Kilbrittain boosted as duo transfer back for football

With the afterglow of their AIB All-Ireland Club JHC victory shining, Kilbrittain have received a boost on the footballing front.

While Luke Griffin and Conor Ustianowski had been playing with Clonakilty in the big-ball code, both have submitted requests to transfer back to Kilbrittain for the coming season.

Both players started for Clon in last year’s McCarthy Insurance Group Football League Division 1 final against St Finbarr’s, which the West Cork club lost after extra time.

Unfortunately for Martin O’Brien’s side, another defeat to the Barrs in their opening Premier SFC game and a loss to Carrigaline ended their hopes of qualification for the knockout stages before pride was restored in an emphatic win over Carbery Rangers.

Griffin, whose father Noel played inter-county for Clare wand was centre-back on the Clon side that won the 2009 county SFC, appeared as a sub in both the Carrigaline and Carbery Rangers games.

Despite the absence of Griffin and Ustianowski, Kilbrittain performed well in the Bandon Co-op Carbery JAFC last year, reaching the semi-finals, where they were edged out after extra time by a Kilmacabea side that would go on to county glory.

The fact that the Leap club – who won five of the last nine editions of the divisional championship – are now gone from the south-west scene means that there is an openness to the grade and the return of Griffin and Ustianowski will give Kilbrittain extra attacking threat and offset any travelling-related departures.

The draw for the Carbery JAFC for the coming year has yet to be made, while in hurling, following promotion to the Co-op SuperStores Cork IAHC, Kilbrittain will face Russell Rovers, neighbours Bandon and Aghada.

After an elongated 2025 season that ended in Croke Park on January 10, Kilbrittain are in RedFM Hurling League Division 5 action against Midleton on March 7.