No rest for victors as they go in search of Munster glory

Ruan have had little time to celebrate their intermediate championship success and 48 hours after their great win over Crusheen, they were back in training on Tuesday evening in preparation for their Munster quarter-final.
This Sunday, they return to O’Garney Park to take on Tipperary champions Silvermines in a tie that will now start at 1pm. Limerick’s Shane Hourigan will be in charge and extra-time will be played in the event of a draw. Should Ruan manage to win on Sunday, they will be away to An Rinn from Waterford in the provincial semi-final on November 4.
The newly crowned Clare champions will be seeking to follow in the footsteps of Clooney-Quin and Clonlara, who won Munster titles in this grade in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Since the competition was introduced in 2003, Cork have won the title on four occasions, with Clare and Limerick having two wins while Tipperary’s only success was in 2005.
In the Tipperary final a few weeks ago, Silvermines defeated Ballina on a 2-21 to 0-12 scoreline. That game was closer than the final scoreline suggests, as Ballina played the closing stages with 13 men. Silvermines were deserving winners however, and they have since added the North Tipperary title to their collection.
Ronan Sherlock, who was wing-back in the Tipperary All-Ireland-winning intermediate team, a side that beat Clare in the provincial final, is a key member of their side, which includes Jason Forde, who played at full-forward when Tipperary played Clare in the provincial U-21 final in Ennis back in July.
Forde, who is eligible for this grade again next year, is likely to be at full-forward and he is a key player in the North Tipperary side’s attack.
Ruan are expected to name a team similar to that which took to the field against Crusheen but Caimin Howard, following an impressive second-half performance, is likely to press for inclusion from the outset on this occasion.
Killian Ryan, Jonathon Clohessy and Darragh Roughan make up a strong half-back line, the Hanrahan brothers form the midfield pairing while up front, Ruan followers will be looking to Aidan Lynch for another top-class performance. He caused all sorts of problems for Crusheen last week and a repeat display this week would give them a great chance of winning a place in the semi-final.