Remember - 1999 SFC semi-final, Páirc Uí Chaoimh:
October 15, 2014
Evening Echo deputy sports editor and central committee PRO Éamonn Murphy reflects on the last time before this season that Ballincollig made it to the county semi-finals, losing to a College team who didn’t let the nickname UCK put them off.
1999 SFC semi-final, Páirc Uà Chaoimh:
UCC 0-16 Ballincollig 0-11
THIS was a UCC team that incurred the wrath of Leeside football fans for its portion of Kerry representatives, as 10 of the starting line-up hailed from across the county bounds, with three from Cork and one each from Limerick and Tipp.
UCC were the better side in the ‘99 semi-final against Ballincollig, though the contest was shaped by Cork keeper Alan Quirke saving two Podsie O’Mahony penalties, one in the first half, the other with time almost up. On the flip side UCC created numerous goal chances, only to be denied by the excellence of Ballincollig stopper Ger ‘Speedie’ O’Donovan, the current senior section chairman.
Podsie was in super form for the Collig that summer, torching Carrigdhoun, Carbery and the Haven in earlier rounds. His partner in a two-man attack Fergal Keohane had won a Sigerson with UCC back in 1995, while interestingly three Ballincollig hurlers were on UCC’s team in ‘99, Brendan Kelly, Denis Twomey and Dan Murphy.
Though the likes of Keohane, O’Mahony, Dave Bourke, and Johnny Miskella were the main men there were plenty of – then – young guns in the Ballincollig team too. Noel Barry, John O’Brien, current manager Michael O’Brien, and JP O’Leary were all U21 in ‘99. Jerry Ring, senior selector with O’Brien this season, was in midfield.
The UCK jibe — University College Kerry — was certainly bandied about regularly at the time and that both UCC teams reached the county finals further incensing those opposed to college teams being allowed enter the senior championships. The College footballers under the guidance of Des Cullinane went on to beat Nemo after a replay in the ‘99 final, who at that stage hadn’t won a county since 1994. The hurlers, inspired by an on-song Joe Deane, couldn’t make it a double though, falling to Blackrock.
Nemo of course recovered well from losing that ‘99 final to UCC — they went on to capture eight counties, including an historic four in a row, between 2000 and 2010.
Team captain Micheál Ó CróinÃn was the other high-profile Rebel in UCC’s team, though the two wing-backs, both from North Kerry, went on to be serious players for the Kingdom — Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Paul Galvin. At the time UCC’s forwards were more vaunted, with the other five attackers apart from Ó CróinÃn all All-Ireland U21 medallists with Kerry at that juncture, though none established themselves at senior after.
Scorers for UCC: M Ó CróinÃn 0-5 (0-1 f, 0-1 45), I Twiss 0-3, MD Cahill, B Sheehan 0-2 each, L Murphy, G Stack, M O’Shea, E Hanrahan 0- 1 each.
Ballincollig: P O’Mahony 0-6 (0-3 f), F Keohane, J Miskella 0-2 each, D Beale 0-1.
UCC: A Quirke; K Walsh, K Moynihan, P Hanley; E Fitzmaurice, F Kelleher, P Galvin; M O’Shea, E Hanrahan; L Murphy, M Ó CróinÃn (c), M O’Shea; MD Cahill, B Sheehan, I Twiss.
Subs: C Gavlin, T Stack.
BALLINCOLLIG: G O’Donovan; E Dineen, N Barry, J O’Brien; J Miskella, M O’Brien, B O’Leary; J Ring, L O’Toole; JP O’Leary, D Bourke, D Beale; F Keohane, J Kelleher, P O’Mahony (c).
Subs: D Kelly, E Long, I O’Donovan.
Referee: N Barrett (Carrigtwohill).
1999 SFC semi-final, Páirc Uà Chaoimh:
UCC 0-16 Ballincollig 0-11
THIS was a UCC team that incurred the wrath of Leeside football fans for its portion of Kerry representatives, as 10 of the starting line-up hailed from across the county bounds, with three from Cork and one each from Limerick and Tipp.
UCC were the better side in the ‘99 semi-final against Ballincollig, though the contest was shaped by Cork keeper Alan Quirke saving two Podsie O’Mahony penalties, one in the first half, the other with time almost up. On the flip side UCC created numerous goal chances, only to be denied by the excellence of Ballincollig stopper Ger ‘Speedie’ O’Donovan, the current senior section chairman.
Podsie was in super form for the Collig that summer, torching Carrigdhoun, Carbery and the Haven in earlier rounds. His partner in a two-man attack Fergal Keohane had won a Sigerson with UCC back in 1995, while interestingly three Ballincollig hurlers were on UCC’s team in ‘99, Brendan Kelly, Denis Twomey and Dan Murphy.
Though the likes of Keohane, O’Mahony, Dave Bourke, and Johnny Miskella were the main men there were plenty of – then – young guns in the Ballincollig team too. Noel Barry, John O’Brien, current manager Michael O’Brien, and JP O’Leary were all U21 in ‘99. Jerry Ring, senior selector with O’Brien this season, was in midfield.
The UCK jibe — University College Kerry — was certainly bandied about regularly at the time and that both UCC teams reached the county finals further incensing those opposed to college teams being allowed enter the senior championships. The College footballers under the guidance of Des Cullinane went on to beat Nemo after a replay in the ‘99 final, who at that stage hadn’t won a county since 1994. The hurlers, inspired by an on-song Joe Deane, couldn’t make it a double though, falling to Blackrock.
Nemo of course recovered well from losing that ‘99 final to UCC — they went on to capture eight counties, including an historic four in a row, between 2000 and 2010.
Team captain Micheál Ó CróinÃn was the other high-profile Rebel in UCC’s team, though the two wing-backs, both from North Kerry, went on to be serious players for the Kingdom — Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Paul Galvin. At the time UCC’s forwards were more vaunted, with the other five attackers apart from Ó CróinÃn all All-Ireland U21 medallists with Kerry at that juncture, though none established themselves at senior after.
Scorers for UCC: M Ó CróinÃn 0-5 (0-1 f, 0-1 45), I Twiss 0-3, MD Cahill, B Sheehan 0-2 each, L Murphy, G Stack, M O’Shea, E Hanrahan 0- 1 each.
Ballincollig: P O’Mahony 0-6 (0-3 f), F Keohane, J Miskella 0-2 each, D Beale 0-1.
UCC: A Quirke; K Walsh, K Moynihan, P Hanley; E Fitzmaurice, F Kelleher, P Galvin; M O’Shea, E Hanrahan; L Murphy, M Ó CróinÃn (c), M O’Shea; MD Cahill, B Sheehan, I Twiss.
Subs: C Gavlin, T Stack.
BALLINCOLLIG: G O’Donovan; E Dineen, N Barry, J O’Brien; J Miskella, M O’Brien, B O’Leary; J Ring, L O’Toole; JP O’Leary, D Bourke, D Beale; F Keohane, J Kelleher, P O’Mahony (c).
Subs: D Kelly, E Long, I O’Donovan.
Referee: N Barrett (Carrigtwohill).