Brave Tullamore bow out with heads held high as Cuala march on
A loss is always a loss but if ever there is such a thing as an acceptable defeat this was it for Tullamore who fought to the line against crack Dublin outfit and were not far away in the Leinster Club Senior Football Championship semi-final in Parnell Park on Saturday.
AIB Leinster Club Senior Football Championship semi-final
Cuala 1-10
Tullamore 0-10
A few little things went wrong here and there, a sloppy first half goal and a few mistakes and turnovers cost them but there will be no need for a big Tullamore inquest, no need for any player to be hung out to dry and Cuala squeezed into a Leinster final berth against St Mary's of Ardee next Saturday in Croke Park.
Cuala were marginally the better team, they were lethal at times on the break and they deserved to win but Tullamore showed they can compete at this level. Their good young players went very well and they were not far away. Tullamore played with great heart, turned over more than their share of ball and it is to their credit that they were within a score, chasing a match salvaging goal in injury time. Tullamore were not far away at all and while there was never one moment that you said they were going to win, that possibility remained on the table to the end.
As expected, it was an intriguing tactical battle with both teams packing their defence for periods and attempting to break out at pace. Cuala were a bit better in this regard and that is why they won but could not relax for one second as it went down to the wire.
Tullamore's outstanding young guns, John Furlong, Cillian Bourke and Cormac Egan all went very well and they gave them a chance here. Egan may have been partly culpable for Cuala's all important first half goal but he was terrific at times, taking on defenders and forcing Cuala to retreat. Furlong was given the job of marking Con O'Callaghan for a lot of it and while O'Callaghan was the single biggest reason for Cuala's win, Furlong was also immense, getting better and better as the game went on.
Furlong really drove Tullamore on in the twenty minutes while Cillian Bourke once again showed how much promise he has. A Leaving Certificate student in Colaiste Choilm in Tullamore, his maturity was remarkable as he oozed class and even when he made mistakes, he worked so hard to rectify them.
Tullamore had several other players who gave it everything with but they also had some that went into the red and found the going tough. Their big problem was that they never threatened to score a goal while Cuala could very easily have ended up with four and this was the difference on the day.
A strong swirling wind with occasional showers made conditions very difficult. It favoured Tullamore in the first half but there were times when it was dormant or seemed to blow the other way and it was not a huge factor.
Tullamore were very competitive in the first half but were also sucking air to an extent and were happy to go in only a goal, 1-3 to 0-3 at half time. The Cuala goal in the ninth minute may have came from a Tullamore mistake but they were fortunate not to concede two others – Peter Duffy got the goal after Daire McDaid dropped the ball and Cormac Egan couldn't gather it to give them a 1-0 to 0-1 lead.
Cuala should have had a goal before that as Cal Doran blasted against the cross bar after suspect Tullamore defending while Declan Hogan made a fantastic block to deny the very lively Luke Keating a 13th minute goal.
With Cillian Bourke going very well at midfield and Niall Furlong, a late call up for Aaron Leavy, showing well in attack, Tullamore were level at 0-3 to 1-0 each after 17 minutes. That scoreline didn't reflect the balance of play but Cuala found the range coming up to half time. John Furlong stuck like glue to Con O'Callaghan but the ace Dublin marksman got away for two points as the favourites led by three at half time.
Tullamore had their best spell in the first eleven minutes of the second half as they fought with great tenacity. Harry Plunkett's free taking was excellent and he converted three as they levelled it up at 0-7 to 1-4 after 41 minutes. Tullamore's hopes that they had the initiative were ruthlessly dispelled by Cuala who found another gear when they needed to. They scored five points without reply from the 42nd to 51st minutes and the game was won and lost in this period.
Cuala were brilliant at this stage as Con O'Callaghan got a breathtaking point while Luke Keating should have goaled when blasting over the bar from point blank range. Trailing by 1-9 to 0-7, Tullamore looked to be gone and they deserve huge credit for turning the tide. They kept working, kept plugging away, stayed patient as they limited Cuala to just one more point.
