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Kilmaley 3-13 – Feakle/Killanena 1-07 at Clarecastle

KILMALEY were crowned Minor B hurling champions for 2011 after an emphatic twelve point victory over Feakle/Killanena. Clarecastle was the venue on Sunday last for their impressive performance with their second half onslaught particularly pleasing for the Kilmaley faithful.

Considering the final score of 3-13 to 1-7 the closeness and competitiveness of the first half is rather surprising. Kilmaley raced out of the blocks with the first score of the encounter after twenty seconds. Darragh Gregan made no mistake after securing possession from a wonderfully judged pass by midfielder Conor Cleary. This would be the first of many contributions by the Miltown Malbay maestro who is equally as talented with a football for his native club. The East-Clare Combo quickly replied through a Todd Kelsey score within the opening minute to ensure that all spectators now expected an incredible clash to materialize. This pattern of each team matching each other score by score continued for twenty minutes with both sides’ respective free takers Kilmaley’s Paul Kennedy and Feakle/Killanena’s Oisin Donnellan opening their accounts. A quick-fire treble soon launched Kilmaley into the lead and the first meaningful margin between the teams was formed. Again though the amalgamation found an immediate positive response. Colin McNamara burst through the Kilmaley rear-guard far too easily before blasting his shot low into the corner of the goal to level the match with only a few minutes of the half remaining. This was a killer blow for the mid-Clare outfit but amazingly they would still have the last laugh before the half-time whistle. A minute into injury time Kennedy punished an equally generous Feakle/Killanena defence with his team’s first goal of the afternoon. His burst of pace was not halted and before the eventual reaction came from the helpless full-back line the green flag was being waved in the air. Feakle/ Killanena found the last score of the half through a long-range free from Eoin Tuohy to leave it at 1-7 to 1-5 but there is no questioning who now held the momentum at the interval.

The second half resembled a very different battle. A county final war zone became almost a training ground challenge game for Kilmaley. Their gulf in class could no longer be prevented as they steamrolled their shocked competitors after the restart. Five minutes in and this tie was over as a contest. Three points in a row was bad enough but the concession of a second goal meant the faith of this title was well and truly sealed. Michael O’Malley used all of his attacking instincts to skilfully flick the sliotar past the onrushing goalkeeper to ensure the parish of Kilmaley would be celebrating long into the night. Before the jubilations could really kick off however the remainder of this final had to be played out. With three-quarters of match done and dusted another net buster was on the cards. Kennedy signed off a man of the match performance with a second goal after being set up by a terrific side-line cut by captain fantastic Eoin Enright.

The points kept coming as fast as the minutes of the game surpassed with Tomas “Tombo” Lynch grabbing the last with normal time just concluding. Kilmaley overall dominated in all sectors with Aidan McGuane also deserving a mention for his hard-working performance in the middle of the park. For Feakle/Killanena the disappointment of losing a county final no matter what the level or grade is always hard to stomach and this will be no different. The harsh reality is though with a mere two points both from frees in the second half they never had a chance.

Kilmaley
Eoin Meehan, Shane Lynch, Kevin Conlon, Shane O’Malley, Cian Moloney, Eoin Enright (0-3, 2f), Darragh McMahon, Conor Cleary,Aidan McGuane,Tomas Lynch (0-1), Cillian McNamara, Darragh Gregan (0-2), Barry Lynch, Paul Kennedy (2-5, 2f), Michael O’Malley (1-1)

Subs
Michael Keane for O’Malley, Michael O’Loughlin for Lynch, Peter Lawlor for Gregan, Padraig O’Connor for Lynch, Brian Coote for O’Malley

Feakle/ Killanena
Eibhear Quilligan, Evan McMahon, James Noonan, Eoin McMahon, Paul McArthur, EoinTuohy (0-2f), Martin Glynn, Padraig Brady (0-1), Shane McGrath, Colin McNamara (10),Todd Kelsey (0-1), Con Smyth, Gavin Fox, Oisin Donnellan (0-3f), Justin Nelson

Subs
Andrew Flaherty for Fox, Eric Conway for Donnellan, Paddy McNamara for Nelson

Man of the match
Paul Kennedy (Kilmaley) Referee Johnny Healy

THE stuff of dreams for followers of the small ball in Inagh. The men folk threatened to make the big breakthrough in 2011, being edged out by Sixmilebridge in county quarter-final and then going down to Newmarketon-Fergus in the Clare Cup decider.

