Munster MFC Semi-Final Play Off (1) – Clare 1-12 Limerick 0-9

Keating the hero as Banner advance

Report from the Irish Independent newspaper

CLARE 1-12 LIMERICK 0-9 MUNSTER MFC – 29 APRIL 2013

Clare will face Kerry on Saturday for a place in the semi-finals as a result of this polished victory at Cusack Park. Inspired by the outstanding Barry Keating, who contributed the impressive tally of 1-6, they proved too strong for the Shannonsiders in this losers’ group first-round play-off. The diminutive Keating caused all sorts of problems for the visitors, who switched a number of defenders on him during the course of the tie.

Playing with the aid of a strong breeze, Limerick took the lead through Jack Breen, but Keating’s goal at the midpoint of the first half gave Clare a lead they held to the finish. They led at half-time 1-5 to 0-4 despite playing against the strong wind. Limerick had the better of the early second-half exchanges as they outscored Clare in the opening six minutes. However, they found it difficult to break down a resilient Clare defence and only managed to notch a further two points, while Clare pointed six times to emerge as deserving winners. Fergal Pyne, Jack Browne, James Woods, Eoin Hanrahan, Kieran Malone and Keating impressed for Clare while Limerick’s best were Gavin Reidy and Jack Breen.

Scorers – Clare: B Keating 1-6 (0-5fs), J Downes 0-2 (1f), K Malone, D Walsh, L Madigan, A Davidson 0-1 each. Limerick: J Breen 0-5 (3fs), J Naughton 0-2 (1f); B O’Connell, C Sheehan 0-1 each.

Clare – K Normoyle; F Pyne, J O’Dea, D Nagle; J Browne, J Woods, K Malone; E Hanrahan, D Walsh; J Downes, P O’Malley, C O hAinifein; E Courtney, C Galvin, B Keating. Subs: L Madigan for O’Malley; C O’Dea for O hAinifein; A Davidson for Galvin; B Cahill for Browne; C Finnucane for Downes.

Limerick – T Dwyer; S Mullins, E Murphy, J Murphy; D Cussen, G Reidy, S O’Dea; K Fahy, S Cahill; J Naughton, J Breen, J English; B O’Connell, C Sheehan, H Leahy. Subs: G McCarthy for Leah; S Brosnan for English; J O’Neill for O’Dea; C O’Shea for Fahy; K Daly for Naughton.

Ref – S Mulvihill (Kerry)

Team News

The following is the Limerick team to play Clare on Sunday evening in the Munster Minor Football Championship. There are 2 changes to the starting 15 from last weekend, Eoin Murphy replaces Killian Ryan and Cillian Fahy returns from illness at the expense of Cormac O’Shea.

Tom Dwyer

Sam Mullins

Eoin Murphy

John Murphy Captain.

Dave Cussen

Gavin Reidy

Sean O’Dea

Cillian Fahy

Stephan Cahill

James Naughton

Jack Breen

Jack English

Brian O’Connell

Cian Sheehan

Henry Leahy

PRO Contact Details

Clare PRO Sean O’Halloran – pro.clare@gaa.ie and 087 2477803

Limerick PRO Eamonn Phelan – pro.limerick@gaa.ie and 087-2807546

Limerick Football Board PRO Brian Kelly – brian.kelly@calibrationtech.ie and 087- 244 6399

Contact Munster GAA PRO Ed Donnelly at pro.munster@gaa.ie for more information

For the Record

MUNSTER GAA FOOTBALL MINOR CHAMPIONSHIP 2013

First Round

Friday April 19^th

@ Pairc Ui Rinn                              Cork 2-13 Kerry 2-13

Saturday April 20^th

@ Cusack Park Ennis                    Tipperary 1-10 Clare 0-8
@ Fraher Field Dungarvan                        Waterford 3-10 Limerick 3-9

First Round Replay

Friday April 26th

@ Austin Stack Park Tralee           Cork v Kerry                                                  @ 7:30pm

Semi-Final Play-off 1

Sunday April 28^th
@ Cusack Park Ennis                    Clare v Limerick                                           @ 5:00pm

Semi-Final Play-off 2

Saturday May 4^th

@ TBC                                               Losers of Cork v Kerry and Winners of Clare v Limerick

Venue Permutations

@ Cork venue                                  Cork v Clare
(last meeting in 2011 Semi-Final at Cusack Park Ennis)

@ Cork venue                                  Cork v Limerick
(last meeting in 2012 First Round at Pairc Ui Rinn)

@ Kerry venue                                 Kerry v Clare
(last meeting in 2012 Semi-Final at Cusack Park Ennis)

@ Limerick venue                            Kerry v Limerick
(last meeting in 2012 Play-off at the Austin Stack Park Tralee)

Semi-Finals

Wednesday May 15^th

@ Semple Stadium Thurles           Winners of Cork v Kerry v Tipperary

@ TBC                                               Waterford v Winners of Semi-Final Play-off 2

Final

Sunday July 7^th

@ TBC                                                                                   @ 12:00 noon

Useful Information

Clare have won at least one game in each of the last four seasons in the Munster Minor Football Championship. Failure to defeat Limerick on Sunday evening will break this streak.

