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Peter Sweeney

Peter Sweeney's Blog

Peter Sweeney is the Gaelic Games Correspondent with the Irish Daily Star Newspaper. He is a regular on television and radio and even though he isn't any good he still tries to play Gaelic football.

  • 4 Jul 2011

    Age-old Munster rivals are at it again

    SO Kerry are Munster Champions again and Cork are back in the All-Ireland qualifiers. Both teams were in the same position 12 months ago and it was the Rebels that ended up as All-Ireland champions. Things are quite different now though. read more

    SO Kerry are Munster Champions again and Cork are back in the All-Ireland qualifiers.

    Both teams were in the same position 12 months ago and it was the Rebels that ended up as All-Ireland champions.

    Things are quite different now though.

    In 2010 the Kingdom travelled to Croke Park without Tomas O Se and Paul Galvin, but this time the influential pair are on their way back from suspension and injury respectively.

    Cork had the chance to find out much about themselves through three qualifier games last summer.

    This year because they made the Munster final they only have one match to get things right before they land at Headquarters (which they will surely do).

    Also there is the troubling injury to key forward Ciaran Sheehan, who could join Colm O’Neill on the list of long-term absentees.

    Cork hammered Kerry for long stretches of the Munster final in Killarney on Sunday, but they had to work so hard to get their scores.

    They also showed again that they are prone to let opponents build up big leads before they start playing their game - it happened again as they trailed the Kingdom by nine.

    The reason that Jack O’Connor’s team are able to survive despite getting beaten up in midfield is because they have such good forwards.

    Darran O’Sullivan and Declan O’Sullivan did the damage at the weekend. This meant Colm Cooper and Kieran Donaghy didn’t have to score heavily on the day.

    O’Connor is as shrewd an operator as there is on the line and on the field he has clever footballers in all the key positions.

    With O Se and Galvin to come back into the team they will be defensively stronger and have another option up front.

    Even more importantly, they will have two of the best breaking ball winners in the game to firm up their challenge in the middle third.

    Cork haven’t got the same level of natural ability, but they survive and thrive on athleticism and team work.

    Both of these teams have games built for Croke Park and both of them now know how to win All-Irelands.

    These age-old Munster rivals will have a major say in the destination of the Sam Maguire at the end of the season.

    But it is a Kerry team written off more than once in the past who look in better shape to be climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand on the third Sunday in September.

Home Away Date Time Venue
London Leitrim 03.06.2012 3:00 Ruislip
Longford Wexford 03.06.2012 2:00 Croke Park
Louth Dublin 03.06.2012 4:00 Croke Park
Clare Limerick 09.06.2012 7:00 Cusack Park, Ennis or Gaelic Grounds, Limerick

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Home Score Away Score Date Venue
Roscommon 0-10 Galway 3-15 20.05 Hyde Park
Cavan 1-10 Donegal 1-16 20.05 Kingspan Breffni Park
Limerick 2-12 Waterford 0-7 20.05 Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
Westmeath 0-14 Louth 2-9 20.05 Navan

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