Corn Uí Mhuiri Talking Points: Cork-Kerry football gap, remember the name, and Mounthawk's midfield machine
DANGER HERE: St Brendan's flying inside forward Ben Kelliher is challenged by Eoin Moriarty of Tralee CBS in their Corn Uí Mhuirí quarter-final at Austin Stack Park. Pic: Domnick Walsh
FOR the second January in succession, Kerry schools outnumber their Cork counterparts three-to-one in the Corn Uí Mhuirí semi-final line-up. For the second January in succession, and for the eighth season out of the last nine, Cork representation in the competition is likely to end at the semi-final juncture.
Three Cork schools - Hamilton High School Bandon, Patrician Academy Mallow, and St Francis College Rochestown - were involved in this week’s quarter-finals. Hammies were the sole Cork school to remain standing at the close of business. They were most impressive in dismissing PS Chorca Dhuibhne. Their reward is a semi-final outing against a back-to-back chasing Mounthawk side that boasts an average winning margin of 17 points.
As for Mallow and Rochestown, they weren’t just eliminated, they were well beaten and undressed. The aforementioned Mounthawk led Rochestown by 28 points, 5-22 to 1-6, before four late goals brought the final losing margin down to 17 points. Mallow also endured a double-digit beating, Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine holding them to just 0-6 on their way to a 10-point victory.
The argument on the Cork side is often that the county shouldn’t get overly exercised by the Corn Uí Mhuirí stranglehold of Kerry’s post-primary powerhouses. The arguments goes that St Brendan’s Killarney - four-times champions since 2016 - and Tralee CBS - five-times finalists since 2017 - are one-stop football shops in their respective towns and all the talent in their catchment area is filing through the one door.
Cork’s school spread is less concentrated and therefore they can’t be measured like-for-like. There’s an element of truth to that, especially with the Sem in Killarney. But how does one explain Mercy Mounthawk then and their progression to a third consecutive semi-final? They are pulling from the same pool as Tralee CBS. Or Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine, who in their debut Corn Uí Mhuirí campaign have gone all the way to the last four and will now fancy themselves to upset the Sem.
Cork and Kerry schools have collided 14 times in the 2024-25 edition of the Corn Uí Mhuirí. The head-to-head shows Kerry 9-5 in front. It’ll likely finish 10-5. The gap isn’t closing, it’s widening.
It was the 2013 John Egan Memorial U14 Tournament at the Fitzgerald Stadium if I recall. Laune Rangers played Fossa in the Div 3 final, with Killorglin winning by a point (3-9 to 2-11). However all the post-match chatter was about a young strapping lad, named David Clifford who scored Fossa’s entire 2-11 total. And it was a 20-minute a side game. It is a heavy burden to compare anything to the wunderkind but there was a similar frisson of excitement watching the precocious 16-year-old Ben Kelliher of Dr Crokes turn in a stellar hour for St Brendan’s in their victory over a fancied Tralee CBS side at Austin Stack Park. Kelliher was making a Corn Ui Mhuiri debut as he was busy with Frewen Cup (U17) before Christmas. We watched him score 1-6 in the final of that competition as the Sem hammered Clonakilty in the final, coached by Vince Cooper and Gavin White.
Management of the seniors had the confidence then to start him in Wednesday’s U19 A high octane derby clash with Tralee CBS, and wearing the 13 jersey, he was man of the match, scoring 0-5 from play, was involved in setting up the Sem’s goal and he was denied a goal himself as Tralee CBS’s Eoin Moriarty scooped the ball of the line.
Kelliher is quick and elusive, can kick points for fun and despite his tender years, he is not wanting when faced with the physicality of a big defender. Kerry minor manager Wayne Quillinan was on the terrace and he must have been impressed. Throw in the Green’s Gearoid White (who didn’t play due to illness) and Kerry’s minor management will not be lacking for scoring power. If he stays in school, Kelliher could line out in four Corn Ui Mhuiri campaigns but that’s for another day – for the moment, just remember the name!