But it’s the women folk who have gone all the way – winning county and Munster honours before their smash and grab raid at the death of this All-Ireland semi-final. It looked bleak when they were four points down near the end, but they never lost heart, according to club secretary and panellist Noreen Shannon.

“We never thought it was gone,” she revealed afterwards. “There was always that belief in the team and we got the goals to win it. When the first one went in we got it down to a point and we would have taken a point after that to bring the game to extra time, but when the second goal went in it was straight from heaven. Fiona Lafferty drove in both balls for the goals. After the first goal she won the puck-out and just lobbed it into the square and there was a bit a scummage in the square and Sharon Rynne finished it. It’s a once in a lifetime thing to be in an All-Ireland final,” she added.

And, Shannon revealed that this journey which will be completed on Sunday week has its genesis in a couple of defeats, to Corofin last year and then to Truagh this term. “Winning the county final was our aim at the start of the year,” she revealed, “but we lost the league final to Truagh and that was really the start for us. After that we said we were going to try and mimic what Corofin had done last year – but go one step further and actually win the All-Ireland. We have that chance now because we’re in the final.

“Corofin were the driving force for us, definitely. They beat us in the first round of the championship by around 20 points last year – then once we won a few matches this year we had in the back of our minds that we might go where they went last year. Here we are.

“It’s either Myshal of Carlow or Tara’s of London in the final. We don’t mind who we play. They seem to be the surprise in the pot this year. Cushendall were expected to come through but Tara knocked them out in the last game. They must be strong, but we’re really looking forward to it.”

RAISING the standard of Clare football lies with the implementation of a new Bord na nÓg blueprint for the game and clubs embracing coaching initiatives being pioneered by the Clare County Board – not with the employment of extra full-time coaches.

That was the message sounded out by board officials to clubs around the county as the debate over the state of Clare football that has raged over the course of the last three county board meetings was aired once more at the West County Hotel last Tuesday.

“There is some myth that the Clare County Baord is suddenly going to find a lot of money and hire ten coaches,” said board secretary Pat Fitzgerald in pouring cold water on a proposal that more football coaches will be hired.

He was responding to Doonbeg delegate, Michael Neenan, who said that there were “only one and a half coaches for football”.

“It is important to deal with this one and a half coaches,” said Fitzgerald. “Galway was mentioned the other night. Who is paying for these coaches (in Galway). It’s the clubs. If clubs (of Clare) want to do that – they can do that,” he added.

“Forget your one and a half coaches,” said board chairman, Michael O’Neill. “Forget about it. You have coaches in every club in this county capable of coaching. Get them involved. Move on Michael (Neenan). Move on. There are coaches in place,” he added.

Last month it was revealed that the only full-time coaches employed by the Clare County Board who were involved in football coaching were John Enright and Ronan Keane, who divides his time between hurling and football in the Ennis area.

Continuing, Mr Fitzgerald said “the money isn’t there” to employ extra coaches. “The only way we will move from where we are is in a critical mass situation. What I mean by that is that clubs will go into schools and appoint a liaison officer who will to talk with schools and put coaches in there.

“In the development squads alone this year Clare county Board spent € 34,000. We have € 330,000 put into underage games this year. Bernard (Keane) will give you the financial situation and I can tell you, it’s backwards and downwards we are going.

“As far as I am concerned clubs will have to come on board. If clubs want coaches I’m sure Eamon (Fennessy) and Sean (Chaplin) will organise the coaching courses.

It is going to have come that way. If you were to get ten coaches at € 35,000 ahead, that’s € 350,000,” he added.

“The clubs have to take on more coaching courses,” said coaching officer, Eamonn Fennessy. “There is outstanding work being done by Sean Chaplin. Time and money is being spent on football at underage,” he added.

“There is a massive amount being done in coaching and games. It comes from everyone in this room, it comes from every club as to what they are doing in their clubs,” said Michael O’Neill.

“I know times are tough and there are a lot of constraints on people – but we just have to get more and more people involved in our clubs and for some of those people to get into the schools and coach, because the coaching is not being done in the schools now. It might have been done five, ten and 15 years ago, but it’s not being done because there are far more constraints on teachers now,” he added.

