Boland goal decisive as Moyle Rovers edge out Loughmore in Tipperary quarter-finals

FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Football Championship quarter-final:

MOYLE ROVERS 1-10 LOUGHMORE/CASTLEINEY 0-12

Moyle Rovers produced a tremendous battling performance at Golden on Saturday afternoon to out-muscle Loughmore/Castleiney and book themselves a place in the last four of this year’s FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Football Championship.

In arguably their most significant display in a couple of years, the never-say-die determination of the Powerstown/Lisronagh squad saw them overcome the Midmen who had scored three quick wind-assisted points at the start of the second half to lead by two. But the John McGrath managed Rovers refused to bend and battled back to snatch a great victory with a Ben Owens’ point deep into time-added on. It will give the Monroe outfit great heart and belief as they attempt to regain the O’Dwyer Cup for the first time since 2018.

Both teams lined out without key players due to injury; Loughmore short Noel McGrath and Rovers missing Stephen Quirke. In a tentative possession-retaining start to the game, it took all of nine minutes for the opening score to arrive, eventually coming from Liam Boland for Rovers. And like the proverbial buses, John Ryan replied almost immediately from 30 metres after getting loose of any marker.

Opportunities were few and far between but Moyle Rovers were let off the hook in the 12th minute when a ground shot by Ciarán McGrath went narrowly wide when really the full-forward should have found the back of the net.

The scoring rate thankfully picked up after a disappointing first quarter and Jack Harney and Danny Owens combined to free up Liam Boland to edge Rovers ahead in the 16th minute.

Soon afterwards they doubled that lead when a good delivery out of defence by the hard-working Conor McGrath was marked and pointed by Riain Quigley.

Loughmore hit the next three scores to lead 0-4 to 0-3 by the 26th minute. Liam McGrath pointed a free in the 20th minute after Brian McGrath was taken down going through. A superb point off the left into the breeze from an acute angle by Tommy Maher levelled matters in the 25th minute, quickly followed by a lead point for the Mid men after Liam Treacy came through the centre at pace to point from 35 metres. 

If the start of the half was slow-scoring, the final minutes were tit-for-tat with points. Rovers levelled at 0-4 each when Riain Quigley finished off a move worked through the field by the efforts of Rory Collins, Shane Foley and Danny Owens in a patient build-up.

Conor Ryan then capitalised on a defensive error by Rovers to edge his side ahead in the 29th minute before the last two points of the first half went the way of the South representatives. The leveller was an excellent effort by long-serving forward Diarmuid Foley coming through the centre like a train. It was quickly added to by a free converted by Liam Boland and won by the industry of Cathal McKeown who put in an excellent effort all day long for the Sky Blues. At the break Moyle Rovers led 0-6 to 0-5.

Within a minute of the restart, assisted by the strong breeze, Loughmore had two points from play from Liam Treacy and Brian McGrath to seize the advantage. And when Liam McGrath kicked a free from 46 metres five minutes in for an 0-8 to 0-6 lead, it looked like Frankie McGrath’s side were odds-on to advance to the last four.

But Rovers, with the likes of Jack Harney, Luke Boland and Luke Fogarty showing steel for the fight, they weathered that early pressure and pulled it back to a single point in the 38th minute when once more Cathal McKeown earned the free for Liam Boland to convert.

You need luck to win games and having had a slice of it with that first half miss for Loughmore, Rovers got another huge let-off in the 41st minute. Loughmore put together a fine move via Ciarán and Aidan McGrath only to see Darragh McCauley’s thunderbolt at goal crash off the crossbar with the keeper beaten all ends up. Had that effort gone in, the result may well have gone the other way.

The excellent free-taking of Loughmore’s Liam McGrath made it 0-9 to 0-7 in the 42nd minute but Jack Harney, with a greatly-deserved solo point off his left, kept Rovers in the chase.

The game’s decisive and match-winning score arrived at the end of the third quarter. Rovers had just made a double substitution and it proved significant. Dara Ryan’s first contribution was to break from defence and find Liam Boland with a pass. The former Tipperary senior player weaved his way from the half-way line to shoot a goal off his weaker right foot beyond the reach of Shane Hennessy for a 1-8 to 0-9 advantage.

The tempo increased even further now and with scores proving hard to come by it was Loughmore who had the next two to level at 0-11 to 1-8 by the 57th minute. These came from another Liam McGrath free and a fisted effort from Tomás McGrath when a goal might have been on.

In the melting pot now and anyone’s game, Moyle Rovers nudged ahead just after the clock went red, Jack Harney and Ben Owens involved in the build-up of a fine point from Liam Boland.

In the 62nd minute another long range free from Liam McGrath descended dangerously towards the Rovers goal with Jack Harney taking no chances to touch over his own crossbar for parity for the seventh time, 0-12 to 1-9.

Still the game went on at the discretion of the referee when many felt a draw was the most likely result. The winner came six and a half minutes into time added on. It arrived after a Liam Boland free fell short but Rovers, showing good composure, retained possession to recycle. Ben Owens, manfully, took on the responsibility of a shot and delivered it over the black spot for what was to prove the ticket into the last four.

It was a day when the result could have gone either way between two hugely committed and battling sides, Rovers eventually doing a ‘Loughmore’ on their opponents at the end of the day when it looked for a period that they were on the way out.

For Rovers the Crowe brothers and Conor McGrath were tough and tight all day in the full-back line, Jack Harney, Ben Owens, Riain Quigley, Luke Boland and Diarmuid Foley all played their parts, while Liam Boland’s goal and six points were vital.

Loughmore, the annual autumnal force that they are, will be disappointed that the double dream is gone for 2023. Luck wasn’t with them on the day, but there were some huge performances from Lorcan Egan, Willie Eviston and John Ryan in defence, while Brian McGrath, Liam Treacy and John McGrath gave it everything; Liam McGrath’s free-taking was top notch on a difficult day for free-takers.

Moyle Rovers: Shane Ryan, Cillian Crowe, Conor McGrath, Cian Crowe, Jack Harney (0-1), Luke Boland, Cathal McKeown, Luke Fogarty, Ben Owens (0-1), Diarmuid Foley (0-1), Shane Foley, Riain Quigley (0-2), Danny Owens, Liam Boland (1-5, 0-2F)

Subs: Dara Ryan and Dean English for S. Foley and D. Owens (45 minutes); Sean Cotter for Boland (56).

Loughmore/Castleiney: Shane Hennessy, Lorcan Egan, Willie Eviston (capt), Tomás McGrath (0-1), John Ryan (0-1), Eoin O’Connell, Tommy Maher (0-1), Darragh McCahey, Liam Treacy (0-2), Liam McGrath (0-5F), Brian McGrath (0-1), Aidan McGrath, Conor Ryan (0-1), Ciarán McGrath, John McGrath.

Subs: Ed Meagher for McCahey (45 minutes); Cian Hennessy for Ryan (39 mins); Conor McGrath for Treacy (50 mins).

Referee: Sean Peters (Aherlow).