Limerick have won one of their last 10 matches in the Munster Minor Football Championship dating back to 2008.

Last Meeting – 2011 Munster Semi-Final Play-off –

Clare 1-10 Limerick 0-10 at the Gaelic Grounds Limerick on April 23rd 2011

Clare: Darren Sexton; Conor Gavin, Jamie Malone, Oisin Vaughan; Stan Lineen, Darragh McDonagh, Craig O’Brien; Alan O’Neill, Conor Cleary (0-2); Eoin Cleary (0-2, 0-1 free), Ciaran Devitt, Adrian Murrihy (1-0); Martin O’Leary (0-1), Niall Hickey (0-5, 0-4 frees), Daragh Bolton

Subs: William Flynn for Adrian Murrihy (injured), Joey Rouine for Daragh Bolton, Jack Scanlon for William Flynn, James Sweeney for Craig O’Brien

Limerick: David Condron; Kevin Brosnan, Brendan McCarthy, Kevin O’Donoghue; Eoin O’Donnell, Shane O’Connor, Sean Barrett; Dara Tracey, Tommy Griffin; Dean Lillis, Denis O’Dea, Francis O’Riordan (0-1 free); Danny Neville (0-1), William Shanahan, Danny Frewen (0-7, 0-3 frees)

Subs: Jamie Quaid (0-1) for Francis O’Riordan (injured), Eoin Roche for William Shanahan, Kieran Larkin for Danny Neville, Kevin Meade for Denis O’Dea

Referee: Jer Lynch (Kerry)

Tipperary are going for 3 Munster Minor Football titles in a row for the first time having won two in a row in 1934 / 1935 and 2011 / 2012.

Tipperary have won their last 7 games in the Munster Minor Football Championship and have won 10 of their last 11 matches over the last three seasons when you include the All-Ireland series.

Since 1956, Cork and Kerry have won every Munster Minor Football title with the exception of 1984, 1995, 2011 and 2012 when Tipperary were successful.

Kerry and Tipperary have played 51 matches in the Munster Minor Football Championship since 2000, tied for the most compared to the other four Munster counties.

Cork, Kerry and Tipperary have won at least 1 match in the Munster Minor Football Championship every year since 2001.

Prior to 2012, Kerry’s last defeat in a first round Munster Minor Football Championship game was in March 2002 when they lost to Tipperary by 2-11 to 2-9 at Kilmallock. Kerry avenged that defeat with a 3-16 to 2-6 win over Tipperary in the 2002 Munster Final played at Semple Stadium Thurles.

Munster Minor Football Championship Roll Of Honour

Kerry (41)

1931, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009.

Cork (29)

1939, 1952, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2010

Tipperary (7)

1934, 1935, 1955, 1984, 1995, 2011, 2012

Clare (3)

1929, 1930, 1953

Limerick (1)

1956

Munster Minor Football 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 in1929 – https://munster.gaa.ie/history/mf_teams/

Munster Minor Football Cup

The Tadhg Crowley Cup was presented by Munster Council in 1990 to commemorate late Munster Council Treasurer. Tadhg was elected as Munster Council Treasurer in 1968 and served until his death in December 1989. A teacher by profession, he also served as Kerry County Board Secretary from 1955 until 1970. Tadhg was recognized as a specialist in organizing and handling styles and gates at Munster Championship games.

All Ireland Minor Football Championship

In the Minor Football All Ireland Roll of Honour, Kerry top the charts with 11 titles while Cork are tied for second with Dublin with 10 titles. Clare won the first All-Ireland Minor Football title in 1929 while Tipperary’s two All-Ireland successes at this grade came in 1934 and 2011. Between them Munster counties have accounted for 24 All-Ireland Minor Football titles, ahead of Leinster and Ulster (20 titles each) and Connacht (17 titles).

Kerry were All-Ireland Minor Football Champions in 1931, 1932, 1933, 1946, 1950, 1962, 1963, 1975, 1980, 1988, 1994

Cork were All-Ireland Minor Football Champions in 1961, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1981, 1991, 1993, 2000