Corn Uí Mhuirí: What's at stake in final round of group stages?

St Francis College Rochestown can reach the quarters if they avoid defeat against Rathkeale. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

To get to the far side of Christmas is the shared goal in the final round of Corn Uí Mhuirí group fare. Finish in the top half of your respective group and involvement is sustained for another seven weeks at least.

Just two of the eight Corn Uí Mhuirí quarter-final spots are already taken. Just three of the remaining 14 teams are out of the running for the remaining six places.

In short, there’s a fair amount at stake across the seven games, and an equally sizable amount to work through to identify who is best placed to join already qualified Presentation Milltown and Tralee CBS.

Let’s start with Group 1. Winless St Flannan’s cannot finish the day in the top half of the table. Their opponents St Francis College Rochestown will achieve quarter-final involvement so long as they avoid defeat at Rathkeale.

That other Group 1 game, bringing together Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine and High School Clonmel, has been pushed back until early December and so the full quarter-final line-up will remain in flux until then.

A draw will do for the Kenmare students. For third-placed Clonmel, and no matter what happens in the Flannan’s-Rochestown clash, it is a win or elimination.

If Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine and St Francis Rochestown were to win their respective games and finish level on five points, the pair’s opening round draw means the traditional head-to-head rule would be redundant in deciding who tops the group and avoids the other group winners in the last-eight.

The new ruling which emerged last week - the team who scored most goals in the drawn fixture gets the nod - would see Kenmare claim top spot on account of their two goals bagged in the 2-7 to 0-13 stalemate.

Presentation Secondary School, Milltown cannot be ousted from top spot in Group 2. Picture: Dan Linehan

A little more straightforward is Group 2. The clash of already qualified Presentation Milltown and already eliminated Patrician Academy Mallow at Banteer is a dead duck. Irrespective of what happens in the winner-takes-all clash between Hamilton High School Bandon and IS Killorglin, Milltown cannot be dislodged from the top of the group.

Given Killorglin came within two points of Group 2 pace-setters Milltown in the opening round, by comparison with Bandon’s 1-10 to 0-3 defeat at the hands of the same opposition two weeks ago, Killorglin will be fancied to follow their fellow Kerry establishment into the post-Christmas action.

Onto Group 3. Back-to-back champions Mercy Mounthawk have bitten the dust with a round to spare on account of the head-to-head scoring criteria ruling outlined above.

Even if Mounthawk were to overcome recently crowned O’Sullivan Cup champions, Tralee CBS, and Cashel succeeded in edging St Pat’s Castleisland, delivering a deadlock for second place on three points each, the head-to-head scoring criteria would favour Cashel as they scored two goals to Mounthawk’s one in the 2-8 to 1-11 draw between the pair.

What all that means is if Cashel do edge Castleisland, they’ll go into the quarter-final draw, whereas the Kerry school need only a draw.

And finally to Group 4 where the Sem are still not fully out of the woods. Their opponents are winless Skibbereen Community School, albeit the two Skibb defeats were by margins of one and six points respectively.

The Sem take on Colaiste Choilm and need an eight-point victory for safe passage to the knockouts. Picture: Larry Cummins

St Brendan’s Killarney will be very mindful of their -3 score difference and how if Coláiste Choilm Ballincollig (+5) best Clonakilty Community College (also +5), there’ll be a three-way pile-up on four points which will be separated by score difference. The Sem will know at least an eight-point victory is required to deliver safe passage to the knockout stages.

A draw does for Clon in the all-Cork clash at Newcestown, a one-point win will do the trick for their Ballincollig opponents.

For Skibb (-7), the series of events that gets them from fourth to second is a win over St Brendan’s, a Ballincollig defeat to Clon, and the respective margins of victory and defeat wiping out the 12-point score difference that currently exists between the Skibb students and Coláiste Choilm.

Fixtures

Group 1: St Francis College, Rochestown v St Flannan’s College, Ennis, Rathkeale (1pm). 

Group 2: Hamilton High School Bandon v Intermediate School Killorglin, Bishopstown 4G (11.15am); Patrician Academy Mallow v Presentation Secondary School Milltown, Banteer (1.30pm).

Group 3: St Pat’s Castleisland v Cashel Community School, UL North Campus (12.30pm); Mercy Mounthawk v Tralee CBS, Caherslee (12.30pm).

Group 4: Clonakilty Community College v Coláiste Choilm Ballincollig, Newcestown (1.30pm); Skibbereen Community School v St Brendan’s College, Killarney, Páirc Uí Chaoimh 4G (1.30pm).