Dr Crokes through to another Munster final after defeat of Kilmurry Ibrickane
Dr Crokes 2-19 Kilmurry Ibrickane 0-10
A dominant first-half showing saw Dr Crokes cruise into a sixth Munster club football final in eight years, .
Crokes, who’ll bid for a fifth Munster crown in seven years on November 26, had a 14th consecutive provincial championship win sewn up long before the call for half-time, retiring to the dressing-room 1-11 to 0-4 in front, and this despite squandering four goalscoring opportunities.
Gavin O’Shea’s point in first-half stoppages meant all six starting Crokes forwards had found the target from play, with defenders David O’Leary and Gavin White also on the mark.
Johnny Buckley brought the number of first-half scoring contributors to nine, the midfielder gaoling on 14 minutes after starting the move by winning Ian McInerney’s restart.
The sole concern for the Crokes management at half-time was the injury which forced off ‘keeper Shane Murphy approaching the break.
It was more of the same in the second-half, three Colm Cooper frees cancelling out the efforts of Mark McCarthy (0-2) and Keelan Sexton (’45).
Michael Moloney and Fionn Fitzgerald threw themselves in front of successive shots to prevent a Kilmurry Ibrickane goal and the gap was further widened when Kieran O’Leary pounced on a mistake by Ian McInerney for Crokes’ second goal on 45 minutes.
That left the scoreline reading 2-15 to 0-8. McInerney denied Micheál Burns a third goal for the Kerry champions. They didn’t need it.
On they march.
C Cooper (0-9, 0-6 frees); K O’Leary (1-1); J Buckley (1-0); M Burns, G O’Shea (0-2 each); D O’Leary, G White, B Looney, D Casey, T Brosnan (0-1 each).
M McCarthy (0-4); K Sexton (0-2, 0-1 free, 0-1 ’45); I McInerney (0-1 free), M McMahon, N Hickey, D Coughlan (0-1 each).
S Murphy; J Payne, M Moloney, G White; L Quinn, F Fitzgerald, D O’Leary; J Buckley, A O’Donovan; M Burns, G O’Shea, B Looney; K O’Leary, D Casey, C Cooper.
T Brosnan for O’Donovan (18 mins, bc); J O’Leary for Murphy (27, inj); S Doolan for Looney (46); P Clarke for K O’Leary (50); J Lyne for Quinn (52); E Brosnan for Cooper (55).
I McInerney; D Hickey, E Talty, M Killeen; S Hickey, M McMahon, M Hogan; K King, N Hickey; D Coughlan, M O’Dwyer, S Moloney; E Coughlan, M McCarthy, K Sexton.
N Downes for M O’Dwyer (HT); P O’Dwyer for Coughlan (46 mins); T Lernihan for Hogan (50); E Bracken for Moloney (52); D Callinan for Talty (27); Darren Sexton for King (57).
S Lonergan (Tipperary).
