AIB Munster GAA Football Intermediate Club Championship Semi Final – Milltown / Castlemaine (Kerry) 1-9 Newmarket (Cork) 1-6

NEWMARKET BOW OUT OF MUNSTER

By Noel Horgan at Mallow GAA Complex for the Corkman newspaper

TRAILING by 1-5 to 0-2, they clearly had a hill to climb at the end of the first half, but Newmarket made a gallant bid for survival before their aspirations in the Munster club intermediate football championship were eventually dashed by Milltown-Castlemaine at Mallow last Sunday. Overall, the Cork kingpins could have no complaints about the outcome as they lacked the firepower that the Kerry side brought to the table, and they were also forced to play second fiddle for long stretches of the contest at midfield.

The fact that Newmarket failed to register a score from play after John Lane drew first blood with a point in the 11th minute tells its own story, and their short-passing game before the break played right into the hands of a well- drilled Milltown-Castlemaine defence in which Damien Murphy was a tower of strength at full-back.

At the other end, Denys O’Brien excelled as well in the No 3 shirt for Newmarket, enjoying much the better of his duel with Milltown-Castlemaine’s towering full forward Colm Kerins during the opening 20 minutes. With Cathal Moriarty and veteran Ian Twiss, who won a Cork county senior medal with UCC in 1999, showing up well in the corner forward berths, however, and Gavin Wrenn making a share of headway too on the left wing, Miltown-Castlemaine had much more to offer up front in the first half.

Wrenn’s departure with an injury after 17 minutes did little to ease the pressure on the Newmarket defence, as his replacement Donal Kelliher slotted in smoothly on the ’40 following his introduction, while Miltown-Castlemaine’s long- ball game began to bear fruit once their deliveries were directed with greater accuracy to target- man Kearns at the edge of the square. Kerins underlined his potential with a couple of inspirational points which left Newmarket trailing by 0- 5 to 0- 1 before their prospects suffered a major set-back nearing half-time.

That came in the form of a goal by Miltown-Castlemaine wing-forward Jerome Flynn, who completed a slick move initiated by Kerins, and it meant that Newmarket, despite replying with a converted free from TJ Bodie, had a lot of ground to make up when backed by a fresh breeze in the second half. As well as Denys O’Brien, Brian O’Riordan, Mark Reidy and TJ Brosnan had kept their end up fairly well at the back for Newmarket before the break, but only John Lane showed promise in attack, while Bart Daly, who would have been expected to make a telling contribution at midfield, caught a tartar in Miltown-Castlemaine’s Mike Burke.

For the second half, Daly was switched to left half forward, with Tony O’Keeffe going from there to full forward, and David O’Flynn moving from the right wing to team up with Colin O’Sullivan at midfield. The reshuffle didn’t yield any appreciable results, although TJ Bodie, who adopted a roaming role at corner forward from the outset, began to make his presence felt around the middle, allowing Newmarket to more than hold their own territorially during the third quarter. In addition, unattended pivot Mark Reidy processed an amount of ball after Donal Kelliher opted to play it deep at centre forward for Miltown-Castlemaine, and, with Barry O’Leary and TJ Brosnan also motoring well on the flanks, Newmarket’s half back line established a firm grip.

As their problems persisted in attack, however, Newmarket struggled to make inroads on the deficit until a long delivery from Barry O’Leary led to a questionable foul on John Lane, and Brian O’Riordan expertly converted the resultant penalty to make it 1-6 to 1-4 after 43 minutes. That threw the issue wide open, and, after Ian Twiss quickly replied with a point for Miltown-Castlemaine, Newmarket, aided by a brace of converted frees by TJ Bodie, were snapping at their heels approaching the last five minutes.

But Newmarket never functioned with any great conviction in attack where John Lane found it increasingly difficult to elude the attentions of Milltown- Castlemaine’s tenacious corner back Kevin McKenna in the second half, and their hopes of salvaging the game weren’t helped by the dismissal of David O’Flynn for a second bookable offence nearing the end of regulation time.

Substitute Derek Twiss had eased Miltown-Castlemaine’s anxiety prior to that with a point, and he capped an impressive cameo with another score in stoppage time to leave three between the sides at the finish. In light of their superiority in the first half, Miltown-Castlemaine weren’t unduly flattered by their winning margin, but Newmarket’s second half comeback meant they emerged from the fray with their pride very much intact. Given the dominance enjoyed by Kerry clubs at intermediate level in Munster since 2006, Newmarket, who won the county title against all predictions this year, certainly lost no caste in succumbing to Milltown-Castlemaine in a semi-final that went down to the wire..

