McGrath Cup Senior Football Quarter Final – Kerry 0-17 IT Tralee 0-8

Kerry defeated IT Tralee by 0-17 to 0-8 in the McGrath Cup Football Quarter-Final on Sunday January 5^th at John Mitchels GAA Club Tralee.

McGrath Cup Quarter Final

Kerry 0-17 IT Tralee 0-7

Report by Donal Barry

Venue: John Mitchels Tralee

Maybe it was the new venue, maybe it was to see a black card or maybe it was a needed break from the Christmas holidays, but Kerry supporters turned up in big numbers to see their team’s season opener against IT Tralee in John Mitchels new complex at the outskirts of Tralee town. In the end it was a comfortable outing for Eamon Fitzmaurice’s men who took a 0-9 to 0-4 lead to the break but it may have been different had Stephen O’Brien not picked up the Kingdoms first official black card for checking his opponent. His “forced substitution” Barry John Keane was to become a constant thorn in the IT defence for the remainder of the game picking up four points from play including two first half efforts that gave Kerry a comfortable lead despite the fact that the IT had the gap down to just 3 at one stage.

The second half saw Tralee start the brighter and spurred on by a John Egan point they began to ask plenty questions of Kerry’s new defensive lines and were it not for some wayward shooting they could have been even closer. However, Kerry through the brilliance of Bryan Sheehan they added a 35 M pointed free on the 45th minute that brought the biggest cheer of the day, his effort was kicked almost twenty yards wide of the post and came in under a strong wind to be greet by a white flag. From there Kerry moved into a different stride and added 6 unanswered points with Keane and Fitzgerald combining nicely at times. Bantry’s Rory Deane did respond with two hard worked efforts for the students but at that stage Fitzmaurice was running his bench and Kerry were well on the road to defending their McGrath Cup title.

Both sides will have been happy with the outing “We were conscious of the fact we gave up 4 goals last year to Kerry and we have a defensive strategy in place to deal with them and it was pleasing that we did not concede a goal and I can’t really remember them getting a shot at goal” Was Tralee IT’s manager Wayne Quillinan response to his team efforts in the aftermath of the game. Eamon Fitzmaurice admitted that his team made “hard work of it at times, but it is a learning curve for a lot of the younger players and to be honest I felt we did alright”. Not wishing to signal out any one player Fitzmaurice could not ignore Brian Sheehan contribution. “Bryan was outstanding and was hungry for work but his free taking was immaculate. It’s a great option for us,” He added

Both managers shared the same view on black cards that it be given some time. “It needs to be given a little time for all of us to learn” added Fitzmaurice. Kerry lost corner forward Stephen O’Brien to a black card on the 25th for checking a player but Tralee IT’s Giles O’Grady seemed to escape one in the second half with an ironic cheer from the stand to greet his lucky escape. Kerry now play CIT in Kerry next weekend in the Semi-final with Cork and UL in the second semi-final

Kerry – Brian Kelly, Paul Murphy, Mark Griffin, Shane Enright, Mikey Geaney, Jack Sherwood, Brian Maguire (0-1), Anthony Maher, David Moran, Jonathan Lyne, Brian Sheehan(0-6F), Donnachagh Walsh (0-2), Shane O’Callaghan, Alan Fitzgerald (0-3) Stephen O’Brien (0-1)

Subs: Barry John Keane (0-4) for S O’Brien (25M Black Card), Mark Reen for S O’Callaghan (51), Edmond Walsh for A Maher (51) Brendan Kelliher for M Geaney (54)

IT Tralee – Nicholas O’Sullivan, John Horgan, Padraig Og O’Se, Sean T Dillion, Denis McElligott, Eammon Hickson, Sean McCarthy, Rory Deane (0-2), Damien Somers, Daniel O’Shea, John Egan (0-1), Darren Wallace, Kieran Mulvihill 0-2,(1F) Peter Nash, Barry O’Hare (0-2F)

Referee: James Bermingham (Cork)

Fixture Details

McGrath Cup Senior Football Quarter-Final

Kerry v Institute of Technology Tralee

Venue: John Mitchels GAA Club Tralee @ 2:00pm

Referee: James Bermingham (Cork)

