KILLARNEY’S St Brendan’s College will be hoping to open the trapdoor on Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne’s five-in-a-row title aspirations when they clash in a glamour all-Kerry Munster Colleges Corn Úi Mhuirí quarter-final this Wednesday afternoon.
The Sem will have home advantage for the big occasion after winning a venue toss and the school is hoping for a big turnout of supporters at the Dr Crokes pitch on Lewis Road (throw-in: 1.30pm).
The knockout encounter will be of huge interest as Dingle – who have won Munster for the past five years – are back-to-back All-Ireland champions having defeated Roscommon CBS last season and St Pat’s of Maghera the previous year.
Trained by the experienced Kieran Moran and former Kerry star Tommy Griffin, they still have a good number of last year’s victorious squad to call on, most notably the lethal Conor Geaney and his 2015 Kerry minor team-mate Tom Leo O’Sullivan.
But St Brendan’s College have a few aces in their own pack including All-Ireland winning minors Glenflesk’s Dan O’Brien, Evan Cronin of Spa and Kerry minor goalkeeper Billy Courtney who plays at midfield for the Sem.
They will also look to the hugely talented David Clifford from Fossa, Niall O’Donoghue of Firies and Michael Potts of Dr Crokes who are all on this year’s Kerry minor panel.
St Brendan’s team trainer, Garry McGrath, and selectors Arthur Fitzgerald and Hugh Rudden, are expecting a very close encounter but they have the belief that, all going well on the day, the can dethrone the reigning double champions.
“We beat them before Christmas in the Kerry Colleges semi-final but they looked a tired team that day and they needed a break.
“They’ll be back now hoping to make amends and they will be a force to be reckoned with so we’ll be up against it,” Garry McGrath told KillarneyToday.com.
“That said, we have a fine bunch of players and if we play to form, we are certainly capable, or more than capable, of beating them on the day,” he said.
St Brendan’s College, who already won the O’Sullivan Cup this season, have not won the Munster title for six years but if they fall short on this occasion, they will at least be able to reflect on a campaign in which they gave it their all.
The winners will play either Scoil Pobail Sliabh Luachra from Rathmore or St Flannans of Ennis in the Munster semi-final with the impressive Rathmore side expected to come through that encounter.
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