Minor Footballers aim to follow hurlers into Munster Final

By Liam Hogan

After winning Phase 1 in the Munster Minor Football Championship and taking home the Darrel Darcy Cup, Tipperary now take on Cork on Thursday evening with a provincial final place at stake.

Phase 1 produced an unbeaten run over Limerick, Waterford, and Clare before beating the Treaty County again in the final and as a result Tipp now play their fifth game in the one season, a rare statistic but not for the first time.

We have to go back to 2003 to see the last time Tipperary played at least five games in the Munster Minor Football Championship. That year was the final one of a three-year experiment introduced by the Munster Council and Tipperary got good use of it by winning ten out of the nineteen games and drawing one.

In 2001, which was similar to this year’s system with Tipp winning two out of the three round robin games before accounting for Limerick in a play-off which led to a Munster semi-final defeat to Cork. In 2002, both Kerry and Cork were introduced to the early rounds, and Tipp beat Kerry in the first game before drawing with Cork in round two. They lost one of their five round robin games against Clare but did enough to reach the semi-final where they accounted for Limerick before falling to Kerry in the Munster decider.

In the following year they lost two out of the five games, against Kerry and Clare but yet reached the semi-final which they lost to Cork.

It’s six years since Tipperary last played Cork in a Munster Minor Football championship game and its seven years since last appearing in a provincial semi-final have having too weeks to reflect and build on the win over Limerick, Tipperary manager John McNamara provided an insight into their preparations.

“We have been focusing in on a few elements of our game in terms of our support play and during the last session or two we have been focusing on what we will encounter against Cork next Thursday,” he began.

“We are trying to make them aware in what to expect when they go out on the field. As I have said before the players have listened to everything, we have given them, and they are taking full responsibility for their own game, so we are confident for Thursday.”

Thursday will be a busy day for the McNamara who also has the distraction of facing his final engineering exam in a quest for an honour’s degree. The Clonmel Commercials clubman is an engineer with the Clonmel based Abbott Vascular. Work and education aside, John is happy to see that Tipperary are picking from a full squad, except for Finn Nolan. The right corner back picked up a foot injury against Waterford in round two.

“He is back on the field, but his foot is heavily strapped,” revealed the Tipp manager.

“You just have to allow the injury take its course. I am hoping and if we get past Thursday, he will be back in our squad again.”

While Tipp have played four games so far, the Rebel County played one when they travelled to Austin Stack Park, Tralee to take on Kerry last Wednesday where the home side won 1-16 to 0-5. The Tipp manager did not travel to the game but watched the match on video and reckons that Cork were not at full tilt that evening.

“I watch the video of the game and as every Cork team have there are highly skilled players,” he said.

“Their right corner forward is especially busy and can solo with both feet while their midfielders are big men, and they can play.

“When you look at them on video, they do not seem to be physically imposing but when they come out on the field next Thursday it could all change. We have to be very aware of what is in front of us,”

“Do I think Cork were at full tilt? I would have thought they should have cause if nothing else they need game time for the starting fifteen. But look we have to take it as we have seen it.

“Kerry looked very good, but Cork seemed to be a bit nervous on the evening so I’m expecting a different Cork performance on Thursday evening.”

He added: “Look for Tipperary, this style of championship has been very good. It’s been a massive experience and apart from the four games we have played eight or nine challenge games. These players seem to lap it up and want to get as much experience as possible. We played a few of the Leinster teams who were a few weeks ahead of us because their championship started earlier. Since the championship started the cohesion and the consistency really played in.

“This is a good football team at minor level and now we want to know can we compete against the Corks and the Kerry’s. I know we can compete and now that they have seen the Minor hurlers doing well will act as an incentive.”

The Tipperary Minor Footballers play Cork this Thursday evening in FBD Semple Stadium at 7pm in the Munster Minor Football Championship Semi Final.

The following is the team and subs for the game.

1 (GK) ROBBIE MCGRATH Galtee Rovers

2 ALEX MCSHERRY Clonmel Commercials

3 CIARAN BYRNE Golden Kilfeacle

4 JAMIE BERGIN JK Brackens

5 EOIN O’CONNELL Loughmore/Castleiney

6 CHARLIE KING (Capt) Ballina

7 THOMAS CHARLES Clonmel Commercials

8 JOE HIGGINS Clonmel Commercials

9 PADDY O’KEEFFE Moyle Rovers

10 CHARLIE ENGLISH Ballyporeen

11 TOMMY O’CONNOR Kilsheelan/Kilcash

12 BEN CAREY Ballylooby/Castlegrace

13 CONALL GROGAN Galtee Rovers

14 DAITHI HOGAN St Patricks

15 FIONN FITZGERALD Killenaule

16 (GK) OISIN O’DONOGHUE Kilsheelan/Kilcash

17 ALEX CREED Clonmel Commercials

18 DYLAN FOGARTY Boherlahan Dualla

19 CHARLIE GRACE Ballina

20 DARRAGH LANDERS Clonmel Commercials

21 DANNY MOORE Moyne-Templetouhy

22 DARRAGH O’CONNOR Clonmel Commercials

23 EANNA ORMOND Golden Kilfeacle

24 OISIN SHELLY Killenaule