AIB Munster GAA Football Senior Club Championship Semi Final – UCC (Cork) 5-12 Moyle Rovers (Tipperary) 1-5

Moyle blitzed by UCC goal rush

Moyle Rovers (Tipperary) 1-05 UCC (Cork) 5-12

By Jackie Cahill for the Irish Examiner newspaper

A REMARKABLE football year for University College Cork could have an ending to match on December 4. The students will contest a first AIB Munster club football final since 1999 on that date, when they face Kerry kingpins Dr Crokes in the provincial showpiece. The Sigerson Cup holders and Cork county champions must go into battle against the Kingdom’s finest without some absent friends, however, as Daithi Casey and Johnny Buckley will line out for Dr Crokes. Casey and Buckley were on duty in Killarney yesterday as Crokes eventually prevailed against Kilmurry-Ibrickane but they were hardly missed as Will Kennedy and Jamie O’Sullivan forged a solid midfield pairing for UCC. Moyle Rovers, runners-up in the Tipperary SFC, were simply overrun as UCC went goal-crazy shortly after half-time, netting three times in the opening four minutes of the second half. That scoring blitz killed the Rovers challenge stone dead and a second painful defeat in the space of a fortnight was a formality thereafter.

A sparse crowd, no more than a couple of hundred, descended on the Clonmel Sportsfield, with conditions very decent for the time of year. Tipperary champions Thomas MacDonaghs were ineligible to compete in the Munster club campaign because of their divisional status. UCC had a powerful scoring contribution from a full-forward line comprised entirely of Kerrymen. Paul Geaney, who scored 1-2 for Dingle against Austin Stacks in the Kerry SFL Division 1 final on Saturday, roused himself for a second match within 24 hours. And the corner forward was brilliant during the 44 minutes he was on the pitch, scoring 2-5 and setting up Stephen O’Brien for the second of his two goals in the 35th minute. At full-forward, Gavin O’Grady was another to impress as he finished with 0-5 to his credit, including three points from play in the second half.

Forty-two minutes elapsed before a player outside of the red-hot UCCinside line raised a flag, when Mike Griffin pointed, and Tipperary’s Gavin Ryan was the only non-Kerry native to register a score when he fisted home a 59th minute goal. The scenario that unfolded was in marked contrast to UCC’s quarter-final victory over Limerick outfit Monaleen, when extra-time wasrequired. That win seems to have steeled UCC as they were ruthlessly efficient in their work yesterday and in the mood right from the start. A fortuitous goal from midfielder Peter Acheson, one of the few bright spots on a forgettable afternoon for the Monroe outfit, had Rovers level at 1-1 to 0-4 before UCC regained complete control and led by 1-7 to 1-2 at the break, with Stephen O’Brien netting the first of his brace in the first minute of stoppage time.

Within a minute of the restart, they struck again as Geaney took advantage of Darragh Dwyer’s error before hammering a rising drive into the topcorner. Two goals in a minute then put paid to the Rovers challenge as Geaney finished a flowing move after the ball had passed through the hands of O’Brien and O’Grady in the 34th minute. With UCC’s next attack, they struck again as Geaney placed O’Brien for a close-range finish. The Rovers misery was complete in the 59th minute when Rockwell Rovers club man Gavin Ryan fisted home a monstrous free boomed into the Rovers goalmouth by UCCmidfielder Jamie O’Sullivan.

Scorers for Moyle Rovers: P Acheson 1-0, L Boland 0-2 (1f), A Campbell, S Carey andB Mulvihill 0-1 each.

UCC: P Geaney 2-5 (0-2f), S O’Brien 2-1,G O’Grady (0-5, 2f), G Ryan 1-0, M Griffin 0-1.

MOYLE ROVERS: I Browne; D Conway,R Power, D Dwyer; A Campbell, D Nolan,S Keating; M Dunne, N Fitzgerald; J Shanahan, P Acheson, D Lyne; S Carey, P Quirke, B Mulvihill.

