Clonmel Commercials dig deep to salvage late draw with Loughmore
FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Football Championship Group 3 Round 2
CLONMEL COMMERCIALS 0-15 LOUGHMORE/CASTLEINEY 2-9
Reigning county champions Clonmel Commercials were put to the pin of their collective collars by Loughmore/Castleiney before salvaging a late late draw in an entertaining Group 3 county senior football championship game played in perfect conditions at Dillon Quirke Park, Clonoulty on Friday night last.
Having trailed by four at half-time, 2-6 to 0-8, Commercials were six points in arrears at the three-quarters stage and in serious danger of losing their unbeaten status. However, digging deep, and sending for the cavalry and experience in the likes of Michael Quinlivan, Kevin Fahey and Jason Lonergan, Commercials tagged on a half a dozen unanswered points for a deserved share of the spoils at the final whistle.
As relieved as the three-in-a-row seeking Clonmel side will be at snatching a draw through Peter McGarry’s fisted equaliser two minutes into added-time, Loughmore will, no doubt, feel that they let this one slip from their grasp. At no stage over the 60 minutes were they headed, and with a six points advantage with just 14 minutes remaining, one certainly couldn’t see Commercials survive without, at least, one green flag. In the end, they didn’t need any major, the Tommy Morrissey-managed side ruling the roost in the final quarter to raise six white flags for that 0-15 to 2-9 parity.
Commercials and Loughmore arrived in Clonoulty having recorded opening day victories over Arravale Rovers and Killenaule respectively in Group 3 – and departing, what was an unusual choice of venue for this fixture, both sides have now all but secured their passage to the knockout stages.
Friday night’s encounter was the first real clash of significance in this year’s championship and these almost annual adversaries will both take a lot from it for the latter stages. True to form, this latest staging of a now decades old rivalry between the sides was tough and competitive all through with referee Sean Lonergan well up for controlling it with yellow cards aplenty and two black cards along the way. But everything was honest and manly, and if they are to clash again further along the road, it will be well worth another viewing.
Before proceedings got underway, a poignant minute’s silence was observed for the late Moyle Rovers club legend, Eileen Boland. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.
From the start the Mid men were on a mission and inside four minutes were three points to the good with scores from Ciaran McGrath, Liam McGrath (free) and Philip O’Connell (mark). Indeed that opening point after just 20 seconds could have been a goal, when following a move from the throw-in, Philip O’Connell and Liam McGrath combined to put Ciaran McGrath in the clear but his piledriver clipped the crossbar on its way over.
A Jack Kennedy 45 got Commercials up and running in the seventh minute and from the kick-out Padraic Looram gathered to set up Ross Peters who pointed to make it a one point game. Parity was restored in the 11th minute when Cian Smith pointed a free won by Sean O’Connor.
Former Tipperary senior Liam McGrath added his second free to edge the Shane Hennessy managed Loughmore in front again, but it was quickly cancelled out by a Peter McGarry point at the conclusion of a good Commercials movement.
The game’s opening goal arrived at the end of the first quarter and it came as the result of a turnover. With Commercials on the attack and Loughmore looking stretched, wing-back Eoin O’Connell made a vital interception and in the resultant counter-attack John McGrath fed Ciaran McGrath who blasted to the top of the net beyond Shane Ryan for a 1-4 to 0-4 lead.
A Liam McGrath free was immediately nullified by a Sean O’Connor mark for Commercials after a pin-point delivery by Colman Kennedy. In one of the scores of the game Tommy Maher, John McGrath and Eamon Connolly weaved through the Clonmel rearguard before Connolly pointed. Again, Commercials responded quickly, this time Jack Kennedy obliged with an excellent point from 40 metres. After 21 minutes of play Loughmore led, 1-6 to 0-6.
