Tralee CBS captain Foley set to miss Corn Uí Mhuirí decider
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Mercy Mounthawk Captain Odhran Ferris and Tralee CBS Captain Jake Foley.
Tralee CBS captain Jake Foley is a major injury doubt for Saturday's historic all-Tralee Corn Ui Mhuiri final against Mercy Mounthawk.
Foley - who excelled at corner back in both the SFC and Club Championships last season with Kerins O’Rahilly’s - was a 2022 Kerry minor and he is one of two survivors (Jer Brosnan is the other) from a fancied Tralee CBS side beaten by arch-rivals St Brendan’s College in the 2022 final.
Foley, who is a grandson of Johnny Foley, Kerry's All-Ireland-winning goalkeeper in 1953, started his playing days with St Pat's Blennerville, buit was always going to play with the Strand Road club.
“My granddad has always supported me up along," Foley said. "He played in three county finals himself and won two, so I suppose I'm a little bit behind! I started playing when I was 8 or 9 years of age. I was in primary school in Blennerville, but I'm a Narrie and my father and grandfather have always encouraged me.”
Tralee CBS did not look like a side that would reach a Corn Uí Mhuirí final after losing their first game in the O’Sullivan Cup to the Seanie O’Shea-coached PS Inbhear Sceine in a penalty shootout. Foley didn't start due to a SFC game against Mid-Kerry that was on the horizon.
He came on for the last fifteen minutes and helped his side force penalties with a five-star display at midfield.
“At the start of the year, we had a lot of players injured. The likes of Andrew Kerins and Eoin O'Flaherty didn't play O'Sullivan Cup. We had a good opening win over Skibbereen. We had a tough one against Spioraid Naoimh of Bishopstown (Cork's Simcox Cup winners scored four second-half goals to win by 6-12 to 3-11) but in a way, I think that drove us on. We learned a lot from that game. Teams had been running through us along the way but we got a much better defensive structure in place. You learn far more from a loss like that than you do from any win.”
But disaster struck for Foley and Tralee CBS just after five minutes into their quarter-final against Abbey CBS: “I got injured early on in the quarter-final and I missed the semi-final. I'm not sure you can say it's disruptive. I'm out and another player is in and they have to step up to the plate. On a personal level, it is a bit frustrating for me. I played in 2022 and we lost out to the Sem in that final so I'd like a chance to redeem that."
He revealed: “I have a grade three hamstring tear. I tore the hamstring with the Kerry minors so I have been rehabbing that but unfortunately, whatever way I turned early on in that Abbey game, I did some bit of damage.”
He has learned a lot from his elevation to the Kerins O’Rahilly’s senior team.
“I've been lucky enough to make the Strand Road starting team and that has been a great experience. You are up against established Kerry clubs and Kerry seniors in some cases. It's a real learning curve but it gave me a lot of confidence for playing in the Corn Uí Mhuirí. I have played in the half-back line with both the club and the school but my favourite position is always in the fullback line."
He added: “Mounthawk are going to be very tough. They are an older team; they have that little bit more experience. They won both the Frewen and Dunloe Cups two years ago so they are a bit ahead of us in our development. You are probably looking at seven or eight of the Kerry U20 panel this year. Look, we have a good team ourselves. I thought we played well overall against Patrician Academy Mallow, maybe a bit of a lull in the third quarter, but I thought we pushed on well again after that.
“A Tralee derby for a Corn Uí Mhuirí final is a new thing for all of us and it has created a great buzz around the town. I was down at our clubhouse earlier this week and there was great banter. It's a massive thing. This is a part of history and we all want to play our part in it and leave it all on the field. We lost in 2022 as favourites. We are going in as underdogs this time out."
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