Subs: R Desmond for Keating (39), L Boland for Mulvihill (39), A Kelly for Shanahan (49), J Lonergan for Dunne (49), L Cronin for Conway (49).

UCC: S Mellett; M Hickey, P Crowley, M Galvin;T Clancy, N Daly, S Kiely; W Kennedy, J O’Sullivan; B Coughlan, M Griffin, JB Spillane;S O’Brien, G O’Grady, P Geaney.

Subs: G Ryan for Geaney (44), S Beston for JB Spillane (49), D Culhane for Crowley (49), A Greaney for Daly (50), D O’Shea for Kennedy (50).

Referee: P O’Sullivan (Kerry)

For the Record

Munster GAA FOOTBALL Club Senior Championship 2011

Quarter-Final

Sunday November 6^th (Replay date – Saturday November 12th)

@ Cloughduv                                   UCC (Cork) 1-19 Monaleen (Limerick) 2-15 (AET)

@ Fraher Field Dungarvan Dr. Crokes (Kerry) 3-13 Ballinacourty (Waterford) 0-7

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

@ Dr. Crokes GAA Club grounds Kilmurry-Ibrickane (Clare) v Dr. Crokes (Kerry) 2:00pm

@ Clonmel Sportsfield                     Moyle Rovers (Tipperary) v UCC (Cork) 2:00pm

Final

Sunday December 4^th (Replay date – Saturday December 10th)

2:00pm throw-in

Odds and Ends

Since 2000, Cork hold the best record in the Munster Club Championship with 19 victories and 6 Munster Club titles during that period.

Clare won 3 Munster Club Senior Football titles since 2004 and have won 13 of the 24 matches played in the Munster Club Championship since 2000.

Kerry’s record in the Munster Club Senior Football Championship sees them with 13 titles, just under half the total of Cork clubs (27). Since 2000, Kerry have captured 2 Munster club titles and have not captured the All-Ireland Club Senior Football title since Laune Rangers victory in 1995 / 1996. During Kerry’s Golden Years at Inter-County level, Kerry won just 3 of the 12 Munster Club Senior Football titles on offer (Austin Stacks – 1976 & Castleisland Desmonds 1984 and 1985).

Limerick’s Dromcollogher-Broadford defeated Nemo Rangers and Kilmurry/Ibrickane to win the 2008 Munster Club Senior Football title. Those 2 victories are the only wins for the Limerick Senior Football champions in this competition dating back to 2003, a period of 9 matches which include 8 defeats and 1 drawn game, includling Monaleen’s defeat to UCC this season.

Tipperary and Waterford are the only Munster counties yet to win a Munster Club Senior Football title.

From 1964 to 1997, no club outside of Kerry or Cork won the Munster Club Senior Football title (Thomond College representing Limerick won the 1977 title). Since 1998, Kilmurry/Ibrickane (2), Doonbeg and Dromcollogher-Broadford have been successful in winning the Munster Club Senior Football titles.

Since St. Patrick’s Day 1996, only 1 of the last 15 Munster Club Senior Football champions (7%) have won the All-Ireland Club Senior Football title – Nemo Rangers in the 2002/2003 season. Prior to 1996, Munster Clubs captured 15 All-Ireland’s at this grade, an average of 60% dating back to 1971.

Munster GAA Club FOOTBALL Senior Championship Roll Of Honour

Cork (27) – 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010

Kerry (13) – 1964, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1976, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2006,

Clare (3) – 1998, 2004, 2009

Limerick (2) – 1977, 2008

Munster GAA Club FOOTBALL Senior 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/sfclub_teams

All Ireland GAA Club FOOTBALL Senior Championship

In the Club Senior Football All Ireland Roll of Honour, Cork top the charts with 11 titles followed by Kerry with 5. Limerick have 1 All-Ireland Club Football title courtesy of Thomond College in 1977/1978.

Munster Club Senior FOOTBALL Cup
Club Championship Senior Football Cup – Michael O’Connor Cup

Presented by Munster Council in 1991 to commemorate late Chairman & Treasurer.