Tonic victory for Rockwell Rovers in Tipperary senior football championship

Rockwell Rovers 1-11 Moyle Rovers 0-12

Both Rockwell Rovers and Moyle Rovers went into Friday night’s FBD Insurance County Senior Football Championship Group 4, Round 2 clash at Cahir looking for two vital points, after first round defeats for both, but at stages it looked like Storm Betty was going to be the only winner.

The weather was deplorable, as heavy rain preceded the high winds, and it was so dark that there were doubts that the game could be finished in daylight. However, a brilliant performance from Rockwell Rovers defied the weather, and their opponents, for a crucial win. The result was a huge blow for Moyle Rovers as it edges them closer to a relegation battle with two defeats from their opening two games.

This was no game for fancy football. Kick passes were a liability, as players struggled to keep possession of a greasy ball in the torrential rain. Turnovers were ten a penny. What was required was a battling performance, full of guts and courage, and the New Inn side delivered in style.

Playing into the strong breeze, they were three points down after ten minutes and things looked ominous. However, a goal from Aidan Barron and a point from Tom Downey in the space of two minutes brought them right back into the game and there was very little between the sides after that.

The game was tied at 1-4 to 0-7 at half-time but a superb free from Eoin Byrne in the first minute of the second half gave Rockwell a lead that they never again surrendered. It was backs to the wall in the closing minutes, as the Powerstown/Lisronagh club battled to at least salvage a draw, but the Rockwell defence was immense, backboned by Liam Fahey, and they held on for a deserved win in the fast-fading light.

Rockwell had big performers all over the field but it’s not often that a goalkeeper ends up as top scorer. That accolade fittingly went to Eoghan Doyle, whose placed ball kicking was flawless. He kicked a free and a 45 into the teeth of the gale in the first half and two more frees and a 45 in the second for an impressive 0-5 after his name.

The defeat is a major blow for Moyle Rovers and puts them into a relegation dogfight that a club of their stature wouldn’t expect. The bottom four teams in the four groups will play off to avoid the drop, with three of the four going down. County champions just five years ago, they will go into their final group game against fellow south Tipp side, Ballyporeen, pointless and bottom of the group.

With Liam Boland and Stephen Quirke kicking ten of their twelve points between them, they were lacking punch in attack and some careless wides and fumbling possession cost them dearly.

However, they were the better team in the early stages, and after a scoreless first seven minutes, they hit three points in the space of three minutes. Liam Boland from a free got the scoreboard ticking following a foul on Rory Collins and Shane Foley followed up with a great point from play. A great turnover from Ben Owens started the next move that set up the first of Liam Boland’s three points from play.

Rockwell Rovers needed a response and they got it a minute later. Taking a pass from Kevin Cleary, midfielder Tom Tobin saw his shot come back off the upright and Aidan Barron reacted quickest to palm the ball to the net and cancel out Moyle Rovers’ first three points.

Confidence started to grow quickly in the Rockwell ranks and they took the lead within two minutes when a Tom Downey shot was deflected over for a point. Liam Boland hit an immediate response for the south side and they regained the lead with a superb long-range point from Stephen Quirke. Moyle Rovers might have had a goal of their own when a free from distance from Boland appeared to be dropping into the net before it was punched clear by a defender.

The New Inn side drew level again with goalkeeper Eoghan Doyle’s first point from a free following a foul on Kevin Cleary. Another monster point from Stephen Quirke edged Moyle Rovers ahead again but it was level again, after good work from Liam Fahey and TJ Ryan set up Kevin Cleary for the equaliser.

It was still level at the break, 1-4 to 0-7, after Eoghan Doyle from a 45 and Liam Boland from a free, exchanged points.

The rain continued to pour down at the start of the second half but that didn’t bother Rockwell, who went two points clear within two minutes, a super free from Eoin Byrne after he had been fouled himself, and another brilliant free from Eoghan Doyle after Kevin Cleary had been fouled. If eight times champions Moyle Rovers, who lost Danny Owens to injury just before half-time, didn’t realise they were in a real battle before this, they knew it now.

They opened their second half account with a fine Liam Boland point, with Brian McKeown and Dara Ryan involved in the build-up. But Rockwell came back with two more on the bounce, another precision free from the boot of Doyle followed by a fine TJ Ryan score after he was set up by Eoin Byrne, to make it 1-8 to 0-8 ten minutes in.

Three points was still the margin, 1-10 to 0-10, with ten minutes to go, with two Boland frees for Moyle and substitute Alan Moloney from a free and a TJ Ryan point from play for Rockwell.

With the game slipping from them, Moyle Rovers upped the tempo considerably for the final ten minutes. As they emptied the bench, they laid siege to the Rockwell goal. A Quirke free reduced the margin to two points in the 51st minute and it was down to a single point one minute from the end of normal time when Luke Boland fisted over after Rockwell had conceded a sloppy turnover, when they played one pass too many when trying to run the clock down.

It seemed to be only a matter of time before Moyle would find the equaliser but instead it was Rockwell who mounted one final attack deep in injury time. A brilliant turnover by Liam Fahey halted another threatening Moyle attack and in the play that followed, they won a 45.

And as he had done all evening, Eoghan Doyle confidently came upfield from goal to slot over the insurance point. The final whistle followed immediately and Rockwell Rovers players and supporters celebrated a famous victory.

Rockwell Rovers: Eoghan Doyle 0-5, 3 frees, 2 45s; Kieran McGovern, Robert O’Donnell, Peter Heaney, Liam Lonergan, Liam Fahey, Joseph Lawrence, Tom Downey 0-1; Tom Tobin, Kevin Cleary, 0-1; Eoin Byrne 0-1 free; Luca Fitzgerald, Pat Halley, TJ Ryan 0-2, 1 free; Aidan Barron 1-0.

Subs: Alan Moloney 0-1 free for Pat Halley, Eoin Shine for TJ Ryan, Jack O’Kelly for Tom Tobin.

Moyle Rovers: Shane Ryan, Conor McGrath, Cian Crowe, Jack Harney, Luke Boland 0-1; Rory Collins, Danny Owens, Stephen Quirke 0-3, 1 free; Ben Owens, Luke Fogarty, Brian McKeown, Shane Foley 0-1; Dara Ryan, Liam Boland 0-7, 4 frees; Dean English.

Subs: Riain Quigley for Danny Owens, Diarmuid Foley for Dara Ryan, Cillian Crowe for Cian Crowe, Sean Cotter for Dean English, Aidan Foley for Brian McKeown.

Referee: Seamus Delaney.