (May 22) for the rejuvenated Munster Senior Championship round-robin series, it’s a good means of blowing off the cobwebs for the Deise who fundamentally will want to …

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Lohan looking for Clare young guns to impress

Brian Lohan gets to appraise his squad as the Munster Hurling Cup begins, writes Ivan Smyth NO matter what 15 take to the field for Clare’s Munster Hurling Cup clash with Waterford in Cusack Park this Saturday (throw in 1.30pm), the goal for the players selected will be the same, lay down the gauntlet for the rest of the year. With the competition being run on a knockout basis, Brian Lohan wants to see the younger players impress from the start against a Waterford side who will also be out for the first time this year. “The big thing with any pre season competition is to get game time into lads. The players who have joined the panel have been working hard and training hard. We’ve got good opposition at the weekend so it’s an opportunity for players to show what they can do.” “It’ hard enough to get these opportunities. You want to play as many guys as possible. …

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Late Cheltenham-winning Clare trainer a thorn in bookies’ sides

When news filtered through earlier this week that 85-year-old Quin trainer, breeder and veterinary surgeon, John Hassett, had gone to his eternal reward, it marked the passing of one of racing’s most enduring characters, writes Michael Duggan. Widely regarded as one of the shrewdest judges of bloodstock of any era, the Ballyhannon House trainer came from a family steeped in all aspects of equine activities. A lifetime involved in the horse racing industry made the late Hassett a household name. Racing fans of a certain vintage will fondly recall a string of successful high-profile gambles orchestrated by the genial Hassett, who liked nothing better than to cane the bookies when the odds were in his favour. Horses such as Humble Pickings – who won at the now defunct Phoenix Park racecourse at odds of 50/1 when backed in betting shops all over the country – Gombos, Was I Right and Scotia King are just a few from a long list …

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