Champions make no mistake at second attempt

Kilmurry-Ibrickane  0-17

Cratloe  0-9

FORTUNATE to have been given a second chance, senior football champions Kilmurry-Ibrickane stepped up their performance considerably to overcome the Cratloe challenge in this first-round replay at Clarecastle on Sunday evening.

There was no doubting the merit of this win, which has given them a second-round date with Éire Óg, while Cratloe now go on to play Lissycasey.
“We were lucky to survive the last night. There was a lot of emotion around Kilmurry and we knew we didn’t do ourselves justice, maybe on and off the field. We had a good meeting. Lads had to come out and play to their potential and show that they were better players and that’s allowing for how good Cratloe are. Tonight is not a true reflection on Cratloe’s performance but we played exceptionally well,” commented Kilmurry-Ibrickane coach John Kennedy after Sunday’s win.
He was, however, quick to point out, “We have nothing won. There have been questions about Kilmurry – are the legs there? Is the hunger there? It was evident for all tonight that they were there. They were hurting from the last night. They came out tonight and played some fantastic football but it’s just a first round and there is nothing won,” the Kerry man warned.
“We haven’t been starting well and it was important to start well. We got a few early scores and that’s always good for the confidence. We played as a team tonight whereas it was maybe individuals the last night. Cratloe are a very good side and I have no doubt they will have a big say before this championship is over,” Kennedy concluded.
Meanwhile, Cratloe boss Colm Collins acknowledged his side “didn’t play as well this evening as we did last week. We need to improve a lot if we are going to go any further. They [Kilmurry-Ibrickane] came on more from the drawn game.”
Collins noted that Cratloe played with the wind but didn’t start well. “Look, the championship starts now and that’s it. We have to up it big time if we think we can go any further because we won’t with that display.”
Kilmurry’s determination to win was evident from the outset as they took control from the throw-in. They raced four points clear and it took an excellent Pierce DeLoughrey save from Michael O’Dwyer to deny the champions a goal in the eighth minute.
With Enda Coughlan adopting a sweeper’s role, Kilmurry-Ibrickane were winning the majority of possession and the game was 15 minutes old before Cratloe, who had the aid of the wind in the first half, had their first score. The South-East Clare outfit did better in the second quarter but when the half-time whistle sounded, they were three behind, 0-5 to 0-8. They only got their first score from play in the second minute of injury time. Making Cratloe’s position all the more serious was the fact they had played with the aid of the breeze in the opening half.
The title holders took up where they had left off when play resumed and by the three-quarter stage they had stretched their advantage to five, 0-12 to 0-7. The winners’ defence allowed the Cratloe forwards few opportunities, a fact reflected in Cratloe’s tally of just two scores from play during the course of the hour.
Any slim hopes of a Cratloe fight-back were killed off early in the final quarter when the winners hit four unanswered points.
Shane Hickey, Martin McMahon, Enda Coughlan, Peter O’Dwyer, Johnnie Daly and Michael O’Dwyer were prominent for the winners.
Pierce De Loughrey, Sean Chaplin, Sean Collins and Cathal McInerney tried hard for a side that missed the injured Conor Ryan.

Kilmurry-Ibrickane: Peter O’Dwyer junior; Declan Callinan, Darren Hickey, Shane Hickey; Thomas O’Connor, Martin McMahon, Paul O’Connor; Peter O’Dwyer, Keith King; Seamus Murrihy, Michael O’Dwyer, Niall Hickey; Enda Coughlan, Noel Downes, Johnnie Daly.
Subs: Evan Talty for Callinan (46 minutes); Ian McInerney for Murrihy (57 minutes), Thomas Lernihan for P O’Connor (57 minutes); Ciarán Morrissey for M O’Dwyer (59 minutes).
Scorers: Johnnie Daly (0-6, 4f); Noel Downes, Niall Hickey (0-3 each); Enda Coughlan (0-2, 1f); Peter O’Dwyer, Thomas O’Connor, Michael O’Dwyer (0-1 each).
Frees for: 20; wides: 5; 45s: 3.
Bookings: Martin McMahon (18mins); Michael O’Dwyer (43mins), Keith King (45mins), Thomas O’Connor (62mins).
Cratloe: Pierce De Loughrey; Sean Chaplin, Bary Duggan, Enda Boyce, Martin ‘Ogie’ Murphy, Mike Hawes, Wes De Loughrey; Brendan Bugler, Kevin Browne; Sean Collins, Paudge Collins, Liam Markham; Cathal McInerney, Padraig Chaplin, Conor McGrath.
Subs: Sean Hynan for Browne (half-time); Fergal Carroll for Bugler (57mins); Gearóid Ryan for P Chaplin (57mins); Damian Browne for W DeLoughrey (57mins).
Scorers: Cathal McInerney (0-8, 7f); Sean Collins (0-1).
Frees for: 29; wides: 6; 45s: 2.
Bookings: Paudge Collins (18mins); Kevin Browne (29mins).
Referee: Pat Cosgrove, Corofin.