*Niall Kelly of Lissycasey. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
LISSYCASEY & COROFIN have qualified for the FutureTicketing Cusack Cup and RealPrint Garry Cup final’s following impressive displays in the semi-final’s against St. Joseph’s Miltown & Kilmihill.
Sharper Lissycasey reach Cusack cup final
Lissycasey 0-9
St. Joseph’s Miltown 0-5
Venue: Lissycasey
An all round better balanced Lissycasey deservingly for the Cusack cup (division 1) football league final when accounting for St Joseph’s Miltown at Lissycasey on Friday evening.
It won’t go down as one of the best games in this year’s competition but the winners, who were never behind, dominated in the key areas.
Team captain Conor Finnucane put Lissycaey into the lead in the first minute but the good size attendance then had to wait twenty one minutes for the net score, Miltown’s equaliser which came from a Cormac Murray free.
Lissycasey’s response was impressive, four points in the next ten minutes and they led 0-5 to 0-1 at the break having played with the aid of the fresh breeze.
The visitors struck first on the resumption and Cian O’Mahoney converted two frees in the third quarter to leave two between the sides at the three quarter stage.
Lissycasey had the best goal chance of the evening in the tenth minute of this half but Sean O’Brien was off his line quickly to save from Michael Kelly.
The winners got on top again at the turn of the final quarter and pointed frees from Conor Finnucane and Daire Culligan stretched their lead back to four points.
Miltown kept in touch with a Cian Mahoney free but points from play from the unrelated Meaneys, Cian and Conor put five between them with the game drifting into ‘injury time’.
Miltown’s only score from play came four minutes into the extra period with Euan Lineen fisting the ball over the bar.
Michael Kelly, Conor Meaney, Enda Finnucane, Niall Kelly and substitute Cian Meaney excelled for the winners.
Miltown’s best were Seanie Malone, Gordon Kelly, Darragh McDonagh, and Brian Curtin.
Lissycasey; Cillian Normoyle; Niall McCarthy, Michael Kelly, Michael Meaney; Daire Hill, Conor Meaney (0-2), Cyril Sheehan; Darren Keane, Ben Skerritst; Luke Griffin, Enda Finnucane, Niall Kelly, Daire Culligan (0-3, all frees), Aaron Griffin (0-1), Conor Finnucane (0-2, 1free).
Subs; Cian Meaney (0-1) for Skerritt; Enda Meaney for Conor Meaney (inj); Francie Hayes for C. Finnucane.
St. Joseph’s Miltown; Sean O’Brien; Enda O’Gorman, Seanie Malone, Eoin O’Brien; Cian Mahoney (0-3, all frees), Gordon Kelly, Brendan O’Brien; Oisin Looney, Darragh McDonagh; Euan Lineen (0-1), Brian Curtin, Gavin Twomey; Cian Keavey, Cormac Murray (0-1, f), Dominick Griffin.
Subs; Paul Frawley for B. O’Brien; Niall Twomey for D. Griffin; Eanna O’Connor for G. Twomey.
Referee; Jim Hickey (Cartloe)
Garry cup final date for Corofin
Corofin 2-13
Kilmihil 1-7
Venue: Corofin
Corofin will play Eire Og in the final of the Garry cup (division 2 football league) on Friday evening thanks to their victory over Kilmihil in the semi-final.
The final will take place in Cooraclare, the home club of the late Michael Garry, in whose memory the cup was presented.
In addition to qualifying for the final, Corofin have won promotion, along with Eire Og, to the Cusack cup for next season.
In Thursday’s semi-final which was played at Corofin, the home side established the upper hand from an early stage and they had built up a four point lead by half time when the score was 0-7 to 0-4.
The second half produced more scores including three goals two of which came from the winners.
Defender Caoimhin O’Donovan and wing forward Josh Ryan were the Corofin goal scorers while the Kilmihil goal came from Clare senior player, Ciaran Downes.
Both sides, it must be pointed out, were short a few regulars. Adding interest to next week’s final is the fact that when they met in round 4, Corofin were six point winners, 0-13 to 1-4. That was the only defeat suffered by the town side in this campaign.
Corofin; Eoin Davoran; Coln Fitzgerald, Marc O’Loughlin, Caoimhin O’Donovan (1-0); Damian O’Loughlin, Colm Rice, John Rees; Gearoid Kelly (0-1), Sean O’Brien (0-2); Josh Ryan (1-1), Gearoid Cahill (0-6) Eoin Doolin (0-1); Cillian Clancy, Cathal Flanagan, Cillian McGroary (0-1).
Subs; Cian Doolin (0-1) for Flanagan; Josh O’Brien for Ryan.
Kilmihil; Damian Lineen; Mikey Keating, John Finnucane, David Coughlan; Shane Downes, Stan Lineen, Gavin Downes; Conor Finnucane, Cathal Murray; Michael Cotter, Sean Crowley (0-1), Ciaran Downes (1-4, 0-4f);; Conor Crowley, Martin O;Leary (0-2), Mark Normoyle.
Sub; Shane Egan for C. Crowley.
Referee; Barry Keating (Lissycasey)
