The 2018 McGrath Cup was a Gaelic football competition in the province of Munster, played by county teams.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Province | Munster |
| Year | 2018 |
| Winners | |
| Champions | Cork (9th win) |
| Manager | Ronan McCarthy |
| Captain | Jamie O'Sullivan |
| Runners-up | |
| Runners-up | Clare |
| Manager | Colm Collins |
| Captain | Cathal O'Connor |
| Other | |
| Matches played | 3 |
Just three county teams completed in 2018 after the withdrawals of Tipperary, Limerick, and Kerry.[1] Cork were the winners.[2]
The cup was won by Cork after a 3–13 to 3–12 win in the final.[3]
Format
editThree teams compete. Each team plays the other teams once, earning 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw. The top two teams play in the final.
Group stage
edit| 30 December 2017 2 p.m. |
Clare | 2-18 – 1-9 | Waterford | Meelick Referee: Pat O’Driscoll (Cork) |
| Conor Finnucane (0-8, 4f), Eimhin Courtney (0-5), Gearóid O’Brien (1-1), Cathal O’Connor (1-0), Seán Collins (0-2), Kieran Malone (0-1), David Egan (0-1) | Report | Jason Curry (0-7, 3f), Conor Murray (1-0), Gavin Crotty (0-1), Mikey Kiely (0-1) |
| 7 January 2018 2 p.m. |
Waterford | 0-7 – 2-18 | Cork | Gold Coast Resort, Ballinacourty Referee: S. Lonergan (Tipperary) |
| J. Curry (0-3, 2f); M. Curry (0-2); G. Crotty, JJ Hutchinson (0-1 each) | Report | S. Sherlock (0-7, 2f); S. Powter (1-2); J. O’Rourke (0-4); P. Clancy (1-0); C. Vaughan, C. Dorgan (0-2 each); M. Collins (0-1) |
The final group game was cancelled, as Cork and Clare had already reached the final.[4]
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cork
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +17 |
 Clare
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +12 |
 Waterford
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | –29 |
Final
edit| 13 January 2018 4 p.m. Final |
Cork | 3-13 – 3-12 | Clare | Mallow GAA Sports Complex, Mallow Referee: Seamus Mulvihill (Kerry) |
| Stephen Sherlock 2-3 (0-3f), Michael Hurley 0-4, Mark Collins 1-1, Cathal Vaughan 0-3 (0-1f), Daniel O’Callaghan, Cian Kiely 0-1 each | Report | Conor Finucane 0-5 (0-2f), Keelan Sexton, Gearóid O’Brien 1-1 each, Alan Sweeney 1-0, Eimhin Courtney 0-3, Cathal O’Connor (0-1 ’45), Darragh Bohannon 0-1 each |
References
edit- ^ "Just 3 teams left in McGrath Cup as Limerick join Kerry and Tipperary in withdrawing". The 42. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
- ^ "Cork strike late to claim McGrath Cup honours". 13 January 2018.
- ^ "Sherlock homes in on silverware with late strike". Irish Independent. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ O'Toole, Fintan. "Munster GAA chiefs bring pre-season finals forward a week to avoid dead rubbers".