Scorers

MILTOWN- CASTLEMAINE: I Twiss 0-4, 0-2 frees, J Flynn 1-0, C Kerins and D Twiss 0-2 each, C Moriarty 0-1

NEWMARKET: TJ Bodie 0- 5 frees, B O’Riordan 1-0 penalty, J Lane 0-1

MILTOWN- CASTLEMAINE: J Daly, Kevin McKenna, D Murphy, J Blennerhasset, P Carroll, M Mangan, J O’Connor, M Burke, B Delaney, J Flynn, S Murphy, G Wrenn, C Moriarty, C Kerins, I Twiss. Subs: D Kelliher for Wrenn (injured), Kieran McKenna for Flynn, D Twiss for Kieran McKenna, P Wrenn for O’Connor

NEWMARKET: N O’Connor, B O’Riordan, D O’Brien, J Ryan, B O’Leary, M Reidy, TJ Brosnan, B Daly, C O’Sullivan, D O’Flynn, K O’Sullivan, T O’Keeffe, TJ Bodie, N Flanagan, J Lane. Subs: T Murphy for Flanagan (injured), M Murphy for C O’Sullivan

REFEREE: M Condon (Waterford)

Daly’s rousing words inspire Milltown-Castlemaine victory

Milltown-Castlemaine (Kerry) 1-09 Newmarket (Cork) 1-06

By Denis Hurley for the Irish Examiner newspaper

A GOOD first half paved the way for Milltown-Castlemaine to reach the Munster club IFC final at Mallow yesterday as they withstood a strong second-half Newmarket comeback. Leading by 1-5 to 0-2 at half-time after an excellent performance once they found their rhythm, inspired by former Kerry player Ian Twiss, the Kingdom champions looked set to sail into the decider. But Newmarket got themselves back into contention through a Brian O’Riordan penalty. However, they could not get level at any stage, an overreliance on TJ Bodie frees hampering them while Twiss scored for Milltown-Castlemaine and his brother Derek came off the bench to kick two priceless late points.

That Milltown-Castlemaine are managed by John Fintan Daly, from the same Duhallow division as Newmarket, only added to the intrigue. “When we crossed the Cork/Kerry border at Rathmore and went into my parish, Knocknagree,” he said, “we stopped the bus and I named five names to them — Ardfert, Annascaul, St Michael’s/Foilmore, Spa and Gneeveguilla. “What do they all have in common? They all came out of Kerry and won Munster. I said, ‘Are ye going to come back to Kerry and say ye failed the green and gold? I’m not a Kerryman, it’s over to ye now’. “They knew that, they knew that they’d have to fight to the depths, nobody can say we don’t deserve this, but fair play to Newmarket, they lost nothing in defeat.”

Aside from Twiss, Mike Burke was immense in midfield while Damien Murphy was excellent at full-back. While it took them 12 minutes to get on the scoreboard, Twiss answering John Lane’s opener, once they did they were the better side but could not always make it count. They led 0-3 to 0-1 in the 26th minute when Colm Kerins scored two beauties. Then Jerome Flynn found the net, finishing a flowing move involving sub Donal Kelliher — another to have a positive influence — Twiss and Shane Murphy, and while Bodie finished the half’s scoring, at 1-5 to 0-2 ahead Milltown-Castlemaine looked very comfortable.

A couple of Bodie frees early helped Newmarket back into contention, but they still trailed by 1-6 to 0-4 before the penalty, Paul Carroll was penalised for a sliding tackle on Lane. Just as he had in the county final win over Clyda Rovers, O’Riordan came up from corner-back and he stroked his shot past Joe Daly and, while Twiss responded, two excellent Bodie frees left just the minimum in it. A chance for an equaliser could not be forged, however. Instead, Derek Twiss was on target following David O’Flynn’s dismissal for two yellow cards. Milltown-Castlemaine now play Mullinahone of Tipperary at Mallow in three weeks’ time.

Scorers for Milltown-Castlemaine: I Twiss 0-4 (2fs), J Flynn 1-0, D Twiss, C Kerins 0-2 each, C Moriarty 0-1.

Scorers for Newmarket: TJ Bodie 0-5fs, B O’Riordan 1-0p, J Lane 0-1.

MILLTOWN-CASTLEMAINE: J Daly; Kevin McKenna, D Murphy, J Blennerhasset; P Carroll, M Mangan, J O’Connor; M Burke, B Delaney; J Flynn, S Murphy, G Wrenn; C Moriarty, C Kerins, I Twiss.

Subs: D Kelleher for G Wrenn (inj. 19), Kieran McKenna for Flynn (37), D Twiss for Kieran McKenna (46), P Wrenn for O’Connor (54).

NEWMARKET: N O’Connor; B O’Riordan, D O’Brien, J Ryan; B O’Leary, M Reidy, TJ Brosnan; B Daly, C O’Sullivan; D O’Flynn, K O’Sullivan, T O’Keeffe; TJ Bodie, N Flanagan, J Lane.

Subs: T Murphy for Flanagan (inj. 27), M Murphy for C O’Sullivan (59).

Referee: M Condon (Waterford)

MILLTOWN/CASTLEMAINE AND MULLINAHONE ADVANCE TO FINAL

Munster Intermediate Club Football – semi finals

by Murt Murphy for kerrygaa.ie

It will be a Kerry/Tipperary Munster Intermediate Cub Football Final following wins for Milltown/Castlemaine over Cork champions Newmarket and Tipperary side Mullinahone who defeated Dungarvan from Waterford. Kerry champions Milltown/Castlemaine followed Dr Crokes and Dromid Pearses into a Munster Club Final, with a 1-9 to 1-6 win, at Mallow with Jerome Flynn scoring a goal on the stroke of half time. This was a big step up for the Kerry side that were fortunate to survive the previous week but they showed their class and true ability in this typical Kerry/Cork clash. It was in truth a superb team display that featured a number of outstanding individual displays. Ian Twiss epitomized the spirit of the team with a fine display despite an injury ravaged season.

