Tralee CBS and Chriost Rí must meet a third time as tempers boil over in extra-time draw

CORN UI MHUIRÍ SEMI-FINAL REPLAY

Tralee CBS 2-11 Colaiste Chriost Rí 1-14 (after extra-time) ANOTHER 80 minutes of football failed to produce a decisive winner last Saturday as Tralee CBS and Colaiste Chriost Rí of Cork could not be separated in Ballyvourney as Michael Kelliher tapped over a close range free deep in stoppage time at the end of the second period of extra-time to ensure a third meeting between the sides.

Despite a heated conclusion which saw tempers nearly boil over between both sides at the final whistle, it was a mostly clean game. It was punctuated, however, by Chriost Rí’s anger at the amount of stoppage time referee Kevin Walsh played as there was also an unsightly altercation between two of Chriost Ri’s mentors and a linesman near the end.

After the game CBS selector Mike Tim O’Sullivan felt that the matter of St Brendans College’s eventual opponents in the decider is still very much in the balance.

“That was pure Colleges Football out there, two teams going out trying to win with no negative tactics by either. We’re immensely proud of the character our players showed in the last 10 minutes of normal time in coming back from going down for the first time in the game to forcing extra-time. We always encourage them to keep going until the final whistle sounds which they did today but I think it’s down to whoever recovers the quicker from this and who gets a bit of luck the next day in terms of who will win,” he feels about the upcoming third encounter.

The Green had a dream if very lucky start inside the opening two minutes when a speculative shot by David Fitzmaurice deceived Chriost Rí goalkeeper Darragh Moran and dropped into the net for the first score of the game. They appeared to be in an ideal position coming up to half-time when a foul on full-forward Gearoid Fitzgerald saw them awarded a penalty which Kelliher converted for a 2-4 to 0-4 advantage. The Kerry School were caught napping straight from the restart however as Darragh Kelly responded with Chriost Rí’s solitary goal of the day and a scoreline 2-4 to 1-5 at half-time.

Cillian Myers-Murray’s accuracy for Chriost Ri proved to be a problem for the Green and they also needed their goalkeeper Shane Foley to be vigilant in the 41st minute in stopping Mark Brosnan scoring a second Chriost Ri goal.

Kieran Dwyer and Tom Hoare scored the Green’s only points of the third quarter as five consecutive points put the Cork School ahead for the first time at 1-11 to 2-6 with two minutes of normal time left. Tomas O’Connor got the Green’s first score in 18 minutes as the game entered injury time with Chriost Rí punished for time-wasting in Tom Hoare getting the free that ensured extra-time between the sides for the second week-ina-row.

The first period of extra-time was dominated by the Tralee School, Daire Keane making a good impact upon his introduction with a score however he was guilty of leaving a glorious opportunity at goal after him in the Green leading by 2-10 to 1-12.

Myers-Murray would fire Chriost Ri back in front in the second period with his final two points of the game before the 83rd minute saw plenty of action both inside and outside the white line. Andrew McGowan was red carded before Kelliher’s equaliser as the game ended on a controversial note with the amount of time added on.

What it all means for this Saturday is hard to say but both are still hanging in there in the hope of going on to face the defending champions. TRALEE CBS: Shane Foley, Brandon Paterson, Tommy Lynch, Jack Myers, John Walsh, Kieran Dwyer (0-2, 2f), Michael Scanlon, Joe O’Connor (0-1), Tomas O’Connor (0-1), Sean Donnellan, Tom Hoare (0-2, 2f), David Fitzmaurice (1-0), Niall O’Mahoney, Gearoid Fitzgerald (0-1), Michael Kelliher (1-3, 1f). Subs: Aaron Roche for Fitzmaurice, Daire Keane (0-1) for Scanlon. COLAISTE CHRIOST RÍ: Darragh Moran, Andrew McGowan, Barry Cripps, John Corcoran, Mark Hitchmough, Ronan Dalton, Darragh Kelly (1-0), Jack Ryan (01), Kyle Forde, Joe Coughlan, Mark Cronin (0-4, 3f), Jack O’Brien, Daniel Lucey (0-1), Mark Brosnan, Cillian Myers-Murray (0-8, 6f). Subs: Luke Hannigan for Coughlan, Jack O’Brien for Dalton. REFEREE: Kevin Walsh (Clare)