John Furlong and Harry Plunkett got the gap back to a goal before Charlie McMurrow eased Cuala's nerves with a 58th minute point. A super Plunkett free brought it back to a score as it headed into four minutes of injury time and Tullamore pushed hard for an equalising goal. They turned over ball as Cuala committed some cynical fouls and got dangerous ball into the danger zone but couldn't breach a packed Cuala defence and time ran out on them.
It has still been a great year for Tullamore who retained the Offaly title for the first time since 1926, won their first Leinster club game since 1977 and have now shown that they can go toe to toe with the best that other counties have to offer.
The challenge now will be to push on from here and it could be under new management as the time is probably perfect for Niall Stack to step down after a great five years at the helm – if he does go, he can reflect very proudly on his time in charge and he leaves Tullamore in a much better position than he found them.
MATCH ANALYSIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
Con O'Callaghan (Cuala): A choice between Cuala's towering midfielder Peadar O'Cofaigh-Byrne and Con O'Callaghan. Byrne was superb but my choice is O'Callaghan. He was tightly marked, space and possession was very limited and it was not a day for forwards but three points from play was a huge contribution. He was a real livewire and had other crucial assists.
John Furlong, Declan Hogan, the superb Cillian Bourke and Cormac Egan gave displays that commanded respect for Tullamore while Harry Plunkett's free taking kept them in with an outside chance.
THE SCORERS
Cuala: Con O'Callaghan 0-4 (1f), Peter Duffy 1-1, Michael Fitzsimons, Charlie McMurrow, Luke Keating, Niall O'Callaghan, Cillian Dunne 0-1 each.
Tullamore: Harry Plunkett 0-6 (5f), Nigel Bracken, John Furlong, Michael Brazil (f) and Niall Furlong 0-1 each.
THE TEAMS
TULLAMORE: Corey White; Paul McConway, Declan Hogan, Daire McDaid; Nigel Bracken, John Furlong, Oisin Keenan-Martin; Cillian Bourke, Arron Hensey; Cormac Egan, Michael Brazil, Niall Furlong; Diarmuid Egan, Dan Fox, Harry Plunkett. Subs – Luke Egan for Fox (HT), Aaron Leavy for Hensey (38m), Ciaran Burns for McConway (42m), Mike Fox for Niall Furlong (51m),
CUALA: Ryan Scollard; Danny Conroy, Michael Fitzsimons, Eoghan O'Callaghan; Eoin Kennedy, Charlie McMurrow, David O'Dowd; Peadar O'Cofaigh-Byrne, Peter Duffy; Cillian Dunne, Conor O'Brien, Cal Doran; Luke Keating, Niall O'Callaghan, Con O'Callaghan. Subs – Cathal O'Guilan for Dunne (42m), Conor Groarke for O'Brien (42m), Michael Conroy for Kennedy (49m), Shane Mangan for O'Dowd (56m), James Power for Doran (58m).
Referee – Anthony Nolan (Wicklow).
REFEREE WATCH
Anthony Nolan refereed it well and there were no big talking points.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
Peter Duffy's goal separated the sides but Con O'Callaghan's great 42nd minute point after Tullamore had got on level terms was a real momentum changer. Cuala were able to get scores when they really needed one the whole day and that point started a fantastic run of five on the trot.
VENUE WATCH
A large Tullamore crowd made the trip to Parnell Park and they helped create a good atmosphere. The Dublin pitch has been busy recently but looked good on a wintry, showery evening. The local stewards were very efficient and helpful as normal.
WHAT'S NEXT
Cuala play St Mary's of Ardee in the final next Saturday in Croke Park.
STATISTICS
Wides: Tullamore – 5 (3 in first half); Cuala - 3 (2 in first half).
Yellow cards: Tullamore – 1 (Cillian Bourke); Cuala – 3 (Peadar O'Cofaigh-Byrne, Niall O'Callaghan, Con O'Callaghan).
Black cards: 0
Red cards: 0