CUTTING the number of senior clubs in hurling and football will be one of the radical topics on the table for discussion by the new county board committee charged with responsibility for coming up with a new blueprint for club structures.

The possibility was sounded out by O’Curry’s delegate, Michael Curtin, who is the brainchild behind the seven-member committee that has been put together by county board chairman, Michael O’Neill.

The move to cull the number of senior clubs – from 20 in hurling and from 16 in football – was first broached on the hurling front by outgoing senior hurling boss Ger O’Loughlin when he addressed the September meeting of the Clare County Board at the end of his twoyear term.

In the course of his address to delgates about the terms of reference of the new committee, Curtin said it would “start a process with the objective of getting down to the number of senior teams, both hurling an football right down along the line”.

And, in making his comments, Mr Curtin appealled to delegates to back the committee, by ensuring that their efforts to “think outside the box” that their final deliberations, findings are implemented instead of being reducing the whole exercise to a talking shop.

“We are looking at giving all of our players the opportunity of playing games over the summer period and it’s going to take a leap of faith to do this,” said Curtin of the committee, seven members of which were ratified at last Tuesday night’s county board meeting.

The six drawn exclusively from either football or hurling clubs are: Padraig Boland (Broadford), Rosaleen Monaghan (Tubber), Denis Tuohy (Whitegate), Nuala Shanahan (Doonbeg), Gerry O’Neill (Kilmihil) and Colm Browne (Kilrush Sham- rocks).

“What I would suggest is that all the clubs embrace this to the extent that it is going to be a very open forum whereby clubs would be allowed to make submissions and also meet the committee themselves,” added Mr Curtin.

“In other words, nobody’s hands are tied. You go along and decide what’s best, not necessarily for our clubs at the time, but what’s best for the promotion of our games and our competitions in the county.

“I would also say that when the final proposals are made that it would be binding. It’s vital. There’s no point in having a talking shop here. What- ever comes back has to be binding, at least for a year.

“It’s for the clubs. Going back with things I was involved years ago, the thing was it only succeeded when clubs talked about it, embraced it and came in with good ideas.

“It’s time to move on and incorporate what’s best for the county in both hurling and football. It’s a waste of time having another talking shop,” he added.

“It’s very open ended,” said chairman Michael O’Neill of the committee, “and every club will be written to in the coming weeks. There will be one more member added from a dual club,” he added.

Miltown-Castlemaine 2-05 – Clondegad 0-10 at Páirc de Búrca, Miltown

WAY back in 1950 the Clare seniors went to Tralee and had Kerry beaten in the Munster championship only to be robbed by a last second point that earned the Kingdom a draw.

Clondegad knew that same sinking feeling on Sunday as they were robbed by a Miltown-Castlemaine side that could scarcely believe their luck as they stumbled over the line into the Munster final to keep alive Kerry’s hopes of landing a sixth straight provincial title in the grade.

It was a theft of grand larceny proportions, all thanks four goalmouth incidents, all of which went the Kerry champions’ way and helped them reach the final frontier despite being totally outplayed in the second half of this low-scoring, yet entertaining semi-final.

For Clondegad it was a missed first half penalty and then a disallowed goal three minutes into the second half; for Miltown-Castlemaine a freakish first goal and then a last gasp effort in the 56th minute that came totally against the run of play.

Yes, dame fortune was shining on Miltown-Castlemaine, while scowling on poor Clondegad as they were left to reflect on what should have been after producing their best performance of the year.

That performance came from the get go, with the iron-man of the Clondegad cause, full-back Paddy O’Connell winning the first ball that came his way to set the tone for his side – one that served notice that they weren’t going to be canon fodder opposition like Clare teams before them.

O’Connell’s play was the spark and inside 30 seconds Clondegad could have goaled, only for Tony Kelly’s rasping drive from 25 yards to be pushed over the bar of Miltown-Castlemaine keeper Joe Daly.

Clondegad played with the advantage of the breeze it the first half – starting well to lead by 0-3 to 0-1 after six minutes when Gary Bren- nan struck from both play and a free to add to Kelly’s opener.

However, the first in a serious of unfortunate events in front of goal started to haunt them as early as the ninth minute when Cathal Moriarty’s hopeful ball towards goal somehow ended up in the back of Clondegad’s net.