Aside from Twiss, Mike Burke gave another towering display at midfield while Damien Murphy was excellent at full-back. Hard to fathom that this was Burkes eight weekend of action in the last nine – not bad for a player considered to be a veteran. While it took them 12 minutes to get on the scoreboard, Twiss answering John Lane’s opener, once they did they were the better side but could not always make it count. They led 0-3 to 0-1 in the 26th minute when Colm Kerins scored two excellent points and then came Flynn’s goal. In the final analysis Milltown/Castlemaine’s superior firepower was the main difference between the sides.

Five of Milltown’s forwards scored from play, while at the other end, Newmarket’s attack scored only one point from play. Their goal was a converted penalty from corner back, Brian O’Riordan and corner forward T J Bodie scored five points from frees. Milltown Castlemaine also appeared stronger on the bench, with Donal Kelliher and Derek Twiss who scored two points, both making telling contributions.

However Newmarket fought back and got a life line when Brian Flynn netted from the penalty spot in the 44th minute, but superb displays from Damien Murphy, Mike Burke and Donal Kelliher saw Milltown/Castlemaine advance with Ian Twiss top scoring with four points while T J Bodie amassed 0-5 (all frees) for Newmarket. Mullinahone had things very much their own way as they easily accounted for Dungarvan on a 0-14 to 1-3 but they will be underdogs in the Munster Final at Mallow in three weeks’ time.

Scorers for Milltown-Castlemaine: I Twiss 0-4 (2fs), J Flynn 1-0, D Twiss, C Kerins 0-2 each, C Moriarty 0-1.

Scorers for Newmarket: TJ Bodie 0-5fs, B O’Riordan 1-0p, J Lane 0-1.

MILLTOWN-CASTLEMAINE: J Daly; Kevin McKenna, D Murphy, J Blennerhasset; P Carroll, M Mangan, J O’Connor; M Burke, B Delaney; J Flynn, S Murphy, G Wrenn; C Moriarty, C Kerins, I Twiss.

Subs: D Kelleher for G Wrenn (inj. 19), Kieran McKenna for Flynn (37), D Twiss for Kieran McKenna (46), P Wrenn for O’Connor (54).

NEWMARKET: N O’Connor; B O’Riordan, D O’Brien, J Ryan; B O’Leary, M Reidy, TJ Brosnan; B Daly, C O’Sullivan; D O’Flynn, K O’Sullivan, T O’Keeffe; TJ Bodie, N Flanagan, J Lane.

Subs: T Murphy for Flanagan (inj. 27), M Murphy for C O’Sullivan (59).

Referee: M Condon (Waterford)

For the Record

Munster GAA FOOTBALL Club Intermediate Championship 2011

Quarter-Finals
Sunday November 13^th

@ Clonmel Sportsfield                    Mullinahone (Tipperary) 1-9 Mountcollins (Limerick) 0-9
@ Páirc de Búrca Miltown Miltown / Castlemaine (Kerry) 2-5 Clondegad (Clare) 0-10

Semi-Finals (Extra time)
Sunday November 20th (Replay date – Saturday November 26th)

@ Fraher Field Dungarvan            Dungarvan (Waterford) v Mullinahone (Tipperary) 2:00pm

@ Mallow Newmarket (Cork) v Miltown / Castlemaine (Kerry) 2:00pm

Final (Extra time)

Sunday December 11th (Replay date – Saturday December 17th)

2:00pm throw-in @ Mallow GAA Grounds

Odds and Ends

Since the competition began in 2003, Kerry clubs have won 5 of the 8 Munster titles on offer, including the last 4 in a row. Cork clubs have won the other 3 Munster titles.

Cork clubs have won just 1 of their last 5 matches in this competition having won the first 3 Munster Club Intermediate Football titles from 2003 to 2005.

Prior to 2011, Clare clubs qualified for the final of 4 of the last 5 Munster Club Intermediate Championships.

Limerick clubs have lost their opening match in the last 6 Munster Club Intermediate Championships.

Munster GAA Club FOOTBALL Intermediate Championship Roll Of Honour

Kerry (5) – 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Cork (3) – 2003, 2004, 2005

Munster GAA Club FOOTBALL Intermediate Championship
List of Winning Teams

Visit the Munster GAA web site History section to view the complete list of each winning team since the competition began 1888 – https://munster.gaa.ie/history/ifclub_teams/

All Ireland GAA Club FOOTBALL Intermediate Championship

In the Club Intermediate Football All Ireland Roll of Honour, Cork and Kerry have secured 2 titles each courtesy of Ilen Rovers (Cork – 2003/2004), Carbery Rangers (Cork – 2004/2005), Ardfert (Kerry – 2006/2007) and St. Michael’s Foilmore (Kerry – 2008/2009).