Two points within a minute from Sean O’Connor and Cian Smith left just the minimum between the sides as the interval approached. However, right on the stroke of half-time came a big moment in the game. Liam McGrath put John McGrath through on goal and as he was about to shoot he was fouled by Commercials’ keeper Shane Ryan. The referee adjudged it as a black card incident and from the penalty Liam McGrath gave the just-introduced keeper, Ciaran Cannon, no chance with a superbly dispatched spot kick. At the short whistle Loughmore led 2-6 to 0-8.
Within three minutes of the restart, the Mid men had extended their advantage to six. A superbly-taken point on the turn from Tomás McGrath was followed by another Liam McGrath free. Commercials then introduced Michael Quinlivan for his first outing of the year, at the end of Shane Ryan’s black card duration, the champions restored to a full complement of 15 players.
It took the Clonmel side nine minutes of the second half to register their first score, Michael Murphy fisting over the point after good work by Peter McGarry. In the build-up to that score, Eamon Connolly fouled, and after the advantage rule allowed Murphy his score, the referee black carded the Loughmore player.
A double substitution then saw Kevin Fahey and Cathal Deely join the fray, Fahey, like Quinlivan, making his seasonal debut after injury. But it’s not in Loughmore’s nature to stand in ceremony or awe, and a full-length-of-the-field move ended with full-back John Ryan pointing in the 46th minute, throwing down the gauntlet to the champions at 2-9 to 0-9 with 14 minutes of normal time left to play.
Credit to Commercials though, with the positive mindset of a side that won’t give up easily on that dream of emulating their club’s 1965-1967 three-in-a-row heroes, they manned up to the challenge and slowly but surely hauled in that six points deficit.
Two Cian Smith frees set the ball rolling before Jack Kennedy landed another fine point from play from 40 metres in the 51st minute to make it a three point game at 2-9 to 0-12 for Loughmore.
Conor Deely, not long on having replaced his brother Cathal, tagged on a hard-worked point with four minutes remaining as Commercials chased down their rivals.
As the clock ticked into the red, two points separated the sides, but it was down to the bare minimum once Jack Kennedy landed a tight-angled free. Incidentally, Kennedy, was one of three brothers, along with Colman and Conal, playing in the field their father John would have honed his future Tipperary hurling skills as a child; the locals present remembered it.
The attention had turned now to the referee, the Loughmore supporters present, crying for Sean Lonergan to blow time. Two minutes into that added-time Padraic Looram got free down the right wing to create enough space to allow Peter McGarry run inside, and once the pass came McGarry had the composure and the time to fist the all-important equaliser.
Both sides could be happy with their performances and the point, and will no doubt have their eye on another day in the coming weeks.
Clonmel Commercials:
Shane Ryan, Thomas Charles, Tadgh Condon, Enda Dunphy, Padraic Looram, Colman Kennedy, Conor Deely, Michael Murphy (0-1), Jack Kennedy (0-4, 0-1×45, 0-1F), Peter McGarry (0-2), Cian Smith (0-4F), Conal Kennedy, Sean O’Connor (0-2, 0-1M), Ryan Lambe, Ross Peters (0-1).
Subs: Ciarán Canning for Peters (30 mins); Michael Quinlivan for Ryan (39 mins); Kevin Fahey for Dunphy (42 mins); Cathal Deely (0-1) for Conor Deely (42 mins) ; Jason Lonergan for Smith (59 mins).
Loughmore/Castleiney:
Shane Hennessy, Willie Eviston, John Ryan (0-1), Ed Meagher, Tommy Maher, Tomás McGrath (0-1), Eoin O’Connell, Noel McGrath, Brian McGrath, Eamon Connolly (0-1), Aidan McGrath (1-4, 1-0 pen, 0-4F), John McGrath, Liam McGrath, Ciaran McGrath (1-1), Philip O’Connell (0-1M).
Subs: Lorcan Egan for A. McGrath (44mins); Ciaran Connolly for Eamon Connolly (50 mins); Daragh McCahy for Eviston (51 mins); Conor Ryan for C. McGrath (56 mins).
Referee: Sean Lonergan (Moyle Rovers).