Phelan fine as newcomer's goal sees off students
Limerick 2-11 IT Tralee 1-7
Newcomer Dermot Phelan shone as Limerick crushed IT Tralee in the McGrath Cup senior football quarter-final. He scored his side's crucial opening goal 13 minutes into the second half and he also had two points.
Having led by 0-6 to 0-1 at the interval Phelan's goal had Limerick 1-9 to 0-2 clear.
But they fell asleep for a 10 minute spell during Tralee scored four unanswered points and when Paul O'Donoughue had a Tralee goal two minutes from the end only five points separated them. But Stephen Lavin had a Limerick goal to clinch the big win.
The game was transferred from Feenagh to the county Kerry venue but the change gave no inspiration to the students who included Kerry U-21 star, Paddy Curran -- who had a first half penalty saved -- and three Kerry minors.
Scorers -- Limerick: A Lane 0-2, S Lavin1-0, G Noonan 0-1, D Phelan 1-2, I Ryan 0-3 (1f), G Collins 0-1, J Murphy 0-1, M Crowley 0-1. IT Tralee: G Coffey,0-1, P O'Donoughue 1-0, S Courtney, 0-3, P Curran 0-2, J Doolan, 0-1.
Limerick -- S Kiely; S Walsh, J McCarthy, S Gallagher; A Lane, S Lavin, P Ranahan; G Noonan, J Galvin; P Browne, D Phelan, I Ryan, G Collins, S Buckley, J Murphy. Subs: T Cahill for Lane, L O'Dwyer for Ranahan, M Crowley 0-1, for Browne.
IT Tralee -- C Moran; P Og O'Sullivan, M Kennedy, S Brown; M Cahill, D Cullotty, G Coffey; S Hennessy, P O'Donoughue; M Evans, D Wallace, S Courtney, G O'Connell, P Curran, J Doolan.
Ref -- R Hickey, Clare.
Clare 1-13 UL 1-7
Clare advanced to the semi-final of the McGrath Cup with a comfortable six-point victory over the University of Limerick in Cooraclare yesterday. It helped the Bannner County avenge last year's defeat to the students in the first round.
Their victory was never in doubt as they hit the ground running with the wind at their backs in the first half, leading 0-6 to 0-1 after 15 minutes while Rory Donnelly's goal in the 25th minute helped them into a 1-7 to 0-4 interval lead. The second half was a canter as Clare held onto their lead.
Scorers -- Clare: Michael O'Shea (0-4), Rory Donnelly (1-0), Jimmy Larkin (0-2), Sean Collins (0-2), Stephen Hickey (0-1), Frank O'Dea (0-1), Fintan Conway (0-1), Timmy Ryan (0-1), Keith Whelan (0-1). UL: Pat Byrne (1-0), Corick Keane (0-2), David Moran (0-2), Patrick Carroll (0-1), Gary Brennan (0-1), Fiachra Lynch (0-1).
Clare -- Shane O'Connell, Laurence Healy, Conor Whelan, Gordon Kelly, Niall Considine, Fintan Conway, Enda Doyle, Frank O'Dea, Darragh Kelly, Jimmy Larkin, Michael O'Shea, Keith Whelan , Rory Donnelly, Stephen Hickey, Sean Collins . Subs Timmy Ryan for Healy, Shane Ryan for Donnelly, David Tubridy for Sean Collins, David Ryan for Darragh Kelly.
University of Limerick -- Dermot Dineen, Colm O'Mahony, Stephen Twomey, Ronan Brady, Patrick Carroll, Alan O'Sullivan, Kevin Harrington, David Moran, Gary Brennan, Fiachra Lynch, Corick Keane, Pat Byrne, Enda Varley, Barry Moran, Christy McGowan. Subs: Anthony Feeney for Brady, Paul Larkin for Twomey, David Greaney for Varley, Mattie Brennan for McGowan.
Tipperary 1-4 Cork IT 0-9
TIPPERARY crashed to a McGrath Cup quarter final defeat as Kerry native John Evans took charge of the team for the first time in a competitive fixture yesterday.
Damian O'Brien's 23rd minute goal helped the Premier County to a 1-3 to 0-3 half-time advantage but they added just a single point in the second half.
Cork IT, inspired by corner forward Colm O'Neill, were much improved after half-time but the students had goalkeeper Brendan Kealy to thank for a superb save four minutes from time which denied O'Brien. CIT will take on Clare in next Sunday's semi-final and will have benefited greatly from this work-out.
Scorers -- Tipperary: E Kearney 0-1, D O'Brien 1-1 (1f) , S Grogan 0-1, D Darcy 0-1. Cork IT: H Curran 0-1, P O'Flynn 0-1, C O'Neill 0-4, B Sheehan 0-3 (2f)
TIPPERARY -- P Fitzgerald; A Foley, P Codd, B Fox; C Maher, N Fitzgerald, L Coskeran; E Hanrahan, G Hannigan; P Austin, C Morrissey, E Kearney, D O'Brien, S Grogan, D Darcy. Subs: M Harding for Morrissey (injury 23m), B Grogan for Austin (37m), P Johnson for Hannigan (45m), K Mulryan for Johnson (inj, 48m), S Carey for Darcy (57m).
CORK IT -- B Kealy; R Carey, C Ryan, R O'Dwyer; G O'Shea, E Hegarty, N Canty; J Fitzpatrick, A Douglas; H Curran, P O'Flynn, S Cahalane; C O'Neill (0-4), R Leahy, B Sheehan. Subs: S McCarthy for Cahalane (55m).
- Cork IT 0-9