Extra time if necessary

Team News

The Kerry Senior Football Team to play IT Tralee in the Munster GAA McGrath Cup on Sunday in John Mitchels GAA Club Tralee at 2pm is as follows:

1. Brian Kelly Killarney Legion

2. Paul Murphy Rathmore

3. Mark Griffin St Michaels/Foilmore

4. Shane Enright Tarbert

5. Mikey Geaney Dingle

6. Jack Sherwood Firies

7. Brian Maguire Listowel Emmets

8. Anthony Maher Duagh

9. David Moran Kerins O’Rahillys

10. Jonathan Lyne Killarney Legion

11. Bryan Sheehan St Marys

12. Donnchadh Walsh Cromane (Capt.)

13. Shane Callaghan Austin Stacks

14. Alan Fitzgerald Castlegregory

15. Stephen O’Brien Kenmare

Subs.

16. Brendan Kealy Kilcummin

17. Barry Shanahan Austin Stacks

18. Barry John Keane Kerins O’Rahillys

19. Edmond Walsh Knocknagoshel

20. Mark Reen Rathmore

* Further Substitutes will be named on Sunday.

* In the absence of Dr Crokes players, Donnchadh Walsh has been named captain for the duration of the McGrath Cup campaign.

McGrath Cup 2014

Kerry senior team open their 2014 campaign with a McGrath Cup quarter final against Tralee IT on Sunday 5th January in John Mitchels GAA Club Tralee.

The winners of that quarter final game will play the winners of the CIT/Mary I. tie in the semi final on the following weekend.

With such established stalwarts as Tomás Ó Sé and Eoin Brosnan retired, the Dr Crokes players concentrating on club activity and one or two more players rehabbing injuries, and a couple of more established players getting a well earned extended break, a number of new faces have been added to the training panel among them Paul O’Donoghue (St Marys), Paul Murphy (Rathmore) and Shane Callaghan (Austin Stacks).

For the Record

Fixtures and Results

Quarter-Finals (Extra time)

Sunday January 5^th

@ John Mitchels GAA Club Tralee         Kerry v IT Tralee                                                       @ 2:00pm

@ CIT GAA Grounds                       CIT v Mary I                                                               @ 2:00pm

@ Mallow                                          Cork v LIT                                                                  @ 2:00pm

@ Gaelic Grounds Limerick           UL v UCC                                                                  @ 2:30pm

Semi-Finals (Extra time)

Sunday January 12^th

Kerry or IT Tralee v CIT or Mary I

Cork or LIT v UL or UCC

Final (Extra time)

Sunday January 19^th

McGrath Cup Senior Football – Odds and Ends

Since 2000, Kerry’s McGrath Cup success rate is 88% (best of any county) winning 15 of their 17 matches (a 88% success rate). In the same period, Cork have won 85% of their matches in the competition with 17 wins out of 20.

There was an average of 2.5 goals per match in the 2013 McGrath Cup Competition (25 goals scored in total). This compares with an average of 2.4 goals per game in 2012 and 1.4 goals per game in 2011.

The record of the Third Level Colleges in the McGrath Cup since entering in 2005 is Won 21, Lost 49 (30% success rate). None of the six colleges have a winning record in the competition during that period. UCC have the best record, winning 7 of their 16 matches (44% success rate). CIT have won 6 of their 15 matches (40% success rate) followed by UL who have won 5 of their 13 matches (38% success rate). Meanwhile IT Tralee, LIT and WIT have won 3 out of 26 matches between them. Mary Immaculate College Limerick will compete for the first time in the 2014 McGrath Cup competition.

Kerry have not lost a match in the McGrath Cup since the 2006 final where the Kingdom lost to Cork by 1-9 to 0-6 at Pairc Ui Rinn.

McGrath Cup Senior Football Roll Of Honour

Clare (12) – 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2008

Cork (6) – 1998, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Limerick (5) – 1985, 1987, 2001, 2004, 2005

Kerry (4) – 1996, 2010, 2012

Tipperary (3) – 1989, 1993, 2003

Waterford (1) – 1981

London (1) – 1988

Visit the Munster GAA web site History section to view the complete Roll of Honour since the competition began in 1981 – https://munster.gaa.ie/history/mcgrath-cup-football/

McGrath Cup

Presented by Joe McGrath on June 21st, 1981 for the promotion of Senior Football in Munster