Electric Ireland Munster Minor Football Championship – Kerry 2-16 Clare 1-6

Kerry defeated Clare by 2-16 to 1-6 in the Electric Ireland Munster Minor Football Championship on Wednesday April 12th at Austin Stack Park Tralee.

Kingdom firepower too much for Banner

Report from the Irish Examiner newspaper

Kerry unleashed their superior firepower in the opening half of this Electric Ireland Munster MFC quarter-final against a Clare side caught in the headlights in near perfect conditions at the Austin Stack Park last night.

Kerry have not lost a Munster minor game since the quarter-final defeat against Cork in 2013. Facing an attack spearheaded by top gun David Clifford, Clare were under the cosh from the outset.

Donal O’Sullivan converted a free inside the opening minute and then added a point from an assist by Fiachra Clifford. Centre forward Brian Friel, a survivor from last year’s All-Ireland final winning side, then carved open the Clare defence to make it 0-3 to 0-0 inside the opening four minutes.

Clare’s Colin McNeilis and wing-forward Sean Rouine were trying to curb the Kingdom but Kerry’s defence were able to cut out any Clare attack in the opening quarter with Ryan O’Neill, Sean O’Leary, and Michael Potts particularly effective.

Kerry controlled the middle as well thanks to Barry O’Mahony and Diarmuid O’Connor while Adam Donoghue fetched some good ball at wing-forward. Kerry struck for two goals in a two-minute spell when a sweeping move started by Michael Potts saw Fiachra Clifford feed David Clifford who slipped the ball to th Clare net in the sixth minute. A minute later Donal O’Sullivan was on hand when Donncha O’Sullivan’s shot was parried by Clare keeper Mark Lillis and he finished to an empty net.

Clifford them made it 2-4 to no score and another O’Sullivan free had Kerry in cruise control by the end of the opening quarter, leading 2-5 to 0-0.

Clare got their only score of the opening half in the 16th minute when a free from midfielder Danny Griffin was knocked down by Danny Cooney on the edge of the square into the path of Gearoid Cahill who found the Kerry net.

That was as good as it got for Clare, who had three more efforts before the break but they were all collected by Kerry keeper Devidas Uosis while Kerry tacked on five more points, a ’45 and a superb effort from play by David Clifford and one each from Barry O’Mahony, Donncha O’Sullivan and a free from Donal O’Sullivan, to leave Kerry 2-10 to 1-0 ahead at half-time.

Scorers for Kerry: Donal O’Sullivan (1-6, 4 frees), D Clifford (1-4, 1 ’45), E Horan, B O’Mahony, B Friel, F Clifford, D O’Sullivan, and N Donohue (0-1 each).

Scorers for Clare: G Cahill (1-0), G Cooney (0-3, 2 frees), D Coughlan (0-2, 1 free), D Ryan (0-1).

KERRY: D Uosis ( Dingle); R O’Neill (Na Gaeil), C O’Donoghue (Glenflesk), S O’Leary (Kilcummin); M Potts (Dr Crokes), E Horan (Scartaglen), P Warren (Gneeveguilla); B Mahony (St Senans), D O’Connor (Na Gaeil); A Donoghue (Castleisland Desmonds), B Friel (Rathmore), F Clifford (Laune Rangers); Donnchadh O’Sullivan (Firies), D Clifford (Fossa), Donal O’Sullivan (Kilgarvan).
Subs: M Slattery (Austin Stacks) for B Friel(h/t), N Donohue (Firies) for P Warren (45), C O’Reilly (Austin Stacks) for S O’Leary (47), J Griffin (Dr Crokes) for F Clifford (50), C Ferriter (Annascaul) for Donnchadh O’Sullivan (52), M O’Leary (Renard) for M Potts (57).

CLARE: M Lillis (Cooraclare); J Sheedy (St Breckans), J O’Sullivan (Wolfe Tones), J Miniter (Kilrush); F Donnellan (Cooraclare), K White (Inagh Kilnamona), C McNeilis (Clondegad); D Griffin (Eire Óg), P Kelly (St Breckans); S Rouine (Ennistymon), C O’Donoghue (Cooraclare), D Ryan (Cratloe); G Cooney (Kilmurry Ibrickane ), D Coughlan (Corofin), Cahill (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield).
Subs: Rian Considine (Cratloe ) for Ciaran O’Donoghue (38), A McNamara (Ml Cusack’s) for G Cahill (48), C McMahon (Cratloe ) for P Kelly ( 50), A O’Brien (St Breckans) for K White (55), R O’Doherty (Ennistymon) for D Griffin (58), R Phelan (Kilrush) for D Ryan (60).

Referee: D Murnane (Cork)

Munster Minor Football Championship Quarter Final – Kerry vs Clare – Team Announcement https://t.co/VOqVTvEIb2

— Kerry GAA (@Kerry_Official) April 10, 2017

The Kerry Minor Football Team to play Clare in the Electric Ireland Munster Minor Football Championship Quarter Final at Austin Stack Park on Wednesday evening contains just 4 of the side who played in the All Ireland Minor Final last year – Michael Potts, Diarmuid O’Connor, Brian Friel and David Clifford.

Potts, together with Chris O’Donoghue, Sean O’Leary and Donnchadh O’Sullivan, were members of the St Brendans College Hogan Cup winning side this year.

The team, captained by David Clifford is as follows:

Deividas Uosis Dingle

Ryan O’Neill Na Gaeil

Chris O’Donoghue Glenflesk

Sean O’Leary Kilcummin

Michael Potts Dr. Crokes

Eddie Horan Scartaglen

Patrick Warren Gneeveguilla

Barry Mahony St. Senans

Diarmuid O’Connor Na Gaeil

Adam Donoghue Castleisland

Brian Friel Rathmore

Fiáchra Clifford Laune Rangers

Donchadh O’Sullivan Firies

David Clifford (C) Fossa

Donal O’Sullivan Kilgarvan

Fir Ionaid:

Nelu O’Doherty Dr. Crokes

Ciarán O’Reilly Austin Stacks

Niall Donohue Firies

Michael Slattery Austin Stacks

Michael O’Leary Renard

Jack Griffin Dr. Crokes

Dylan Casey Austin Stacks

Cathal Ferriter Annascaul

Mark Ashe Dingle

Bainistíocht:

Bainisteoir: Peter Keane (St Marys)

Treanalaí: Chris Flannery and Padraig Murphy

Roghnoirí: Tommy Griffin (Dingle), James Foley (Kilcummin)

Additional Players on the Kerry Minor Panel

Ciaran Kennedy (Beaufort), Eddie Browne (Listowel Emmets), Ruadhan McCarthy (Dingle), Luka Brosnan (Castleisland Desmonds), Sean O’Connell (Cordal).

Rehabbing from Injury: Cian Gammell (Killarney Legion) & Cian O’Callaghan (Firies)