LIMERICK county football champions Monaleen will take on Cork title holders UCC this Sunday afternoon in the Munster Senior Club Championship quarter finals. The game has a 2pm throw in and is fixed for Cloughduv in Cork.
UCC won the Cork title for the 10th time, beating Castlehaven by 1-12 to 0-10 in the final after leading by four points at half-time. Daithi Casey scored 1-4 for the winners who had an inspiring leader in team captain, Sean Kiely. He was one of six Corkmen on the starting fifteen which featured no fewer than eight from Kerry, plus one from Roscommon.
Monaleen retained the Limerick title, beating Newcastlewest by five points (1-12 to 1-7) in the final. Monaleen, who lost to Dr.Crokes (Kerry) in last year’s Munster quarter-final, led Newcastlewest by 1-11 to 0-4 after 50 minutes but had to withstand a torrid final ten minutes where they were out-scored by 1-3 to 0-1. However, Monaleen, for whom Ger Collins scored 1-3 and Muiris Gavin 0-4, had enough in hand to see them through.
A Limerick team has only won the Munster club title on two occasions. Thomond College in 1977 and Dromcollogher Broadford in 2008. Mike Mc Dermott’s Monaleen side will have learned alot from last season’s defeat to Dr Crokes. The win over Newcastlewest in the county final was based on an economical use of the football and with UCC drawing on several stars from other counties, Monaleen will have it all to do.
The venue of Cloughduv is by no means a fast pitch, so if the weather stays the way it has been, Monaleen’s physicality could very well be the difference. Verdict: Monaleen win.