A minute later Gavin Wrenn tapped over his second free to give MiltownCastlemaine a 1-2 to 0-3 lead that their play scarcely deserved. Clondegad did restore parity by half-time, but should have done more.

By the 15 minute mark frees by Gary Brennan and Paudge McMa- hon sandwiched a like effort from Gavin Wrenn, before Clondegad’s confidence slowly began to rise once more when Francie Neylon burst up the left wing to land the point of the day in the 45th minute.

Then opportunity knocked in the 29th minute when Shane Brennan faced up to a penalty after Paudge McMahon was bundled to the ground, only for Daly to save at the expense of a 45 that McMahon pointed to leave the sides deadlocked at the break: Clondegad 0-7 MiltownCastlemaine 1-4.

Clondegad’s chance seemed lost as they faced into the breeze, only for the underdogs to produce a stirring second half performance that should have been enough to score Clare’s first ever win over Kerry opposition in the Munster intermediate series.

They looked to be on their way when Gary Brennan’s 33rd minute free was fisted to the net by Shane Brennan, only for the goal to be disallowed. Still, Clondegad never lost heart and pointed frees by Paudge McMahon and Gary Brennan ensured that they led by 0-9 to 1-5 entering the last ten minutes.

More than that, they were dominating against a Miltown-Castlemaine that had failed utterly to produce their county final winning form. However, from nowhere they conjured up a match-winning goal in the 56th minute.

Kieran Browne looked to have been fouled when coming out of defence, but when no free was given, Cathal Moriarty picked up the pieces, danced his way through a porous wall of defenders and toe-poked to the net to give his side an unlikely 25 to 0-9 lead.

Not what Clondegad deserved, but despite Gary Brennan pointing a free in the 58th minute and laying siege on the Miltown-Castlemaine goal for a further four minutes, it what they got.

Their Munster championship race was run in cruel fashion.

DERMOT Coughlan has bowed out as manager of Clondegad, but as he goes the Kilmurry Ibrickane stalwart who was a member of Clare’s Munster final winning squad of 1992 has said that the county intermediate champions he guided over the past four years can be a real force at senior level in the coming years.

Speaking to The Clare People on Monday, after Clondegad’s agonising one-point defeat to Miltown-Castlemaine in the Munster intermediate semi-final, Coughlan has paid tribute to his charges after their heroic display against the Kerry champions.

“We’ve had four years and had a great time,” said Coughlan in stepping down. “We’ve had two promotions and got up to the Cusack Cup final, we’ve played in two county finals and won the intermediate championship and played in Munster.

“I’d like to pay tribute to the mentors I had with me. Kevin Tighe, Helen Murphy and Dermot Gavin – they have been brilliant over the last four years. The team needs a fresh voice now, someone else to take it on and build on it because there is great potential there,” he added.

As he spoke, Coughlan reflected on what might have been after his side saw their chance of taking the first step towards emulating Kilmihil, Cratloe and St Breckan’s, who have reached Munster finals in the last three years scuppered for a controversial late goal.

“We were unlucky. We played all the football and we can’t ask any more of the team. They were tremendous. Going into the game we knew we had to go up two or three notches – our county final performance wasn’t going to be good enough, but we had tremendous belief in our- selves,” he said.

“We started with 13 lads who were under 23 years of age and the pace they played the game at was unreal. They took the game to Miltown-Castlemaine. There was no blanket defence, no dropping back a man. We just tore into them and they gave it everything.

“The goals killed us. The first goal was from a kick he put across the square – it was going over the bar or going wide, but held up in the breeze at the last second and dipped under crossbar. If he tried it again a hundred times he wouldn’t do it. It was a freak goal.

“We moved on from that, but there was a nine-point turnover with the goal they got, the penalty we missed and then the goal we had disallowed. Things go for you are you don’t.

“The goal we got was debatable. Some say Shane Brennan was in the square, others say he was out. Gary Brennan kicked a sideline right into the square, Shane ran in and fisted it to the net. It’s easy for me to say it was a good goal, but when you’re 60 or 70 yards away, you can’t call it, but from our side it looked good.

