Beaufort well placed to lower Banner champs
MUNSTER CLUB JUNIOR FOOTBALL SEMI-FINAL
Beaufort v Michael Cusacks (Clare)
Sunday, November 18 Beaufort, 1.30pm Referee: Alan Long (Cork)
AFTER the long wait to get going, things will move swiftly on for Beaufort this Saturday when they play host to Michael Cusacks of Clare in Pete Coughlan Park in the Munster Junior Club Football Semi-Finals. They will become the third Mid Kerry club to have the privilege of hosting a provincial fixture after Laune Rangers and Milltown/Castlemaine have done so in their time playing in the province. A clean bill of health is being reported by their manager Eanna O’Malley from the side that took the field in Clare but its unlikely Kerry Junior Ronan Murphy will feature again having sat out the win over Ballylooby/Castlegrace.
“We want to give Ronan every possible chance but it looks like this game will be too soon for him,” the Beaufort boss said of the midfielder. The Mid Kerry club were happy that Jonathon Kissane came through the trip to Tipp well though as he continues his own recovery from injury. Beaufort find themselves facing a somewhat similar challenge to that of Ballylooby/Castlegrace from the side that bear the name of the ancestral founder of the GAA in that they are not the Clare Junior Champions but representatives as they lost to Eire Óg Ennis’ B team in the Banner County’s Junior Football decider back in September. O’Malley doesn’t have the same background on them than he would have their opponents last Saturday but says there is some satisfaction with the club having ensured they will have a home game in this grade.
“We made it a target to ensure we would be home for this game by winning last Saturday. We’re delighted the Munster Council have given the go-ahead for us to host it and now we are focussed on trying to win and make a Munster Final,” he said. The scoreline (5-16 to 1-9) looked impressive in Tipperary but there wasn’t complete satisfaction according to the Beaufort manager. “We felt that we only played in patches even if we did show what we are capable of in those patches. Going 12 minutes without a score in the first-half was something we were not happy with. We let the lads know that at half-time and were happy with how they killed the game off after half-time because you would have the worry that the opposition might sneak in a goal that might change the course of the game. We were happy to be able to make six substitutes as well and in making those subs we had some tight calls to make about who to bring in so we are happy that competition for places like that is there,” O’Malley said.
Some would see scoring 5-16 away from home as precursor for something even greater come the time you have home advantage, but O’Malley says the club still have to focus on the result first and foremost. “We are not interested in what the boys score on Saturday. Our simple focus is to try and make sure we win first and foremost and then think about the performance afterwards.” It’s hard to predict anything other than a home win once Beaufort have their own house in order and avoid any sense of complacency. Indeed, if they do take heed of previous visits by Clare sides to Kerry they will remember Clondegad giving Milltown/Castlemaine an awful fright back in 2011. That came a week after their fellow Mid Kerry side winning an Intermediate title in the Kingdom though, not six months of preparation like Beaufort have had for this level.
Having a First Round game in Munster has done Dr Crokes and Kilcummin well in their respective Munster campaigns so far (both winning their Semi-Finals by over 20 points) and it’s hard not to see them going on to face either Dromtariffe of Cork or Mount Sion of Waterford in the decider on the first Sunday in December.
VERDICT: Beaufort