Senior football championship reaches the final four

THE semi-final line-up in the Live 95FM Limerick Senior Football Championship is now complete – holders Ballylanders will bump into St. St. Senan’s and Fr. Casey’s booked their last four berth with a weekend replayed win against Pallasgreen in Bruff, with both ties penciled-in to go ahead the weekend after next.

A fortnight earlier, both Pallasgreen and Fr. Casey’s squandered decent scoring opportunities to have life that little bit easier in terms of reaching the really competitive stage of the main domestic football competition on Shannonside. For Pallasgreen to have advanced back then it would have been a really huge coup, in only their third year in the top flight and it they also who successful steered through the committee stage the first-time introduction of quarter-finals to the championship.

Alan Wallace, who not a lot was heard about prior to this confrontation, really sparkled for Pallasgreen in the opening-half after which the underdogs were a couple of points to the good. The goal, one of genuine quality, came as early as the 10th minute and established Pallasgreen with an early cushion, one which they carried with them throughout the opening 30 minutes. John O’Connell’s immaculate free-taking was another reason for the difference between the teams at the interval.

With immense rapidity, Fr. Casey’s of Abbeyfeale – champions only two years ago and who have produced a string of brilliant minor and U21 teams of late – piled on the points at the commencement of the new half, with Tom Collins, Padraig McEnery (who kicked 20 points in Limerick’s extended run in the minor football championshipP and impressive replacement John O’Riordan all making notable impacts in their various attacking roles.

In the opening-half recovery, it was left to young Billy Quirke and one-time county senior captain Paudie Browne to deliver timely points, all of which were really telling contributions at a time when Pallasgreen appeared certain to cause a major upset in the destination of the Fr. William Casey Memorial Cup for the next 12 months.

Elsewhere, Oola and Mungret couldn’t be separated in a hugely competitive quarter-final of the Paudie Ryan Catering Intermediate Football Championship at Fitzgerald Park in Kilmallock. The sides will most likely lock horns again next weekend to decide which one of them will join Ballysteen, St. Patrick’s and either Croom or Cappamore, who finished level a couple of weeks back.

South Liberties have been relegated after their 1-11 to 2-4 loss against Gerald Griffins in Croagh.

Reale tips Ahane for county glory

DAMIEN Reale has tipped Ahane to return to the winners’ rostrum in the Live 95FM Limerick Senior Hurling Championship.

The famed easterners have been in excellent form of late, most recently when they totally outclassed great rivals Doon in a lob-sided quarter-final at the Gaelic Grounds. The selection has also gained a few fine new additions in the likes of Paul O’Connor, Mike Carr, Cathal O’Reilly and especially Sean Madden, who hit 1-4 in his last club outing. The team still also boasts of the Moran brothers, Niall and Ollie, along with Adrian Smith, Sean O’Connor and David Laing, who has seldom not been on the scoreboard this season.

“From what I’ve seen off the championship this year, and I’ve seen plenty, it all points towards Ahane reemerging as the force that saw them dominate only a short few years back. I’ve fancied all year and the way the championship has panned out, it all looks very good for them at this stage. Still, at the semi-finals of any championship anything can be thrown-up, but it must be Ahane for me at this point,” reasoned Reale, ahead of Ahane’s semi-final date with Garryspillane at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday next (3.30pm).

“After the quarter-finals, it all points towards two very competitive two semi-final-finals. Garryspillane had a very good win over Granagh/Ballingarry – I myself fancied Granagh/Ballingarry to come through but the Bouncers are tough out and in fairness to them, in atrocious conditions on the day, they won out and are tough as ever as it has now turned-out to be the case with their qualification for yet another semi-final.”

The curtain-raiser at headquarters is the tie between holders Adare and Kilmallock, with Reale predicting the defending champions to be dethroned. That should come as no surprise to those who witnessed Kilmallock overrun Patrickswell with consummate ease, 3-12 to 1-12, at Bruff only a few weeks back. On that wet evening, there was no stopping the scoring bursts of teenager Graeme Mulcahy (2-0), Andrew O’Shaughnessy and the returning John Kelly. Also in young Barry Hennessy, the balbec side have the makings of the next county senior netminder.

Adare certainly didn’t set the world alight in scraping past Western Gaels and will need to show a major improvement if it’s to be back-to-back final appearances for an outfit still managed by Ger O’Loughlin, an individual tipped for inter-county coaching duty in the very near future. Conor Fitzgerald and Donncha Sheehan continue to present the greatest scoring threat for the title-holders.

“It’s the tougher of the two semi-finals to call, with both panels having such great players,” Reale said. “Adare won it last year, but maybe Kilmallock could spring the surprise of the semi-finals here and make it back into the final after a few years of a break. Nothing is beyond Adare, tough, a team that have done it all as recently as last season.”

In the Paudie Ryan Catering Intermediate Hurling Championship, the semi-final pairings are Mungret against Bruff and Glenroe versus Caherline, two hugely attractive fixtures.

Interviews for hurling post complete

EXPECT white smoke in the coming weeks from the committee tasked with proposing the new manager of the flagship Limerick Senior Hurling Team – that’s the word on the ground as the sextet in contention were all interviewed by the high-powered selectors from the county executive and divisions inside the last ten days.

From an initial entry of ten, the short-list now numbers six, one headed-up by outgoing boss Richie Bennis, ex-Waterford boss Justin McCarthy, Clare selector from the All-Ireland wins of 1995 and ’97 Tony Considine, Limerick’s intermediate supremo Gerry Molyneaux, Ahane and Limerick great Pat Herbert and one-time Kerry coach Eddie Murphy.

It’s not expected that the new manager, and his reduced selection committee of two, will be proposed to club delegates until the October County Board Meeting. The executive, however, have the power to request an earlier special meeting, if they feel there is a need for the new management structure to be put in place sooner, such as before the imminent county senior final at the Gaelic Grounds in a short few weeks.

There isn’t a book open on the position, but many now reckon that Bennis stands a much better chance than only a short few weeks back of returning to the top managerial berth in Limerick, with Gary Kirby as his sidekick. Others, however, have their money on Considine, McCarthy and Herbert, with Molyneaux – although he steered Limerick to their only silverware of the year – and Murphy as the outsiders of the pack.

The selection committee consists of executive chairman Liam Lenihan, secretary Mike O’Riordan, treasurer Owen Hayes and club delegates Oliver Mann (Patrickswell), Ahane’s Louis Quirke, Jim Dooley of Garryspillane and Jimmy Stapleton (Granagh/Ballingarry).

Around the time of the announcement of the new boss, a number of senior county players are also expected to come clean on their future intentions – these include last year’s skipper Mark Foley, Barry Foley and Ollie Moran, who between them have given close on a half-century of service to the cause for Limerick’s first All-Ireland since way back in 1973.

On the football front, there “appears no serious alternative” to Mickey ‘Ned’ O’Sullivan’s continued reign as manager of the Limerick senior team, with the outgoing selectors of Donie Buckley (coach), Joe Redington and Paddy Ivess all likely to remain also. Negotiations between the football executive and O’Sullivan are expected to continue for another couple of weeks, according to informed sources.

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