“Kieran Browne soloed out with a ball. He was literally bundled to the ground and the ref was blowing for things like that all day. When he was bundled to the ground the ball spilled and the ball was kicked into the corner forward, who had that bit of space. The backs came around him again but his shot just trickled into the corner of the net. It was purely against the run of play. They’re the things that win tight matches,” added Coughlan.

SOMETIMES economy of words are what the sports psychologist orders. A case of what’s not said, because there’s no need – no need to tell the players what they know already.

There was some of mindset hovering around the Crusheen dressing room on Sunday as the Clare champions faced up to the supreme test of the second half of the Munster semifinal.

They’d been here before, albeit that last year’s championship clash against Kilmallock was a quarter-final. In the dressing room and ready to rumble and kick on for victory – their first ever in Munster championship fare, but they failed.

Surely this is what was said and hammered home? Again and again?

Not so says manager Michael Browne, whose man management and coaching skills has been the catalyst for Crusheen to rise from the ashes of county final defeat in 2007 to back-to-back titles and now the Promised Land of a Munster final.

“It wasn’t what was said,” he says after his side’s tour de force by the banks. “It was just the feeling in the dressing room. Last year we came out after half-time in a comfortable position and looking as if we were in a nice place against Kilmallock. They absolutely destroyed us in the first few minutes, so under no circumstances was that going to happen to us this year. That’s the focus that you saw when they came back out on the pitch.

“We had never won a title in the history of the club until last year – it was a massive thing for us and maybe it was asking a bit too much to expect them to go out and perform in Munster after that.

“This year there was a real determination there that we were going to go at least one step further, the problem being of course that we were in a semi-final in our first game, which made it that little bit harder. We didn’t even think about that, we just thought about the game last year, how we messed up in it last year and how we weren’t going to let it happen again this year. Thanks be to God we didn’t,” adds Browne.

All thanks to those 13 second half points, but also the six in the first half that provided the foundations that Browne points to as the real winning of this semi-final.

“We put in a great performance in the first half. I was very pleased that we were only two points down at half-time,” he says. “I knew that the breeze was strong because we had done a good bit of a warm-up on it. We were conscious of that. I thought that in the first half our backs weren’t as outstanding as they normally are, but I knew that they rise to it in the second half and that’s how it turned out.

“We do have a really good defence and a really good team, everyone of them can play and everyone of them can play really well and I’m really delighted with the performance. Our forwards have been much maligned in Clare, yet they came down here today and took some fantastic scores in the second half.

“We’re in the Munster final now. When you reach a final, everyone has a 50/50 chance. We’ll be going for it.”

Time to celebrate and then Na Piarsaigh. Then go for it.

Clonlara 2-11 – Clondegad 2-07 at Gurteen

IN the end it came down to many things – the infusion of youth, tactical switches and a final flourish that carried Clonlara to an historic first ever adult football championship title.

In the process they took a wrecking ball to Clondegad’s dream of an intermediate/junior double. This dream was very much alive for Clondegad at the three-quarter stage – in fact, they were living it as a contribution of 1-6 from full-forward Colm Quinlivan had steered them into a three-point lead.

They had the advantage of the breeze and having hit back from the concession of a freak goal two minutes into the second half had reeled off four points in a row to take command of proceedings.

But this was a game of many twists, in what had to be the most entertaining Junior B decider in many years, complete with 22 scores before Clonlara celebrated another blow for east Clare football at the death after hitting 1-4 without reply in the closing ten minutes.

They had made the better start, hitting four points from play inside the first ten minutes via Nicky O’Connell, Cormac O’Donovan, Brian ‘Gooch’ Woods and Barry O’Connell to help them into a 0-4 to 0-2 lead.

Clondegad had stayed in touch with two Colm Quinlivan frees, but there was much more to come as the burly full-forward went about winning this county final on his own. He tacked on his third pointed free in the 14th minute, before driving a penalty to the net a minute later after Liam Deasy had been fouled.

Then after Barry O’Connell and Ger O’Connell had hit back with points by the 21st minute Quinlivan turned provider for Clondegad’s second goal, this time floating a free to the edge of the square that was gathered by Liam Deasy and slammed to the net to give his side a 2-3 to 0-6 interval lead.

All of Clonlara’s points had come from play and it was this ability that ultimately carried them past the challenge of a Clondegad side that could only manage 1-1 from play over the hour.

