Boost for ‘Bridge as Kerins is back for big semis test

Date Published: {J}

STEPHEN GLENNON

2010 Galway senior hurling championship top scorer, Mark Kerins has recovered from a recent virus and will lead the Clarinbridge attack against De La Salle of Waterford in the All-Ireland senior club semi-final at Semple Stadium, Thurles on Saturday (3:45pm).

Kerins, who tallied an impressive 1-69 in the Galway championship last year, returned to training last week and Bridge boss Micheál Donoghue expected that his ace sharpshooter would be back to full fitness for the big clash against the Munster champions.

Indeed, Donoghue anticipated having a full strength squad to choose from and he believes he will need that strength in numbers when the Galway champions face De La Salle this weekend.

“They (De La Salle) have beaten fairly formidable opposition, despite the fact, I suppose, that every time they played, the general public expected the other team to win. However, there was always a turn up for the books. So, we know they are a serious outfit.”

No doubt, De La Salle would appear to have bounced back with venom from the 2-24 to 1-8 drubbing they received at the hands of Portumna in the 2009 All-Ireland final and the Clarinbridge manager says this may well be the “driving force” behind their resurgence.

“Obviously, they are back at semi-final stage now and they are not far away from it (returning to Croke Park). So, that will be huge motivation for them,” says Donoghue.

Certainly, over the last six months or so, De La Salle have the look of men on a mission. In the Waterford county final, they trounced Ballygunner 3-13 to 1-11 – a remarkable result given Ballygunner had inflicted a similar heavy defeat on De La Salle, 3-20 to 0-14, in the group stages.

Waterford star John Mullane shot nine points in that county final triumph – which, no more than Clarinbridge, was also their second ever title – while Paudie Nevin (2) and Dean Twomey supplied the goals.

De La Salle subsequently clashed with Sarsfields of Cork in the Munster semi-final, a game in which they fell behind by five points on two occasions, but still battled back to take the contest to extra-time. A superb score from centre-back Kevin Moran once again tied up the game late on, before 17-year-old Jake Dillon threw over the winner to claim a 0-22 to 2-15 win for the Deice men.

Just as they had done in the county final and provincial semi-final, De La Salle entered the Munster decider against Lar Corbett’s Thurles Sarsfields as underdogs. Yet, not for the first time, they confounded the opposition, and the pundits, when registering a 0-9 to 0-8 victory.

Consequently, De La Salle will enter their semi-final clash with a bit of a swagger, but Clarinbridge, one suspects, will not be intimidated. “Look, the lads realise this is a great opportunity,” says Donoghue. “In fairness, our build-up is similar to the latter stages of the championship last year when we put in a huge effort. And the players’ commitment and their application has been top class.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.