Killenaule aim to return to the top table
By Liam Hogan
Kenneth Browne is a Killenaule man to the core. Serving his second year in the hot seat after he took a lengthy sabbatical from the job and on Sunday his team will take on Templederry in the eagerly anticipated Seamus O Riain Cup final.
His mission is to see his team return to the Dan Breen Cup after Killenaule were relegated in 2019 and last year his side lost the semi-final to Lorrha but 2021 has seen his side gradually recover, beginning with a win over Mullinahone in the South Division final.
“We came through two hard fought games in the south championship and progressed to the county championship. Okay, we started off sluggishly, but we went up through the gears in every gear since,” he said.
Their opening round game in the O Riain Cup saw his side draw Sean Treacys. A disappointing result but victories over Ballina and Gortnahoe/Glengoole helped them recover to finish first in the group. They went on to defeat Kiladangan by six points in the quarter final. That game was a week after losing heavily to Loughmore/Castleiney in the Dan Breen preliminary quarter final.
“The defeat to Loughmore was a once off,” he said.
“Our sole focus was this competition (Seamus O’Riain Cup). It was a combination of things and things were not right. We got off to a bad start and hit eighteen wides as well and that did not help.
“Yes, we left Kiladangan in the game, but we are still winning and that is the main thing. We are improving in every game and hopefully we pick it up more for the final.”
As a dual club, Killenaule competed in the county senior football championship and secured their status for another year recently, with Browne adding the split-season has helped Killenaule in their club commitments.
“It’s’ nice to be playing week in week out,” he said.
“It’s tough though because we don’t have an overly big panel. We have only 24 or 25 and pulling from the same players. I know other clubs are doing it but as I said we only have twenty-four.”
Killenaule is a club that has offered a lot to Tipperary as barely a year goes by when a player from the club makes his place on a county panel.
“Look we have a lot of good coaches in the club,” he added.
“We are bringing the youth through, and we are reaping the rewards and long may it continue.”
So, what of Sunday’s opponents Templederry?
“Templederry are a serious outfit,” Browne said.
“They are dangerous all over the place. All their forwards are able to score, and their backs are very tight and aggressive. It’s going to be a great dogfight and we are really looking forward to it.”
The Killenaule management team is made up of Kenneth Browne (manager); Maor Foirne - Niall O’Dwyer; Coach - Raymie Ryan; Selectors - Michael Gleeson, Anthony Doyle, and John Healy.