The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Kerry success can continue
Kerry’s decade long dominance over the Corn Uí Mhuirí and, more recently, the Hogan Cup shows no sign of abating just yet, writes Jason O’Connor
THE 2016/17 Corn Ui Mhuiri gets underway next week with seven Kerry Schools competing in the A grade of 16 teams.
Kerry success in the competition is well documented, all bar one of the last 10 winners of the event has been a school from the Kingdom with one having to go back to 2006 for the last year a Final did not feature a school from the county.
Moving further on, the last three Hogan Cup winning schools have been from the county to further emphasise the revival of Kerry underage football not just at inter-county level.
St Brendans College, Killarney won both events in a quite convincing fashion last season and with the same management team of Gary McGrath, Arthur Fitzgerald and Hugh Rudden over the side, the school is boosted again by the presence of eight of this year’s All-Ireland winning Kerry minor panel.
Billy Courtney, Chris O’Donoghue, Cian Gammell, Cian O’Callaghan, Niall Donohoe, Dara Moynihan and David Shaw all return from the Hogan Cup winning side. Michael Potts is also in the squad for the campaign but is unlikely to feature in the group stages due to injury.
New faces likely to make an impact for the Killarney outfit this year include Ciaran Flynn, Jack Griffin, Barry Keane, Sean O’Leary, Mark O’Shea and Donnachadh O’Sullivan as they are in a group this year with De La Salle Macroom, Hamilton High School Bandon and Intermediate School Killorglin.
The Mid Kerry School are managed this year by Kerry Under 21 selector Micheal O’Shea with Currow’s John Buckley and Laune Rangers’ Colm Conway also in the management team. All-Ireland winning Kerry Minors Mike Breen and Caoilm Teahan are the standout names in the panel with Patrick Carey and Ciaran Kennedy other names to look out for amongst their ranks.
The two Kerry Schools in this group will face off in the first round, but it’s hard to see Killorglin causing a shock like Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra Rathmore did last year in beating reigning Hogan Cup winners Pobalscoil Corcha Dhuibhne in their first ever game at Corn Ui Mhuiri level.
As the draw would have it both schools are in the same group again this year and also facing off in the first round!
The West Kerry School find themselves entering their first year without a Hogan Cup winner in the panel since the successes of 2014 and 2015. Kieran Moran and Muiris Mac Gearailt are over the side this year with Marc Ashe, Cathal Ferriter, and Ruadhán Mac Cárthaigh, Peter and Franz Sauerland, Gearoid Lyne, Niall Geaney and Deividas Uosis some of their key players.
St Flannans and Skibbereen are the other two schools in the group as Rathmore find themselves without the element of surprise that last year’s debut campaign brought them.
Pat Brosnan along with Matt and Sean O’Riordan are over the team with players either side of the Kerry/Cork border amongst their ranks.
Glenflesk’s Ian Roche, John O’Leary and Shane O’Sullivan of Gneeveguilla along with Michael O’Mahoney of Knocknagree and Damien Cronin will be expected to feature prominently however a big setback for Rathmore sees All-Ireland winning Minor Brian Friel out for the opening rounds of the campaign through injury.
Group A features two Kerry sides in the same group as well as Tralee CBS and Colaiste Na Sceilge have two prominent Kerry players from the present and the past amongst their management teams.
Marc Ó Sé is involved with the Green again this year alongside Tuosist’s Mike Tim O’Sullivan and Nealie O’Sullivan as they gave a good account of themselves in the recent O’Sullivan Cup Quarter-Final against the Sem.
Kieran O’Dwyer and Tomas O’Connor would be the most recognisable names from the recent Kerry Minor success however injury rules O’Dwyer out for the early part of the campaign along with another promising player in Sean Mortimer. Michael Kelliher, Tom Hoare, Tommy Lynch, Joe O’Connor, Jason Mortimer, Sean Donnellan and Brandon Paterson are also players likely to feature in their campaign which kicks off with a game against Na Sceilge.
After leading St Marys to All-Ireland Intermediate Club success in Croke Park back in February, Maurice Fitzgerald is involved in the school’s side this year along with club-mate Kieran McCarthy, John Dorgan and Buddy O’Shea.
The South Kerry School were defeated by Corcha Dhuibhne in the recent O’Sullivan Cup semi-final and will be hoping for good campaigns from Muiris Fitzgerald, Oisin Moran, Niall O’Connor, Michael O’Leary, Jamie Batt O’Sullivan and Kevin Sheehan.
2015 Corn Uí Mhuirí Runners-Up Rochestown College and Coláiste Choilm Ballincollig are the other two sides in this group.
Mercy Mounthawk Tralee are the only Kerry School who find themselves in a group without any other Kerry side as 2016 runners-up High School Clonmel, Colaiste Chríost Rí and Clonakilty Community College will be their opposition in the group stages.
Glenbeigh / Glencar’s Aidan O’Shea along with Phil Stack make up the management team with Sean Collins, Dara Devine, Bobby and Brian O’Regan along with Ciaran O’Reilly some of the players to look out for in their ranks.
One difference to the colleges set-up this year is the fact the O’Sullivan Cup is now being played on a knock-out basis has given the Kerry teams some great preparation coming into this.
St Brendans will face Corcha Dhuibhne in the Final of that in a couple of weeks time, but the focus for the moment with be on advancing through the group stages to the quarter-finals after Christmas for all concerned.
St Brendans are boosted again by the presence of eight of this year’s All Ireland winning Kerry minor panel