AIB Munster Club SFC Quarter-Final

NEMO RANGERS (CORK) 1-9 NEWCASTLE WEST (LIMERICK) 0-9

**By Denis Hurley at Mallow **

Nemo Rangers will meet Austin Stacks in next week’s Munster Club SFC semi-final after emerging past the challenge of Newcastle West at Mallow on Sunday.

While they were strong pre-match favourites, the Cork champions didn’t have things all their own against their Limerick opponents and there were just two points separating the teams after Seán Murphy pointed for Newcastle West in the 53rd minute.

Unfortunately for them, that was as close as they came and they needed a fine Michael Quilligan save to deny Conor Horgan a second Nemo goal in the dying minutes. From the 45 that resulted, Luke Connolly landed his fifth point and the Cork city side prevailed to stay on course for a second Munster title in three years.

They had begun well, Connolly with three points and Ciarán Dalton with the other as they moved 0-4 to 0-0 ahead, but Newcastle West’s heads didn’t drop and they were back to within one when Iain Corbett fisted over from a tight angle on 21 minutes.

Nemo might have had a goal in the wake of that, Mark Cronin’s shot blocked by Darren O’Doherty, but Connolly and Kevin O’Donovan were on target to make it 0-6 to 0-3.

Corbett cut the deficit to two by half-time but Nemo looked to sent the game in an irreversible direction when Dalton goaled early in the second half following good build-up play from Connolly and Paul Kerrigan.

Stephen Cronin’s point put them 1-7 to 0-4 ahead but again Newcastle West came back, scoring five of the next six points with Hurley, Quilligan, Corbett and Murphy all contributing.

It was as close as they would come though and Nemo held on to progress to the last four.

Scorers for Nemo Rangers: Luke Connolly 0-5 (1f, 145), Ciarán Dalton 1-1, Kevin O’Donovan, Stephen Cronin, Mark Cronin 0-1 each.

Scorers for Newcastle West: Iain Corbett, Eoin Hurley (2fs) 0-3 each, Seán Murphy, Thomas Quilligan (free), Stephen Brosnan 0-1 each.

NEMO RANGERS: Micheál Aodh Martin; Briain Murphy, Aidan O’Reilly, Alan Cronin; Kevin O’Donovan, Stephen Cronin, Jack Horgan; Alan O’Donovan, James McDermott; Ciarán Dalton, Paul Kerrigan, Colin O’Brien; Luke Connolly, Mark Cronin, Conor Horgan.

Subs: Kevin Fulignati for Jack Horgan (52), Ronan Dalton for O’Brien (55).

NEWCASTLE WEST: Michael Quilligan Jnr; Michael O’Leary, Mike O’Keeffe, Darren O’Doherty; William Hurley Jnr, Stephen Brosnan, Séamus Hurley; Seán Murphy, Iain Corbett; Brian Hurley, AJ O’Connor, Thomas Quilligan; Eoin Hurley, Mike McMahon, Jamie Lee.

Subs: Bryan Nix for O’Connor (44), Lee Woulfe for William Hurley Jnr (50), Diarmuid Kelly for Brian Hurley (51), James Kelly for McMahon (58), Brian Foley for Eoin Hurley (60).

REFEREE: Pádraig O’Sullivan (Kerry).