The Sem top Corn Uí Mhuirí group with easy victory over depleted St Flannan's

There will be tougher tests for St Brendan's in the New Year, certainly more so than they faced against a St Flannan's side which rested players ahead of their Harty Cup preliminary quarter-final next week. 

STRIKE: Josh Bowler, St Brendan's, hammers home his goal while watched by John Barry, St. Flannan's, during the TUS Corn Ui Mhuiri at Ballyagran. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Corn Uí Mhuirí: St Brendan's College, Killarney (the Sem) 2-20 St Flannan's 1-2 

St Brendan’s Killarney were already safely through to the knock-out stages, and they ensured top spot in Group 1 with this facile Round 3 victory over a heavily depleted St Flannan’s in the Munster Colleges SFC (Corn Uí Mhuirí) clash at Ballyagran.

With the Ennis school having lost their opening two fixtures, and with a preliminary Harty Cup quarter-final on the horizon next week, the bottom-of-the-table side were missing up to 18 of their squad in what was a dead rubber for their prospects of progression.

Nonetheless, the Sem, winners of this competition a record 24 times, went about their business in a professional manner, doing what they had to do against the driving rain and breeze in the opening half, before putting the collective foot on the accelerator on the resumption.

Dara Brosnan and Adam Byrne were particularly influential at the back for the winners, with Jamie Moynihan thundering into things after his move to midfield for the second half. In a free-scoring forward line, Joey McCarthy prompted and probed, while Mark O’Carroll and Oisín Fleming finished in style.

The opening 30 minutes saw St Brendan’s assume complete control, and they had eight points on the board (from seven different scorers) before St Flannan’s finally opened their account in the 24th minute with a converted free by Eoin Kennedy.

Midfielder Kennedy, who fought hard all afternoon, alongside tenacious corner-back Rory Ralph, full-back Conor Hill and roving corner-forward Cathal Casey, then rocketed a penalty to the roof of the St Brendan’s net after ‘keeper Kacper Robak was adjudged to have fouled Conor Farrell.

The spot-kick goal gave St Flannan’s a little bit of sustenance going in at the break, trailing by five points (0-9 to 1-1), but with the wind to their backs on the changeover, and Moynihan’s switch to the centre of the park getting the Glenflesk man more involved, St Brendan’s upped the tempo.

O’Carroll and Fleming were particularly accurate in attack, and despite St Flannan’s custodian Leon Talty preventing Ted O’Gorman and Josh Bowler from finding the net with saves from punched efforts in either half, the winners finally goaled, through O’Gorman, in the 44th minute.

Bowler, convincingly, dispatched a second goal for St Brendan’s just three minutes later, with Ben Kelliher impressing off the bench as the contest petered out. The Sem know only too well that sterner tests lie in store in the quarter-finals in January.

Scorers for St Brendan’s: M O’Carroll, J Moynihan, O Fleming 0-4 each, J Bowler 1-1, T O’Gorman 1-0, J Dempsey, B Kelliher 0-2 each, J McCarthy, O O’Neill, L O’Brien 0-1 each.

Scorers for St Flannan’s: E Kennedy 1-1 (0-1f, 1-0pen), F O’Leary 0-1(f).

ST BRENDAN’S: K Robak (Dr Crokes); D Brosnan (Spa), A Byrne (Dr Crokes), J Rudden (Glenflesk); B Walsh (Legion), J Moynihan (Glenflesk), C Mulcahy (Dr Crokes); O O’Neill (Spa), M Kennelly (Fossa); T O’Gorman (Fossa), J McCarthy (Spa), M O’Carroll (Dr Crokes); J Dempsey (Milltown/Castlemaine), J Bowler (Legion), O Fleming (Legion).

Subs: Z Cronin (Kilcummin) for Kennelly (ht), B Kelliher (Dr Crokes) for Dempsey (40), G Morrissey (Kilcummin) for O’Neill (45), J O’Sullivan (Glenflesk) for Moynihan (51), L O’Brien (Glenflesk) for Bowler (51).

ST FLANNAN’S: L Talty (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield); R Ralph (Clarecastle), C Hill (Lissycasey), J Barry (Ennistymon); J Murphy (Lissycasey), D O’Neill (Clondegad), D Lyne (Eire Og); E Kennedy (Clondegad), D Monaghan (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield); S Mescall (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield), F O’Leary (Clarecastle), J Casey (Ennistymon); C Farrell (Eire Og), D Cassidy (Clooney Quin), C Casey (Lissycasey).

Subs: K Doyle (Eire Og) for J Casey (ht).

Referee: J Murphy (Limerick).