Eire Og win opening game of Tipperary County Senior Football Championship

Eire Og Annacarty Donohill 0-7    Drom/Inch 0-6

Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill and Drom/Inch kickstarted this year’s FBD Insurance County Senior Football Championship at Páirc Ciocaim Dundrum on Thursday evening.

Played before a small crowd and with the wind blowing from the railway end, this was a game that only took off in the second half. The opening half was a dreary encounter, taking all of twelve minutes to register the opening score, a point for the west men. It took until the 20th minute for Drom to get on the scoreboard, with a point from wing back Robbie Long.

Drom really only came to life during the ten-minute period before half-time, when they kicked four points, to go two up at the break, 0-4 to 0-2.

Eire Og, with the aid of the wind for the second half, were on level terms by the seventh minute and had gone two to the good at 0-6 to 0-4 by the 13th minute. Drom came back into the game and Darragh Mooney saved well from Jack Lillis at a time when a goal would have worked wonders for the mid men.

As was the case in the opening half, it took Drom almost twenty minutes to register their first score of the second half, and this came from a converted free from David Collins. This put the minimum between the sides but Dinny Crosse restored parity from the kickout, following a well-worked move at the other end.

Drom finished the game with fourteen men when Tommy Nolan received a straight red card after 21 minutes when he retaliated following a fowl by an Eire Og defender.

Following this sending off, Drom upped their game considerably in an effort to salvage something from  the contest. Try as they might, however, they were unable to break down a well disciplined Eire Og defence and came up short, by the minimum, at the finish.

The game started with Drom, aided by the wind, attacking the dressing room end, but it was Eire Og who were the more threatening during the opening ten minutes. During this period the west men were guilty of some terrible shooting in attack and it took them twelve minutes to register the opening score, a well taken point from Dinny Crosse. 

Crosse was on target again two minutes later when he got on the end of a good move upfield by Brian Fox to put over his second of the evening. Eire Og were causing problems to the Drom defence, but were unable to transfer their superiority to the scoreboard.

Drom eventually opened their account after 20 minutes when Robbie Long came upfield and kicked their opening point. Four minutes later the sides were level when David Butler kicked a long range effort, aided by the wind.

Drom were definitely taking the game to Eire Og and Emmett Moloney fired them in front in the 25h minute. A couple of missed chances followed before Paul Mullen, on the stroke of half-time, put over another long range effort, putting them two up at the break.

Eire Og, now with the aid of the wind, attacked from the throw-in and Brian Fox reduced the deficit to the minimum after thirty seconds. Eoin Bradshaw had the sides level by the seventh minute as the tempo of the game picked up. Two minutes later the first score from a free came from the boot of Dinny Crosse, as Eire Og eased into a one-point advantage. 

Paul Connors pulled off a great save from Crosse on fourteen minutes and Darragh Mooney slotted over the resulting 45.

Mooney himself saved well at the other end from Jack Lillis, when a goal looked on. Four minutes later David Collins, from a free, got Drom’s opening score of the second half, as they tried to get back into the game. Dinny Crosse kicked his fourth of the evening, to put two between the sides once more.

Drom were then dealt a severe blow when Tony Nolan was red-carded by referee Paddy Russell, following consultation with linesman John McCormack, for retaliation. Nolan had been awarded a free kick following a fowl by an Eire Og defender. 

For the final six minutes Drom introduced a number of substitutes to their attack, but the Eire Og defence held firm, well marshalled by their captain Brian Fox. 

This was a good victory for the west champions, in a group which also contains Clonmel Commercials and Kilsheelan/Kilcash. Drom will feel that they left this game behind them, but in reality they can have no excuses as they only played for the closing ten minutes of each half.

Scorers: Eire Og: Dinny Crosse (0-4, 1 free), Darragh Mooney (0-1,45), Brian Fox (0-1), Eoin Bradshaw (0-1).

Drom/Inch: Robbie Long (0-1), David Butler (0-1), Emmet Moloney (0-1), Paul Mullen (0-1), David Collins (0-1, free), Tommy Nolan (0-1).

Eire Og: Darragh Mooney, Ciaran Loughman, David Fox, Darragh O’Brien, Paudie Bradshaw, Brian Fox, Michael Bradshaw (captain), Tom Fox, Donal O’Dwyer, Eoin Bradshaw, Darragh Kelly, Paul Devlin, Kevin Fox, Dinny Crosse, Connie Bradshaw. Subs: Aidan Griffin for Kevin Fox (42 mins), Conor O’Brien for Eoin Bradshaw (56 mins).

Drom/Inch; Paul Connors, Michael Purcell, Fintan Purcell, Liam Ryan, Steve Nolan, Emmet Moloney, Robbie Long, John Ryan, Jamie Moloney, Paul Mullen, Tommy Nolan, Jamie Bergin, Jack Lillis, David Butler (captain), David Collins.

Subs: Darragh Kennedy for John Ryan (51 mins), Seamus Callanan for Jamie Bergin (58 mins), Ben Stapleton for Paul Mullen (58 mins), Paul Bergin for Robbie Long (58 mins).

Referee: Paddy Russell (Emly).