Críost Rí fit and focused on halting Brendan’s charge

KERRY Colleges football is on the rise again with three schools involved in the Corn Uí Mhuirí semi-finals this weekend.

The county will have at least one team in the decider, but to make it an all-Kerry occasion for the second year in-a-row, St Brendan’s must beat Coláiste Chríost Rí in Cloughduv tomorrow (2.30pm).

Brendan’s lost last year’s final to Tralee CBS and it’s been 14 years since they last won the cup. Yet they top the roll of honour with 18 titles, four more than their Cork opponents.

While St Brendan’s came through the round robin unbeaten, producing scintillating football that has them as favourites, Críost Rí dropped a point after surrendering a 10-point lead to ISK. According to coach Mick Evans though, they will be at full strength for the first time this year.

To add more spice to the tie, Kerry captain Paul Galvin is a teacher with the Killarney school and has helped with preparations. A year ago he was teaching in Críost Rí and is familiar with their squad. Evans admitted: “Having Paul in the opposite corner is going to make this game all the more interesting. Our form in the round robin series wasn’t great. We looked to be heading for a comfortable win over ISK but were fortunate to get a draw. However, we played well in the next game against Coláiste Choilm and won with a bit to spare.

“Brendan’s have been touted as potential champions from early in the competition, but it will all come down to who wants it most.”

The Killarney school made heavy work of defeating Coláiste Choilm in the quarter-final and had the Ballincollig school not conceded so many frees, they could have won the game.

The Sem will look to Kevin O’Regan, James O’Donoghue, Shane O’Neill, Christopher O’Leary, Padraig O’Connor and Cian Tobin to see off the Chríost Rí challenge.

However the Capwell school have good footballers in Shane Martin, Ian Leahy, Eoin Keane, Darren McCarthy and Greg Browne and it will take a top class performance from Brendan’s to make the decider.

Champions Tralee CBS should make it to their second final in a row today when they play Dingle CBS at Fitzgerald Stadium (2pm).

Tralee made heavy work beating Coláiste na Sceilge in the round robin before comfortably seeing off an under strength St Fachtna’s in their second game, and they subsequently lost to St Brendan’s in the Kerry Colleges championship.

While the Green had five points to spare over St Flannan’s in the quarter-final, they made hard work of winning. They failed to use the height advantage Edmond Walsh gave them at full forward and that mistake could prove costly if repeated.

Last year’s county minors Barry Shanahan and Wayne Guthrie should give them a grip on midfield and with Barry John Keane in a rich vein of scoring form, Tralee must be fancied.

Derbies usually bring the best out of the contestants and Dingle, with legendary Paidi Ó Sé lending a hand with the coaching stakes, will relish this challenge.

Their form in the earlier rounds was patchy, but they have been steady without being spectacular.

It took them an age to see off the challenge of St Fachtna’s in the quarter-final. They led by five points at the break, but had to survive a tremendous fightback by the Skibbereen school before emerging three-point winners.

Cathal Ó Fiannachta should be fit to play after breaking a finger in the warm-up and will be a welcome addition, although his replacement Liam Flannery did enough to warrant inclusion.

Joe Sheehy, Seamus MacGearailt, Paul Geaney and Tomás Ó Caomhánaigh are others who will test the mettle of the champions — but if tradition and experience count for anything, Tralee CBS should survive a searching test.