The Corn Uí Mhuirí semi-finals are pencilled in for Saturday week (January 25), which is the same day the Allianz FL and HL commences. In Cork’s case, supporters already have to choose between SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh for the footballers against Meath (5pm) and the hurlers away to Wexford in Chadwicks Wexford Park at the same time.
In the Corn Ui Mhuiri, Hamilton HS Bandon are due to play reigning champions Mercy Mounthawk Tralee and there is an all-Kerry clash between St Brendan’s College Killarney and Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine Kenmare.
Would it be possible to play the two semis as curtain-raisers to Cork and Kerry’s respective football league games against Meath and Donegal? It would mean reigning champions Mercy Mounthawk travelling to Leeside, but surely the most important fact would be showcasing the talent.
Likewise, switch the other semi-final to Sunday and play it after the Kerry/Donegal fixture in Fitzgerald Stadium which has a 1.45pm throw-in. This would also enable Seán O’Shea to patrol the sidelines with his school Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine Kenmare.
IT might seem an onerous task for Hamilton High School, but squaring up against red hot favourites Mercy Mounthawk in the semi-final, shouldn’t faze the west Cork lads.
They’ve already beaten Kerry opposition twice - Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine Kenmare in the group stage and they’re sure to feel good after an impressive showing against Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne in the quarter-final.
This is only their second time to contest the semi-final. Three years ago, they pushed aristocrats St Brendan’s College all the way, and after a titanic battle that involved extra-time, they lost 1-20 to 3-12.
St Brendan’s went on to win the provincial decider. History is in the making if Hamilton High School can cement their place in the final.
Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine are giving a lift to Kenmare football, and proving a point while they are at it.
For a school that had never played in the Corn Uí Mhuirí before this season, they have grown as a team every step of their journey to the final four.
Along the way, Ronan Buckley, who coaches the team alongside Seán O’Shea, hopes they can gain greater recognition for the depth of talent in the region.
“Even when Seánie was playing, they were playing at B level and they’d a strong team,” he says.
“Maybe it comes back to the confidence thing. Maybe Kenmare football has been written off a small bit and not really respected.
“I noticed when I came down there was a real ability there and real potential. We’re starting to see that now. I’d like to see a lot more fellas getting a chance with the Kerry teams, to be honest, at U20 and driving on to senior level because I think there’s a lot of talent in that group.”
Where once top-grade football wasn’t on the agenda, this culture change could yet lead to Kenmare taking their place on the Corn Uí Mhuirí roll of honour alongside the likes of Killarney, Tralee, Dingle, Caherciveen, and Killorglin.
THE case for defence is easily made. The numbers are staggering. So does an inevitability hangs over the destination of this year’s Corn Uí Mhuirí? Was the silverware to finish in any dressing-room other than Mercy Mounthawk’s, then there’s been an upset of considerable proportions.
In predicting ahead, we can only rely on what has gone before. The evidence is overwhelming. Mercy Mounthawk have played four games in their campaign to date. Their winning margins read 20, 20, 12, and 17 points respectively. The latter would have been up in the high-20s were it not for a total switch off in the final 10 minutes of Wednesday’s quarter-final that enabled Rochestown swoop for four late goals.
Rochestown were the first team this campaign to take Mounthawk for 10 or more scores. Before that, the most they’d conceded in a single hour was eight.
In two of their four outings, Mounthawk have taken the opposition for five goals. In a third, they went one shy of that green flag total with four.
They have a midfield pairing of Ben Murphy and Daniel Kirby that have contributed 5-10 to date. If two forwards were contributing such numbers, they’d be earning rave reviews, never mind two lads wearing No. 8 and 9.
The expectation was that for the second February in succession the final would be an all-Tralee derby between Tralee CBS and Mounthawk. That was based on their Kerry Colleges O’Sullivan Cup final before Christmas, a game Mounthawk won 3-8 to 1-9. But the Green are gone. Their quarter-final conquerors, the Sem, now appear pose the greatest threat to Mounthawk’s back-to-back bid. They’ve already met, Mounthawk winning that O’Sullivan Cup semi-final 0-23 to 3-8, 23 scores to 11.
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