THEY’VE DONE THEIR stuff on the inter-county stage but this weekend it’s all about club business.
There’s AIB All-Ireland intermediate and junior club final places on offer this weekend around the country and some well-known players will be involved.
We’ve picked nine players that have caught the eye with their county sides and will be hoping to propel their clubs towards Croke Park next month.
Aaron Cunningham (Wolfe Tones)
An All-Ireland medal winner at senior and U21 level, Cunningham blasted two goals past Limerick in last year’s Munster championship. He’s captain of the Wolfe Tones team who are hoping to emulate the club’s outfit that reached the All-Ireland final at senior level in 1996.
Robert Lennon (Bennettsbridge)
A panellist on the Kilkenny squad that lifted the Liam MacCarthy Cup last September, Lennon also won an All-Ireland junior medal with Bennettsbridge last February. He’s hoping to repeat the trick this spring.
Bryan Sheehan (St Mary’s)
Sheehan’s 2016 season concluded in glorious fashion. His winning streak featured captaining South Kerry to a county senior championship along with county, provincial and divisional titles with St Mary’s. He won an All-Ireland junior club medal with St Mary’s in 2011 and can now aim to add an intermediate medal.
Stephen Coen (Hollymount-Carramore)
Mayo’s 2013 All-Ireland minor winning captain is starting to make a breakthrough at senior level, seeing game time from the bench in last September’s All-Ireland semi-final replay. He helped Hollymount-Carramore defeat Galway’s Moycullen in last November’s Connacht intermediate club decider.
Bryan McMahon (Ratoath)
Ratoath have a fine collection of inter-county talents and McMahon is central to that, striking 1-9 in last November’s Leinster IFC final success over Athlone. His involvement with Meath last summer included a 2-2 salvo when the Royals were dramatically defeated by Westmeath in Croke Park.
Paul Flaherty (Abbeyknockmoy)
The chief scorer for the Galway club, Flaherty struck 2-75 in their county intermediate championship run last year. A player who won an All-Ireland minor medal with Galway in 2011, his freetaking abilities are vital.
Dan Gordon (Loughinisland)
The ex-Down player captained his club to Ulster honours last November on the unusual scoreline of 4-1 to 0-7 against Donegal’s Bundoran. A stalwart of the Down county senior sides for several years, Gordon played in the 2010 All-Ireland final loss to Cork.
Eoin Murphy (Glenmore)
All-Ireland winning goalkeeper for the last two seasons with Kilkenny, Murphy brings a vast amount of experience to the table at club level. But his versatility means he’s equally adept outfield and his 0-8 return last weekend in the Leinster junior final reflects the scoring threat he represents.
Killian Spillane (Templenoe)
Spillane bagged 0-5 in helping steer Kerry to the All-Ireland minor title in 2014 and he was one of four Templenoe players involved when Kerry became All-Ireland junior champions last August. He’ll be a vital attacking presence as Templenoe bid to book a Croke Park date this weekend.
Here’s the list of fixtures in store this weekend.
Today
All-Ireland Club IHC semi-final
Wolfe Tones (Clare) v Bennettsbridge (Kilkenny), St Rynagh’s, Banagher, 2pm
Tomorrow
All-Ireland Club
IFC semi-finals
St Marys (Kerry) v Ratoath (Meath), Gaelic Grounds, 2pm
Hollymount-Carramore (Mayo) v Loughinisland (Down), Kingspan Breffni Park, 2pm
IHC semi-final
Abbeyknockmoy (Galway) v Creggan Kickhams (Antrim), Páirc Tailteann, Navan, 1pm
JHC semi-finals
Sylane (Galway) v Eoghan Rua (Derry), Ballyshannon, 1pm
Dungourney (Cork) v Glenmore (Kilkenny), WIT Sports Campus, Carriganore, 2pm
JFC semi-finals
Curraha (Meath) v Templenoe (Kerry), Kilmallock, 2pm
Ardnaree Sarsfields (Mayo) v Rockcorry (Monaghan), Carrick-on-Shannon, 2pm
