Cork Con And Clontarf Set For Ulster Bank League Decider
Clontarf and Cork Constitution will battle it out at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday for the Ulster Bank League title. Both clubs have claimed the crown before but this is their first time to meet in the final.
Cork Constitution FC have been a powerhouse of the league since the inception in 1990. The Temple Hill outfit won the inaugural Division 1 title, topping the table ahead of Garryowen in the 1990/91 season.
Since then Con have won three further Ulster Bank League trophies and have been runners-up on seven occasions. Their last title came in the 2009/10 season but they also featured in the 2010/11 final losing out to Old Belvedere at Donnybrook.
Although the Cork city club have not won the league in the past six seasons, they have not been lacking in silverware as they have won the Bateman Cup for the last four years.
Over the years Con has been a breeding ground for future Munster and Ireland stars, with the likes of Ronan O’Gara, Peter O’Mahony and Simon Zebo all featuring for the club in the league.
Clontarf achieved All-Ireland League status in 1991/92, winning promotion to Division 2. They were relegated to the expanded Division 3 the following year but started a drive up the divisions under Brent Pope in 1995 and reached Division 1 for the 1997/98 season.
Following a few rocky years in the top flight, ‘Tarf began to establish themselves as serial contenders. Runners-up on five occasions from the early 2000s onwards, the north Dubliners claimed their first Division 1 crown in 2014, beating Old Belvedere to the title on the final day of the league.
Despite Con and ‘Tarf featuring in 12 finals between them, they have never met in a league decider. During the regular season both sides claimed the spoils in the away fixture with Con edging a 15-14 victory at Castle avenue in October, while ‘Tarf left Temple Hill with the spoils in an 18-12 win for the visitors.
Both sides boast exciting young talented players that are involved in provincial squads. Con’s Darren Sweetnam has seen regular GUINNESS PRO12 action for Munster, while Tomas Quinlan, Max Abbott, Shane Daly and John Poland have all represented Ireland at Under-20 level in the past couple of seasons.
Clontarf have a number of players on Leinster’s books, including Bryan Byrne, Mick McGrath and Tony Ryan, with Joey Carbery in the provincial academy and current Ireland U-20 international Conor O’Brien also featuring regularly for the Bulls.
Tickets will also be available from 12.30pm on Sunday from Ticketmaster vans beside Gate A on Lansdowne Road.