Galtee make home advantage pay against Éire Óg in west Tipperary football semi-final

Galtee Rovers 1-12  Éire Óg Annacarty Donohill 0-11

Galtee Rovers' footballers are through to the final of the Michael Devlin Solicitors O’Donoghue Cup following their four-point victory over Éire Óg Annacarty Donohill at Canon Hayes Park Bansha.

In a game played before a small crowd, on an evening with a slight wind blowing towards the village end, this was a very entertaining contest, with Éire Óg coming back into the game over the closing twenty minutes.

The home side’s lack of discipline around the questioning of the referee’s decisions, coupled with not handing back the ball having conceding a free, led to referee Richie O’Connor implementing the rules to the full. Three times during those closing twenty minutes, Éire Óg were the beneficiaries of this new rule, with the ball being moved from midfield to the twenty-metre mark. Galtee also benefitted during the opening half.

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At the end the home side just about deserved their victory and will now play Arravale Rovers in the final, the Tipperary town side having defeated Aherlow in the other semi-final.

Galtee Rovers won the toss and elected to play into the village end, and with the aid of a slight breeze for the opening half. Éire Óg were quickly off the mark when Darragh Kelly got the non-existent scoreboard moving inside two minutes from a placed ball and he added a point from another free two minutes later to put them two up. 

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Rovers settled and Shane Ryan kicked their opener before Eoin Halpin landed a brace from placed balls, the second after the ball had been moved from midfield to the twenty-metre mark. Darragh Kelly, from a free kick, had the sides back on level terms for the second time by the 13th minute.

The home team hit a purple patch during a ten-minute spell at the start of the second quarter, with Shane Ryan finding the net following a big run out of defence by Sean Daly. Jack Crowe and Eoin Halpin added minors before Daly intercepted an attempted short kickout and split the posts.

Callum McCarthy put Rovers eight points to the good before Brian Fox skimmed the crossbar with a shot after latching onto a good crossfield ball from Stephen McDonnell. A goal at that stage would have been a big score for the visitors. Eoin Halpin kicked his fourth minor of the half to leave the half-time score Galtee Rovers 1-9, Éire Óg 0-4.

Darragh Kelly got the opening score after the restart from an advanced mark, but Shane Ryan quickly cancelled the score, having been put through by Darren McGrath. Darragh Kelly pointed his fifth placed ball on forty minutes, again having benefitted from the ball being moved forward.

However, Galtee hit back with points from Adam McGrath and Eoin Halpin to put them nine up by the three-quarter stage. The final quarter saw Éire Óg playing their best football, following some beneficial substitutions. Kelly kicked three minors, the third just clearing the crossbar, and Paudie Bradshaw closed out the scoring with a two-pointer from outside the 40-metre zone. 

Scorers: Galtee Rovers: Shane Ryan (1-3), Eoin Halpin (0-5, 2 frees), Adam McGrath (0-1), Jack Crowe (0-1), Sean Daly (0-1), Callum McCarthy (0-1).

Éire Óg: Darragh Kelly (0-8, 7 frees), Paudie Bradshaw (0-2, 1x 2pt), Brian Fox (0-1).

Galtee Rovers: Kelvin O’Brien, Peter Carroll, Shane Power, Eoghan Byrnes, Joe O’Callaghan, Cian O’Dwyer, Sean Daly, Eamon Quirke, Eric Grogan (captain), Bill Quirke, Shane Ryan, Callum McCarthy, Jack Crowe, Eoin Halpin, Darren McGrath.

Subs used: Adam McGrath for Callum McCarthy (38), Sean Gubbins for Joe O’Callaghan (inj, 45).

Éire Óg: Alan Shanahan, Darragh O’Brien, David Fox, Conor Devlin, Stephen McDonnell, Paudie Bradshaw (captain), Dan Kelly, Líam Óg O’Dwyer, Donal O’Dwyer, Connie Bradshaw, Brian Fox, Eoin Bradshaw, Paul Downey, Darragh Kelly, Aidan Griffin.

Subs: Mikie Bradshaw for Conor Devlin (35), Michael Furlong for Dan Kelly (41), Jack Kingston for Eoin Bradshaw (41), Jeremy Furlong for Liam Óg O’Dwyer (49), Richard O’Doherty for Stephen McDonnell (49).

Referee: Richie O’Connor (Arravale Rovers).