Corn Uí Mhuirí: Clonakilty CC stun St Brendan’s Killarney with statement four-point win
Clonakilty Community College’s Jason Murray rises high to make a solid catch during the Corn Uí Mhuirí Senior A Football clash with St Brendan’s College in Cill na Martra. Picture: Chani Anderson.
Everyone loves an upset. And this one will taste especially sweet down west.
Clonakilty Community College, a team that didn’t make it out of their group last year, opened their Corn Uí Mhuirí campaign with a scalp few saw coming – toppling St Brendan’s College, Killarney, last year’s beaten finalists, in Cill na Martra on Wednesday.
It wasn’t smash-and-grab stuff either. No lucky bounce, no fluke goal, no miracle. Clon were simply the better team – sharper, hungrier, and far more efficient.
They were 0-5 to 0-3 down after 16 minutes, but the tide turned in the second quarter. Clon hit six points without reply to lead 0-9 to 0-5, the Sem going 16 minutes without scoring before finally ending the drought before the break.
The same pattern held after the restart. Another barren spell – 12 minutes this time – and another Clon surge. By the time Jerry O’Leary, Seán Whelton and Dylan Harrington fired three on the spin in the 42nd minute, Clon were 0-13 to 0-6 in front.
St Brendan’s rallied briefly. Joey McCarthy’s two-pointer cut the gap to five, white flags from Ben Kelliher and Liam O’Brien left three between them, 12 minutes to play.
In the 56th minute, Liam O’Brien’s two-point free attempt dropped short. Mark Kennelly gathered, went for goal, but clipped it over. A minute later, Byerly rattled the crossbar and over at the other end – the gap back to four, 0-15 to 0-11, where it stayed.
The Sem created plenty but converted little. They finished with 14 wides and four efforts dropped short – twice the inaccuracy of their opponents. Zach Cronin stood out in defence, but up front they were miles off their usual standard.
Clon’s composure told. Whelton got them going with a two-point free early on, though Brendan’s responded with five of the next six to lead 0-5 to 0-3. Then came the spark.
A Tom Whooley point closed the gap, before Clon stitched together the move of the game – James Murray, Olan Murphy, Jamie Collins and Whooley all linking neatly before Collins levelled.
Whooley then turned provider for Harrington’s stunning two-pointer, and moments later Rory Twohig’s kick-out found Conrad Murphy, who sent it straight to Whelton for another. In a flash, they were 0-8 to 0-5 clear.
They carried that three-point margin into the break and never once looked like surrendering it.
S Whelton 0-5 (1 tpf, 0-1 f), D Harrington 0-3 (1 tp), J O’Leary 0-2, J Byerly, T Whooley, J Murray, J Collins, D Harte 0-1 each.
L O’Brien 0-4 (0-1 f), B Kelliher 0-3 (0-2 f), J McCarthy 0-2 (tp), F Blackwell, M Kennelly 0-1 each.
R Twohig (Kilmeen); O Harrington (Kilmeen), H O’Donovan (Kilmeen), T Bailey (Kilmeen); J O’Leary (Ballinascarthy), D Harrington (Clonakilty), O Murphy (Kilmeen); M Collins (Ibane Gaels), E Deiseach (Clonakilty); D Harte (Clonakilty), S Whelton (St James), J Murray (Kilmeen); T Whooley (Clonakilty), C Murphy (Ibane Gaels), J Collins (Ibane Gaels).
J Byerly (Clonakilty) for Harte (46), R O’Donovan (Ibane Gaels) for Murray (49), J Maguire (Castlehaven) for Murphy (53), E Hicks (Carbery Rangers) for Collins (56).
K Robak (Dr Crokes); D McCarthy (Listry) F Doyle (Fossa), Z Cronin (Kilcummin); J Rudden (Glenflesk), R Walsh (Killarney Legion), J Nash (Dr Crokes); M Kennelly (Fossa), M O’Carroll (Dr Crokes); L Hennigan (Dr Crokes), J McCarthy (Spa), F Blackwell (Killarney Legion); L O’Brien (Glenflesk), B Kelliher (Dr Crokes), J Dempsey (Milltown/Castlemaine).
J Ahern (Kilcummin) for Dempsey (47), B O’Connor (Killarney Legion) for Nash (56), J Henderson (Firies) for Blackwell (60+1).
J Kelleher (St John’s)
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