A lucky break in the 32nd got Clonlara back into proceedings when Ronan Carey’s speculative effort bounced on the edge of the square, then hit the crossbar before cannoning to the net off the back of luckless Clondegad keeper Kenneth Breen.

When Nicky O’Connell flashed over a point a minute later it looked as if Clonlara would take over – this eventually happened but only after some radical surgery to the team in response to a flurry of points via three Quinlivan frees and an effort from play by Liam Deasy had put Clondegad 2-7 to 0-7 clear.

Minors Cathal O’Connor and Colm Galvin were thrown in; John Conlon moved out from full-back and midfielder Ger O’Connell started running from deep at a retreating Clondegad defence.

The effects were stunning. Cathal O’Connell grabbed points in the 50th and 51st minutes to leave only a point in it. Then in the 57th minute a sweeping move was finished to the net by Colm Galvin after he took a final pass from Barry O’Connell to put Clonlara 2-9 to 2-7 clear.

Clondegad were out on their feet, with the insurance points coming from the O’Connells, Nicky and Ger, in injury time as Clonlara closed in on history and moved up to the Junior A ranks.

CLARE GAA should embark on a public relations offensive to win the support of the grassroots on the association in the county, one delegate claimed in a colourful contribution to the November monthly meeting of the county board on Tuesday last.

Kildysart delegate, John Meade, who is also a match day steward in Cusack Park, proposed that a series of regional meetings between the board and clubs take place.

“There’s an attitude out there that the county board and the executive of the county board are away from the grassroots of the GAA,” said Meade.

“I see it in my own club – they don’t realise that the clubs are the county board. Maybe it’s time to have regional meetings and meet the clubs and maybe. There is an awful stigma out there with the officers of the county board,” he added.

“Everybody involved in the county board and county board are very or- dinary people,” said board chairman, Michael O’Neill. “We all come from the background of a club,” added the Ballyea clubman.

“I know that,” said Meade, “but that’s what’s out there. I told you last year people were saying to me ‘what the f**** are you involved with that shower of c****’,” he added to roars of laughter from fellow delegates.

In contributing to the debate, board secretary Pat Fitzgerald said, “I know people are saying ‘you are being paid by the board’. But what they don’t realise is that I’m putting in another 45 hours. I have no problem if someone gives me a job and I will still do my 45 hours.”

CARRIGTWOHILL were applauded off the field after it was all over – it was always going to be so, given that the small east Cork club had dipped its toes in Munster championship action for the very first time.

You see, it had been a long time coming for a parish that prides and glories in the fact that it was home to hurleys over 800 years ago when at the time of Norman Invasion the men folk of Carrigtwohill ‘carried a stick bent at one end’.

So, win, lose, or draw, this was something of a celebration for them – hence the rousing applause they received from their faithful followers at, despite it being well and truly pummeled by a rampant Crusheen side.

A Crusheen side with a Munster title on their mind – and why not, admitted Carrigtwohill manager when praising the performance of the Clare champions and in particular their set of backs, whose reputation had preceded them to Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

“We knew we were going to face the toughest defence all year,” he admitted afterwards. “We certainly did. No matter what we put in there it was just coming out as quickly as it was going in.

“We had a couple of goal chances and they just wouldn’t go in. Fair play to Crusheen. They played a real tight, defensive game and fought really hard from start to finish and we just couldn’t break them down.

“We had wave after wave of attack in the first half but just weren’t able to finish it off. In fairness that was down to Crusheen’s pressure and their belief in themselves. It wasn’t down to our forwards. It was down to their strength back there. I thought we could have scored a goal or two in the first half but we didn’t when we needed to build up a bit of a lead when playing with the wind,” he added.

Given the strength of the wind, a 08 to 0-6 lead was hardly enough?

“It was still there for us at half-time. I said to the boys at half-time – the first ten minutes of the second half is going to be the winning of the game. But to be honest Crusheen came out with the same plan and they had they had a great first ten minutes. They scored three or four points on the trot and we just didn’t reply and were chasing the game after that.

“All championship games come in phases of 15 and 20 minutes. We had our phase just before half-time and we had pushed on well, but didn’t get the goal that we really needed.

“Then in the first ten minutes of the second half Crusheen really pushed on – that was their phase and the three or four points they got put our lads under severe pressure and there was no way back. They are a very good side and I think they have a great chance of winning the Munster title.”