Nemo Rangers - 4-15 Monaleen - 0-6:MUNSTER CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP: Nemo Rangers completed a hat-trick of titles when they crushed Limerick side Monaleen at a near deserted Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney yesterday in the Munster club football championship final.
It was a mismatch from the 10th minute when the hard-working Alan Cronin slipped the ball to the Monaleen net after a typical Nemo Rangers move that involved full back Niall Geary - who was unbeatable all through - playing a one-two with Cronin. For the Limerick champions, appearing in their first final, it was the start of a mauling.
Nemo were in a different league and if had been a boxing contest, it would have been stopped long before James Masters came on to replace his captain Colin Corkery in the 53rd minute. The young pretender looks like he has learned from the master, with a quick-fire 1-2 to show the awesome reserve strength of the six times All-Ireland club champions.
Thus Nemo collected their 12th Munster title with the minimum of fuss, on a day when the debutants were put to the sword by the vastly experienced Cork outfit who did not have weak link on the day.
They even managed it without Corkery having to break sweat and still he bagged 2-3 before being called ashore in the final 10 minutes by manager Billy Morgan.
Monaleen will be disappointed by their own display and only defenders Darren Burke, John Cromican, Finbarr Nash and forwards Muiris Gavin and Ciaran O'Boyle looked capable of competing with the champions.
Nemo led 1-4 to 0-0 by the end of the first quarter and things didn't get any better in the second quarter as Corkery struck for a brace of goals that finished off Monaleen.
The first, in the 22nd minute, was a vintage effort as he fetched a high sideline ball from Martin Cronin, and then sold a dummy to a diving goalkeeper and full back, before finishing to an empty Monaleen net, for a goal of sheer class.
Five minutes later Corkery struck again, this time from the penalty spot after William Morgan was needlessly taken down by centre forward Alan Kitson.
Corkery gave goalkeeper Brian Berkery no chance with a low shot inside the right-hand post. In fact, Berkery got injured and limped off to be replaced in goal by Kitson, who had conceded the penalty.
Nemo led 3-6 to 0-4 at half-time and the second half was little more than a training spin for the powerful Cork club. The fact that two Nemo substitutes, Steven O'Brien (0-1) and Masters (1-2), equalled Monaleen's total sums up how one-sided the game was.
NEMO RANGERS: D Heaphy; L Kavanagh, N Geary, Sean O'Brien; G Murphy (0-2), M Cronin, M Daly; K Cahill (0-1), D Kavanagh (0-1); A Cronin (1-1), JP O'Neill, M McCarthy; J Kavanagh (0-3), C Corkery (2-3, one goal penalty, two points frees), W Morgan (0-1). Subs: Steven O'Brien (0-1) for JP O'Neill, D Meighan for M McCarthy, J Masters (1-2, two frees) for C Corkery, L O'Sullivan for A Cronin.
MONALEEN: B Berkery; D Burke, J Cormican, D McAuley; F Melody, J Marsh, F Nash; B Geary, M Cummins; C O'Boyle (0-1), A Kitson, J O'Brien (0-1); E Keating, M Gavin (0-4, three frees), J P Stokes. Subs: A McEntee for J Marsh, K Boyle for E Keating, P Kinnerk for C O'Boyle, D McInerney for B Berkery (inj), S O'Brien for D McAuley.
Referee: B Tyrrell (Tipperary).
