First quarter blitz sees Clonmel Commercials U19s advance to county final
FBD Insurance County Tipperary U19 A Football Championship Semi-Final:
CLONMEL COMMERCIALS 1-16 GOLDEN/KILFEACLE 1-7
Just four days after their seniors’ disappointing defeat in the county final, Clonmel Commercials were back in yet another county football decider after their under 19s defeated Golden/Kilfeacle by nine points at Páirc na nGael, New Inn on Thursday night last.
An opening first-quarter blitzkrieg in which they scored 1-7 without reply in 14 minutes ensured ultimate victory for the South Tipp side. By the time Keith Delahunty’s full-time whistle eventually sounded, they were well and truly home and hosed, the second half played in a continuous heavy downpour under the twilight zone of the New Inn lights.
For Commercials, last Thursday night’s semi-final came over five weeks after their facile divisional final win over Fethard at Duneske; for the county final, against JK Bracken’s of Templemore, they had to wait just three further days. Regardless of how the decider would pan out, it was hardly the fairest of preparations for any side attempting to win a county title.
Commercials had the proverbial dream start playing into the village end with a superbly-taken goal by Alex Creed in the second minute in which he gave the keeper no chance with a left footed effort from 12 metres out; Commercials’ captain Michael Connellan played a big part in the making of that early goal.
As if Creed’s goal made them believe, the Clonmel side wiped the floor with their opponents over the next quarter hour or so, the football itself rarely going beyond the half-way line as they added seven unanswered points, four from play and three frees.
Corner-forward Alex Creed, who has been flying all year in both codes for Commercials and The Mary’s, kicked a point from 30 metres in the fourth minute, quickly followed by another by colossus Joe Higgins powering through to finish a move that came up the middle of the park via Michael Connellan and Tadgh Sheehan.
And it was centre-forward Joe Higgins who made it 1-3 to 0-0 in the eighth minute with a fine point aided in its creation by midfielder Darragh O’Connor.
Growing in confidence, the Clonmel side were totally dominant at this stage and one feared the game was descending into a non-contest when they added three further points before the first quarter hour mark was reached, with Thomas Charles and two Alex Creed frees stretching the advantage to 10 points at 1-7 to 0-0.
Golden’s first shot at the goalposts arrived in the 15th minute, with a missed free, but credit to the Westerners they got to the pace of the game after that and had much the better of the remainder of the first half, outscoring Commercials by five points to one before half-time.
Their first point came in the 21st minute when the hard-working Aaron Cohohan obliged, and within a minute, having waited so long for any score, Eanna Ormord kicked a sweet point from distance to settle Golden/Kilfeacle even more.
Jamie O’Keeffe, who put in a good hour’s work for Commercials, replied in the 25th minute with a point, but the last three white flags of the opening half went to the White and Green jerseys, via Jack Bergin, and two late Sam Hall efforts from play.
At the interval the difference was back to six points, Commercials leading 1-8 to 0-5.
As the second half resumed the heavens opened and stayed that way for the entirety of the 30 minutes; full credit to both sets of players for a much more competitive second half in such atrocious conditions.
Commercials, with that bit more height and physicality about the centre, had the better of the opening minutes with full-forward Jack Lawlor and the bombing wing-back Thomas Charles stretching the lead inside the first five minutes.
Golden/Kilfeacle goalkeeper Tyler Barry made a great save in the 36th minute, diving low to his left to touch a goalbound effort around the post, even if Joe Higgins was to send the resultant 45 high over the black spot.
Jack Lawlor, with his second point since the resumption, a huge effort from 40 metres, made it 1-12 to 0-5 after 39 minutes, the game quickly ebbing from Golden/Kilfeacle once again as the pitch softened up even more in the deluge.
In almost a mirror image of the first half it took Golden until the 44th minute to score, Cian Lonergan pointing from 30 metres out. However, that reprieve was just a drop in the ocean as quickly Commercials responded with two of their own from Darragh O’Connor and Jamie O’Keeffe to stretch their advantage to 11 points, 1-14 to 0-6 with 14 minutes still to play.
Ten minutes from time, out of the blue, Golden/Kilfeacle had a somewhat bizarre goal when a waist-high harmless-looking free from 30 metres by Aaron Colohan went all the way to the net past a wall of forwards and backs. Their final score of the game arrived a minute later with a Sam Hall free.
However, Commercials finished the stronger with Thomas Charles and target man James Power adding good individual points before the welcome sound of the final whistle on a dirty wet and dark in New Inn.
Besides those already mentioned for Commercials, Billy Tierney, Matthew Ó Ceallagh and Alex McSharry were part of a mean Commercials defence, while Niall Deely and Mark Corcoran did plenty of spade work on a difficult night for football.
Excluding the forgetful first quarter, Golden/Kilfeacle matched the winners thereafter in terms of commitment and, indeed, scoring, but the damage was done at that stage and the horse bolted. To their credit they never threw in the towel and aside from those already mentioned the Daltons, the Tuohys, Cian Ryan and Lee Hayes tried hardest.
Clonmel Commercials:
Harry Ryan, Matthew Ó Ceallaigh, Michael Connellan, Alex McSharry, Thomas Charles (0-3), Tadgh Sheehan (capt), Billy Tierney, Darragh O’Connor (0-2), Mark Corcoran, Niall Deely, Joe Higgins (0-3, 0-1×45), Jamie O’Keeffe (0-2), Alex Creed (1-3, 0-2F), Jack Lawlor (0-2), James Power (0-1).
Subs: Max O’Dwyer for McSharry (50 mins), Darragh Landers for Connellan (50 mins), Cian McGrath for Ó Ceallagh (55 mins), Cillian McNamara for Creed (58 mins).
Golden/Kilfeacle:
Tyler Barry (capt), Cian Lonergan, Ciaran Byrne, Colin Tuohy, Jack Dalton, Cian Ryan (P) (0-1), Aidan Tuohy, Gavin Dalton, Aaron Colohan (1-1, 1-0F), Eanna Ormond (0-1), Jack Bergin (0-1), Padraig Dalton, Sam Hall (0-3F), Charlie Hall, James McLoughlin.
Subs: Lee Hayes for Byrne (20 mins), Jamie Moloney for C. Hall, Harry Fogarty for McLoughlin, Ning Brennan for Lonergan (all 44 mins), Dan Quealy for S. H (57 mins).
Referee: Keith Delahunty (Moyle Rovers).