Tag Archives: cratloe football

THE announcement of the All-Star hurling and football teams never fails to provide plenty of discussion. No more than with the selection of any team, there will always be different views as to who should be picked and in what position and this year’s selections have certainly led to plenty of debate. When this scheme was launched back in 1971, it was welcomed by all in the GAA world. While there is still huge support for such a scheme, there appears to be widespread agreement that changes are required to the selection process. The basic principle at the outset, and its still supposed to be the case, is that the scheme honours the best hurlers and footballers over a year’s performance. However, in more recent times, the All-Ireland finalists have dominated the selections and while they, by their progress, get to play the greater number of games and, accordingly, the greater number of chances to impress, its hardly the fairest …

THIS generation of Cratloe players just keep on giving to their club. Their latest delivery is the Jack Daly Cup and a first senior football championship title in the club’s 126-year history. They landed Jack with the minimum of fuss and without playing close to their optimum. This was underlined when the new champions played significantly better on Sunday in their provincial semi-final defeat of Ballinacourty. Even in winning, Cratloe were somewhat understated. They greeted an era defining championship win in the same manner another club might celebrate a league title. Of course, the fact that they had to play again the following day was unquestionably a factor in that. There was a nice symmetry to their success in that Óige Murphy captained Cratloe, 33 years after his father and Cratloe selector Martin, captained Kilmihil to their only senior championship in 1980. What will disappoint Doonbeg most is that they didn’t really go for it. They defended fairly well as …

FOUR members of Cratloe’s senior football championship winning squad are faced with an agonising dilemma – do they travel to Hong Kong with the All-Star hurling team next week or stay at home to play with their club in the Munster final. However, that scenario may yet change as the Cratloe club has lodged a request with Munster Council for a postponement of their final meeting with holders, Dr Croke’s from Killarney. A meeting of the council’s Competitions Control Committee on this Thursday evening will deliberate on the request. The final is scheduled for Sunday, December 1 at The Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Podge Collins, Conor Ryan, Conor McGrath and Brendan Bugler were named on the All-Stars hurling team and they are due to travel to Hong Kong on Wednesday next where an exhibition match against the 2012 All-Stars team is scheduled. They will return the following Wednesday, December 3, two days after the provincial club football final is due …