Tipperary senior football champions Clonmel Commercials enjoy easy win in quarter-final

Clonmel Commercials 4-17 Ballina 0-7

There was a landslide win for holders Clonmel Commercials as they scythed through last year’s intermediate champions, Ballina, at Templemore on Saturday to emphatically claim their place in the semi-finals of the FBD Insurance County Senior Football Championship.

The issue was never really in doubt in a one-sided encounter played before a very modest attendance, who left Templemore in no doubt that Commercials are the team to beat if you want to win the O’Dwyer Cup.

Ballina are the latest team to suffer a drubbing at the hands of Commercials, who have inflicted heavy defeats on a series of opponents and who are regarded as the hottest of favourites to retain their crown. Certainly, on this form, it is going to take something very special to unseat them.

Ballina came into this game in good fettle after the round-robin series but were without key attacker David Kelly. To add to their woes they lost two more players to injury in the first half and then later on saw county man Steven O’Brien limp off the field. Ballina simply do not have the resources to compensate for such losses when pitted against opposition of Commercials’ calibre.

Even at full strength Ballina would have struggled against a Clonmel outfit whose intensity, pace and teamwork were miles ahead of their opponents. From the word go, Commercials played with a hunger and flair that had the opposition on the backfoot and by the end of the first quarter they had their semi-final spot assured.

They were 0-5 to 0-1 ahead in the 18th minute when Colman Kennedy punished a Ballina error from their own kickout to register Clonmel’s first goal. Ballina were competitive and energetic but Clonmel’s class and experience told as they went into a 1-10 to 0-3 lead by half-time. To all intents and purposes, it was game over.

A couple of early second half points from Charlie and Bernard King hinted at a Ballina revival but it never materialised, as Commercials dominated possession and inevitably the scores followed. They were 1-14 to 0-5 ahead when Sean O’Connor claimed Commercials’ second goal after 44 minutes. Two minutes later Colman Kennedy was fed by O’Connor for goal number three, and shortly afterwards Colman Kennedy was the supplier for Michael Quinlivan’s goal (4-16 to 0-5).

For Ballina it was a baptism of fire trying to grapple with the county’s front runners, and while they were unsparing in their efforts to redress the imbalance in play, they simply had no answer to the quality of the opposition, who will meet Moyle Rovers in the semi-final.

Commercials look more focused and hungry than for some years. Their movement, support play and aggression were admirable and then they also had the prowess up front to convert possession into scores. Colman Kennedy was their top attacker with 2-2 from play but Michael Quinlivan looks to be back to his best too while Tadhg Condon, Kevin Fahey, Jack Kennedy, Cathal Deely and Rory O’Dowd all contributed handsomely to this win.

Ballina could justifiably argue that the scoreline didn’t do their efforts justice. They have had a meteoric rise to the top flight, having been junior champions two years ago and then winning the intermediate last year.

It is a remarkable progression and while they will be hugely disappointed to bow out on the receiving end of a 22 points bashing, they have shown in this campaign that they are not out of place at this level and will surely benefit from this year’s experience.

While they had Steven O’Brien back in action, the county man cut a forlorn figure at full froward, starved of a decent service. Eoghan Power worked very hard in attack while Tom Lee, in a deeper role, also got through a lot of work. Conor Power, Sam Loughran and Teddy Doyle, late on, were others to turn in notable performances.

Clonmel Commercials: Michael O’Reilly; Rory O’Dowd, Tadhg Condon (0-1), James Morris; Kevin Fahey (0-2), Seamus Kennedy, Padraic Looram; Cathal Deely (0-2), Jack Kennedy (0-6,5fs); Peter McGarry, Colman Kennedy (2-2), Conal Kennedy; Ross Peters, Michael Quinlivan (1-3), Sean O’Connor(1-1).

Subs: Jamie Peters for O’ Dowd (34 mins), Aldo Matassa for Ross Peters (43 mins), Ciaran Cannon for Looram (48 mins), Sean Kennedy for McGarry (50 mins), Cian Smith for Colman Kennedy (54 mins).

Ballina: Jerry O’Brien; Sam Loughran, James Hanley, Terry O’Halloran; Paddy O’Donovan, Teddy Doyle (0-1f), Conor Power; Michael Breen, Michael Grace; Charlie King (0-1), Tom Lee, Eoghan Power (0-1); Bernard King (0-3fs), Steven O’ Brien, Cathal O’Donnell.

Subs: David Coughlan for O’Donovan (21 mins), Matthew Power for Grace (28 mins), Harry Byrne for O’ Halloran (35 mins), Corey Ryan for O’Brien (46 mins), Josh Egan (0-1) for Ryan (50 mins).

Referee: Sean Everard, Moyne/Templetuohy.