Knock in All-Ireland Action on Saturday
Knock in All-Ireland Action on Saturday
March 2, 2016
All-Ireland Schools’ Cusack Cup semi-final
Saturday, 12.45pm in Inniskeen
Our Lady’s & St Patrick’s Knock v Roscommon CBS
It’s a long time since the middle of November when Our Lady’s & St Patrick’s Knock took their first Danske Bank Ulster Colleges’ senior hurling title, but the Casement Cup winners have been working away in preparation for today’s (SATURDAY) All-Ireland Schools’ Cusack Cup semi-final.
There has been a number of challenge games over the past few weeks and even a match and training session with Kilkenny senior All-Ireland player Michael Rice down in St Kieran’s College, where he is a teacher.
Meanwhile Roscommon CBS have had a competitive enough Connacht championship culminating in a 2-6 to 2-5 win over Coláiste Éanna Galway in the final at the weekend.
Wing half forward John Murray hit 1-6 of that total to mark himself out as the key player to watch, but it was Tomás Doyle that picked up the Player of the Match award with most of the play channelled through the midfielder.
Knock’s man-marker is Gareth Henderson and he is likely to be delegated the job of policing Murray, but the big anxiety for the Knock management is the fitness of centre-half back Eoin Coulter from Ballygalget who has struggled since before the Ulster final with a groin strain.
Eoin’s brother Cathal and cousin Ryan have been live-wire attackers for the south-east Belfast side that features quite a few players from down the peninsula and also from two other Down clubs, Bredagh and Carryduff.
Midfielder Dónal óg Rooney has been in great form for school and club in 2015, winning a Down Intermediate title as well as the Casement Cup.
Rooney and Sean Blaney is the midfield pairing and it will be interesting to see which of them will shadow the talented Tomás Doyle.
The Roscommon team overall is physically imposing and that could pose a problem for the smaller Knock boys who may find it difficult enough to push past their opponents to set up scoring chances.
In this the third year of the Cusack Cup, there has still to be an Ulster side in the final. Two years ago, Downpatrick were a few points short, last year Ballymena should have clinched it in normal time but lost out in extra time. Perhaps this will be the breakthrough season for the Casement Cup champions.
OLSP Knock (probable) : C McLornan, M McKibbin, E Kelly, M McAreavy, G Henderson, E Coulter, T Murray capt., S Blaney, D Rooney, C Doyle, G Toal, C Coulter, L McCaughey, P Loughran, R Coulter.
Subs : C Sullivan, L McKibbin, A McManus, J Watson, J McKee, S Gilmore, J Hughes, R Woods, L Collins, M Crozier
OLSP Knock (probable) : Conor McLornan, Murdoch McKibbin, Eoin Kelly, Matthew McAreavy, Gareth Henderson, Eoin Coulter, Tom Murray capt., Sean Blaney, Donal Rooney, Conal Doyle, Gerald Toal, Cathal Coulter, Lorcan McCaughey, Peter Loughran, Ryan Coulter.
Subs : Conor Sullivan, Lachlan McKibbin, Aodhan McManus, Joe Watson, Joe McKee, Sean Gilmore, James Hughes, Rian Woods, Luke Collins, Matthew Crozier
