Corn Ui Mhuiri Football Final – St. Brendan’s Killarney 2-20 Tralee CBS 0-11 – Match Report / Video

St. Brendan’s Killarney defeated Tralee CBS by 2-20 to 0-11 in the Corn Ui Mhuiri Football Final on Saturday February 25th at Austin Stack Park Tralee.

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Match Coverage

Click on the link below to watch the full Corn Ui Mhuiri Football Final

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Click to view photos from the game

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St Brendan's Killarney celebrate 22nd Corn Ui Mhuiri title https://t.co/Dl4COdrHtL pic.twitter.com/L8Ht7tfzDz

— Irish Examiner Sport (@ExaminerSport) February 25, 2017

Sprinkled with eastern promise, St Brendan’s win Corn Ui Mhuiri

Report by Tony Leen for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Corn Ui Mhuiri final – St Brendan’s Killarney 2-20 Tralee CBS 0-11: From west to east, the wellspring of Kerry football talent is shifting.

Who knows why these things happen. Neat answers abound. Dr Crokes continue to produce stellar youngsters on an industrial scale, but they’ve been an oasis in East Kerry, which hasn’t won a senior county championship since 1999.

Seamus Moynihan coached the division to the county minor title last year, and the Glenflesk legend’s stock as a mentor rises daily and stealthily. Vince Cooper – you may know his brother – is doing lauded work as the GDA in the region. Each is a contributory influence, doubtless, but seven clubs were represented on the St Brendan’s team that went through the gears seamlessly in Tralee on Saturday to retain the Corn Ui Mhuiri crown with 15 points to spare.

This isn’t a single-engined vehicle. Tralee CBS had been rigorously gut-checked over three intense games against Coláiste Chríost Rí in the semi-final but once David Shaw goaled six minutes after the break for the Sem, their opponents knew they were in the wrong weight division.

Sem manager Gary McGrath is well aware the All-Ireland colleges (Hogan Cup) champions are a talented group but he hasn’t been slow to call in reinforcements in the guise of some of last year’s stellar Leaving Certs to bulk up A v B duels with the class of 2017.

“We play a lot of in-house games with the co-operation of the lads who’ve just gone from the school out of last year’s team. We might play 18 against 15 and they are titanic battles. Some of our so-called ‘training sessions’, they talk about Cody’s sessions in Kilkenny, it’s similar, and it gets us up to match speed.”

The Green stood their ground in an engaging first- half on Saturday, employing a sweeper and utilising the height and mobility of full- forward Gearóid Fitzgerald to keep the Sem honest. Tralee were only a point down after 15 minutes and trailed 0-8 to 0-6 at the break. In truth, though, the Killarney lads were just getting started.

Three fast scores on the resumption and Shaw’s goal stretched the gap to six (1-11 to 0-8). But the time midfielder Billy Courtney powered through for the second goal on 44 minutes, the Sem were 2-14 to 0-9 in front. Done and dusted. There’s eight of the Sem squad with the Kerry minors aiming for a fourth All-Ireland in a row this year (interestingly, Tralee CBS has no player in the currrent minor squad), and if the Killarney school regains the Hogan Cup, that will be four successive Kingdom successes in the schools grade too. And it’s all down to the development squads?

“East Kerry development officer, Vince Cooper, is doing unbelievable work, but the clubs in East Kerry are working very hard too,” McGrath explained. “There’s good co-operation between the schools and the clubs, which is of mutual benefit. It is all feeding into the same pot.”

Three Croke Park county minors from last year – Billy Courtney, Dara Moynihan and David Shaw – contributed 2-6 between them, but Firies centre-forward Donnchadh O’Sullivan is a two-footed talent to keep an eye on over the summer. He claimed seven points on Saturday and his movement caused Tralee a lot of difficulties. All in all though, St Brendan’s look exactly what no school team should so early – seasoned. If over-confidence doesn’t up-end them, it will take some haymaker from an opponent to do so.

CBS manager Marc Ó Sé was annoyed with the margin of the defeat but from Tralee’s starting point this season, a provincial final is progress. “They are an exceptional unit, Hogan Cup champions with strength in depth. We wouldn’t have that depth. But our fellas are in the latter stages of the (junior equivalent) Frewen Cup and are Dunloe Cup champions. The Green had a few barren years but we are definitely on the up.”

It was a first final in nine years for Tralee and the likes of Kieran Dwyer, Brandon Patterson, the O’Connors at midfield and tidy scorer, Michael Kelliher will be enhanced by the campaign.

Scorers for St Brendan’s: D Shaw (1-4), D O’Sullivan (0-7, 4 frees), B Courtney (1-1), J Griffin, M O’Shea (0-2 each), N Donohue, C Gammell, D Moynihan, B Keane (0-1 each).

Scorers for Tralee CBS: M Kelliher (0-4, 3 frees), T. O’Connor (0-2), K Dwyer (free), T Hoare, D Keane, S Quilter, N O’Mahoney (0-1 each).

St BRENDAN’S: R Osborne (Legion); L MacMonagle (Dr Crokes), C. O’Donoghue (Glenflesk), S O’Leary (Kilcummin); J Griffin (Dr Crokes), M Potts (Dr Crokes), N Donohue (Firies); B Courtney (Dr Crokes), C Gammell (Legion); D Moynihan (Spa), D. O’Sullivan (Firies), B. Keane (Listry); D Shaw (Dr Crokes), M O’Shea (Dr Crokes), C Flynn (Firies).
Subs: M Hartnett (Dr Crokes) for Keane (44);; M Fitzgerald (Dr Crokes) for Griffin (56).

