Sports

Former rugby star is in line to retain the open water swimmer of year title she won in 2019, writes Dan Danaher A KILLALOE sportswoman continues to glide on a crest of a wave in competitive open water swimming. Rosie Foley is nominated in the Padraic Casey Open Water Swimming of the Year category, which she won the last time it was run in 2019. The St Anne’s Community College teacher was put forward by her peers in the open water community. The results will be announced on Saturday, November 27, at a ceremony in Galway. “It is a huge honour to be nominated. You never set out on a path for anything. I went back into the pool after my daughter, Siofra, was nine months old. I joined Limerick Master Swimming Club, having never swam competitively. “I have made great friends in the Limerick Master Swimming Club, which pulls you along. “By meeting people and asking people if any …

Intermediate Football Championship Final Corofin v Kildysart @ Cusack Park Ennis, Saturday 2.45pm (Niall Quinn, St Joseph’s Miltown) A THIRD championship showdown in the space of 15 months between these clear favourites for the Intermediate honours has looked likely from the outset. However, while the spoils have been shared evenly so far, the stakes couldn’t be any higher this Saturday. All because winning is simply a prerequisite for both, a conundrum that brings it own pressure and heightened tension for what could be a cracking final if they can play to their undoubted potential on Saturday. Both have been down this road before with Corofin having to wait over twelve months to try and rectify their second half slump in last year’s final against St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield. The need is even greater for Kildysart with this being their fourth intermediate decider since 2016 as they look to finally banish their final hoodoo. Kildysart, led by talisman Emmet McMahon, will need …

Kildysart manager Noel O’Grady insists his side will not be using past final heartbreak as added motivation ahead of his side’s showdown with Corofin Despite this being his side’s fourth final in six year at the intermediate grade, O’Grady believes his charges must look forward and not back as they prepare for a final, which many predicted would come to fruition before the competition started. “We are just focused on this year. The lads have to work hard and do their jobs on the pitch. “We have a new management team this year so we have just been focusing on the task at hand The past defeats haven’t been mentioned by us. They (the players) may be thinking of it themselves but we’ve not mentioned it.” O’Grady knows his side cannot afford the slow start that ultimately cost them in their semi final defeat to Corofin last year as they fell nine points behind in the opening quarter. “There is …

The Minor Hurling Championship Finals dominate the underage landscape, with five Under 17 deciders taking place this weekend, writes Eoin Brennan. Unquestionably, the eagerly-awaited Minor A decider between Inagh-Kilnamona and Clooney-Quin in Clareabbey on Sunday morning (11.45am) will capture the bulk of the attention as these sides have been earmarked as clear favourites from the outset. Inagh-Kilnamona in fact secured the spoils in their group meeting at the beginning of October by 2-17 to 1-15 which was originally postponed. However, with both sides not at full strength, it can only be viewed as a phoney war ahead of the ultimate rematch this Sunday. Backed by the wave of momentum surrounding the club at the moment as they prepare for a first ever county senior hurling final, Inagh-Kilnamona will be favoured to prevail for a first Willie Chaplin Cup in four years but certainly won’t have it all their own way as Clooney-Quin look to bridge a 15 year gap to …

A dominant opening quarter laid the foundations for Scariff-Ogonnelloe to secure the first Minor silverware of 2021 as they held off any Kilmaley revolt to garner the Under 17 Academy B title in Hamilton Park in Kilkishen on Sunday morning. An early unanswered 1-6 blitz capped off by a John Walsh goal provided the amalgamation with a healthy cushion that they would cling to for the remainder as Kilmaley, led superbly by Thomas McGuire and Joe Casey, tried their utmost to grab a lifeline. Scariff-Ogonnelloe perhaps should have been out of sight by the opening water break though when only taking one of three glorious goal opportunities. Fronted by a potent forward line led by Sean Treacy, John Walsh, Liam Madden, Colin O’Grady and Mici Sheedy, the East Clare combo hit the ground running with six points without reply in the opening twelve minutes through Walsh (2), O’Grady (2), Madden and Sheedy. Their efforts to add a goal initially proved …

Killaloe have always had a healthy rivalry with Tipperary, with only the Shannon separating the town from nearest neighbours Ballina. Most famously depicted with memorable photos on the bridge ahead of the then novel All-Munster All-Ireland Final between Clare and Tipperary in 1997, there has always been no shortage of craic and banter from both sides on the divide. That relationship could change on Sunday if Tipperary native Tony Gleeson can work the oracle of delivering an Intermediate hurling crown for Smith O’Brien’s in what is only the club’s second ever decider. The Burgess clubman, who has been coaching at adult level since his teenage years is in his second coming for the Killaloe-Bridgetown based side, having coached them in 2018 and ’19 before taking a break to finish his masters degree last year. However, the fact that he was so eager to come back on board as manager is a statement in itself of the potential that he sees …

Intermediate Hurling Final Smith O’Brien’s v St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield at Cusack Park, Sunday 2.45pm The spoils will be divided between trick or treat on Sunday when arguably the most important intermediate final since 2014 will finally be decided. Considering the calibre of the teams embroiled in the senior relegation series in which Clarecastle, Clooney-Quin, Crusheen and O’Callaghan’s Mills have all contested top flight semi-finals in the past seven seasons and the last three have reached a county senior final in that time, there are two major sides set to come down to intermediate level which only heightens the necessity for either St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield or Smith O’Brien’s to seize their timely opportunity this Sunday. Overall, it’s definitely not outlandish to suggest that the Parish are better equipped to not only go up but stay up such is the strength of the squad and the continuous conveyor belt of underage talent who have been playing at the highest level. Equally as …

Senior Ladies Football Championship Semi-Finals Kilmihil v St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield at Hennessy Memorial Park, Sunday 12pm (Michael Talty, Kilmurry Ibrickane) EXPERIENCE was the key separator when the sides clashed in Kilmihil at the start of October as the hosts weathered the storm to eventually carve out a 3-8 to 1-6 victory over the Parish. With a perfect championship record under their belts before coming up against champions Banner Ladies in a sobering group decider a fortnight ago, Kilmihil have managed to hone their side and blend the likes of exciting talent Edel McNamara into their established core of Ellie O’Gorman, Becky Mahon, Laura Egan, Micaela Glynn, Rosie Currane, Dervla Higgins and Catriona Callinan. That consistency is something that St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield have struggled to match but their arduous dual commitments of having to play two senior championship ties in the same weekend certainly would have played a part in that. With the camogie side out of the running, the Parish’s …