INTER COUNTY FOOTBALL NEWS
The Cork city and county Schools of Excellence and Development Squads were in full flight on July 17th when weeks of hard work were put to the test in the Munster football competitions at under 14, 15 and 16.
Participation went as follows
Under 14 Peil in Waterford
2 county panels of 24 players
1 city panel of 24 playerss
Under 15 Peil in Milstreet
2 county panels of 25 players
1 city panel of 25 players
Under 16 Peil in Limerick
1 county panel of 24 players
1 city panel of 21 players
The idea of having multiple panels is to ensure the development of more players and to create a more level playing field for smaller counties like Waterford and Clare who would be picking full county teams but would still have a smaller base of players to choose from.
The players choosen to go to the tournaments each received a set of shorts and socks, a polo shirt and they also got to keep the jersey at the conclusion of the tournament curtesy of Cork Bord na nOg.
The panels, though in development mode, performed very well with the under 16 county team reaching the final of the Limerick tournament before defeat in extra time to Tipperary. The city panel were unlucky to lose the plate final to North Kerry in a close battle but were short a few players who could have made a big difference to the outcome.
The under 15 in Milstreet was very competitive and again, Tipperary came out on top over a Cork county selection. The Cork city squad were winners of the Plate competition.
The under 14 competition in Waterford was not finished but the Cork west team are in the plate final and no date has been pencilled in as yet for that game against Limerick.
The squads will be brought back together in September where they will undergo further training and it is envisaged that further challenge games will take place against other leading counties.