TRALEE CBS: S Foley (Kerins O’Rahilly’s); B Patterson (Austin Stacks), T Lynch (St Pat’s), J Myers (John Mitchels); J Walsh (Knocknagoshel), K. Dwyer (St Pat’s), N O’Mahoney (Na Gaeil); J O’Connor (Austin Stacks), T. O’Connor (Ballymacelligot); S Donnellan (Churchill), T Hoare (Kerins O’Rahillys), M Scanlon (Castlergregory); D Keane (Ballymacelligott), G. Fitzgerald (Austin Stacks), M Kelliher (John Mitchels)
Subs: S Quilter (Austin Stacks) for Donnellan (41); A Roche (Kerins O’Rahillys) for Scanlon (49); D Fitzmaurice (Austin Stacks) for Kelliher (54); S Hamilton (Churchill) for Hoare (58).

REFEREE: E Walsh

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Fixture Details

Saturday 25th February @ 4:30pm
Corn Ui Mhuiri (18.5 A F) final
St Brendans V Tralee CBS
Austin Stack Park
Referee – Eddie Walsh

In the event of a draw, the replay will be scheduled for the 4th March.

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When – Saturday February 25th at 4:30pm
Where – Austin Stack Park Tralee
Referee – Eddie Walsh (Kerry)
Next Round – The winners will play the Connacht champions on Saturday March 18th

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Admission Prices
Adults – €10
Students / OAP’s – €5
Under 12s – Free

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Live Streaming – The Corn Ui Mhuiri Final will be streamed live on www.munstergaapps.ie

Direct Streaming Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocOUP5N-fpI

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Match Programme

Don’t forget to pick up a copy of the 36 page souvenir match programme.

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Results to Date

Tralee CBS
Semi-Final 2nd Replay – Tralee CBS 1-10 Colaiste Chriost Rí 0-11
Semi-Final Replay – Tralee CBS 2-11 Colaiste Chriost Rí 1-14 (AET)
Semi-Final – Tralee CBS 1-18 Colaiste Chriost Rí 1-18 (AET)
Quarter-Final – Tralee CBS 2-10 IS Killorglin 1-10
Group A Round 3 – Tralee CBS 1-10 Coláiste Choilm Ballincollig 0-4
Group A Round 2 – St. Francis College Rochestown 3-10 Tralee CBS 1-16
Group A Round 1 – Tralee CBS 1-15 Coláiste na Sceilge 0-11

St Brendan’s Killarney
Semi-Final – St Brendan’s Killarney 2-17 St Flannans 1-11
Quarter-Final – St Brendan’s Killarney 2-18 PS Chorcha Dhuibhne 0-9
Group C Round 3 – St Brendan’s Killarney 2-24 Árdscoil Uí Urmaltaigh Bandon 0-8
Group C Round 2 – St Brendan’s Killarney 1-15 De La Salle College Macroom 1-8
Group C Round 1 – St Brendan’s Killarney 2-23 I.S. Killorglin 1-7

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Match Preview

Saturday’s Corn Ui Mhuiri Final will serve as yet another reminder of the healthy state of Kerry underage football as St Brendan’s Killarney look to retain their title against a battle hardened Tralee CBS side.

St Brendan’s Killarney as reigning Corn Ui Mhuiri and Hogan Cup champions have been impressive in their march to this year’s Munster Final. In their five matches to date, they have averaged just under 25 points on aggregate per game. Perhaps an even more impressive stat in their mean defence which has kept opponents to under ten scores in all bar their semi-final when St. Flannans managed to score 1-11. With a sprinkling of All-Ireland Minor Football medal winners in their team, St. Brendan’s will certainly go in to Saturday’s game as deserving favourites.

Tralee CBS on the other hand were not seen as one of the favourites to progress to this stage, in particular when losing out by three points to St. Francis College Rochestown in the group stages. Tralee managed to qualify for the knockout stages as group runners-up and in the Quarter-Final, they were put to the pin of their collar by IS Killorglin before winning out by 3 points. A semi-final versus Colaiste Chriost Rí awaited and what an epic saga that turned out to be as it took 220 minutes of football to separate the sides. In the first game, Colaiste Chriost Rí were the better side early on but Tralee CBS looked destined to progress only for the Cork side to come back to level at the end of normal time and the end of extra time to force a replay. In that replay, it was Colaiste Chriost Rí who found themselves in front only to be pegged back with late Tralee CBS scores at the end of normal time and extra time to ensure a third game was required. In that second replay, Tralee CBS scored an all-important goal early on and that proved decisive in earning a 1-10 to 0-11 victory and with it, a place in the Corn Ui Mhuiri Final.

If you cannot make it to the Austin Stack Park Tralee on Saturday will be streamed live via www.munstergaapps.ie. Don’t miss out.

Eddie Walsh of Kerry will be the referee for Saturday’s Final and may the best team win.

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Corn Ui Mhuiri Preview
https://t.co/OsYPcUzb6a

— Radio Kerry Sport (@radiokerrysport) February 22, 2017

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