Dominant Carrick Swan win South Tipperary Under 21 A Hurling Championship final

Carrick Swan 3-14 St Mary’s 1-12

Their ability to plunder goals at just the right time proved invaluable for Carrick Swan in Sunday’s South Tipperary Under 21 A Hurling Championship final on the 4G pitch at Fethard Town Park.

The Carrick team went for the jugular from the throw-in and made a major breakthrough with a Taylor Fleming goal after just 20 seconds, when he buried the rebound after St Mary’s goalie Cian Corcoran had deflected Aidan Waters’ shot. 

That gave them a dream start and laid the foundation for their wind-assisted dominance of the first half. By the 26th minute they were ahead by 1-8 to 0-3 and by the midway stage their lead stood at seven points, 1-9 to 0-5.

St Mary’s had been way off the pace in the opening period but they fared better in the third quarter, when scores from Joe Higgins, two frees converted by Ruairí Leahy and a Dean Cagney point trimmed the deficit to four points (1-11 to 0-10).

However, just when it seemed that St Mary's might make a real game of it, Swans replied in devastating fashion. Deadly-accurate sharpshooter Callum Lanigan was on target from yet another free and in the 44th minute Aaron O’Halloran rifled a penalty to the net to restore their eight-points advantage, although they had a rub of the green with the decision to award the penalty for a challenge on Callum Lanigan.

St Mary’s replied with a point from Ruairí Leahy’s free but the door to any possible comeback was slammed firmly shut when Swan struck for their third goal eleven minutes from the end of normal time, that man Callum Lanigan making a great catch and providing the assist for Nigel O’Keeffe to stroke a shot home to make it 3-12 to 0-11.

St Mary’s day went from bad to worse when Dean Cagney received a straight red card for a foul in the 52nd minute, although the game was gone beyond them at that stage. After tempers had become frayed near the finish, the Clonmel team had the consolation of a goal from one of their best players, Ruairí Leahy, five minutes into added time, after Swan goalie Adam Kerwick had parried Peter McGarry’s piledriver of a free.

Swan had a real ace in Callum Lanigan. He finished with a total of twelve points, eleven of which came from placed balls, and he came close to adding a goal to that tally when his lob drifted just wide shortly after his team’s second goal.

Many of his points were struck from distance, and even the fresh breeze proved no great hindrance to his accuracy in the second half.

Swan found their scores easier to come by than their opponents, with Taylor Fleming, Owen Harrigan and Dale Power also making important contributions to their slick attacking play. They had sturdy defenders in Senan Campbell, Ben Mulcaire, Sean Power and Aaron O’Halloran in a rearguard that limited St Mary’s to just 1-4 from play, while goalie Adam Kerwick was always dependable. 

St Mary’s left themselves with too much work to do after their slow start. They fell behind to Taylor Fleming’s goal after 20 seconds and were always chasing the game after that, never managing to get level on the scoreboard, never mind taking the lead.

During one fallow period in the first half they went twelve minutes without a score, which ended when Peter McGarry was on target from a long range free, but by which time Swan had opened an eight-points advantage.

Ruairí Leahy and goalkeeper Cian Corcoran led the St Mary’s resistance, which was always brave even if it brought no reward.

Leahy was their main source of scores, scoring eight points as well as their late goal. He was unlucky not to raise another green flag early in the second half when his shot, which was heading towards the bottom corner, was pushed away by Swan goalie Adam Kerwick, with Joe Higgins firing over a point from an acute angle in the follow-up action.

Corcoran, meanwhile, rescued his team from an even heavier defeat with a string of fine saves. The first was made from Aidan Waters in the 19th minute at the expense of a 65 from which Callum Lanigan, almost needless to say, split the posts.

With his side only four points adrift eight minutes into the second half, Corcoran gave them a further boost when he blocked another effort from Aidan Waters.

He frustrated Waters yet again when it looked as if Swan were in for a fourth goal, and he made his final significant save from Kieran O’Donnell in added time.

Elsewhere, James Morris and Tadhg Sheehan also gave everything for the cause, but it just wasn’t St Mary’s day. A double change at the interval, which saw the introduction of Joe Higgins and Shane Ryan, briefly gave them a lift but they never managed to mount a challenge that was sufficiently robust to threaten Swan’s dominance. 

Carrick Swan: Adam Kerwick, Senan Campbell, Sean Power, Nigel O’Keeffe (1-0), Cian Robinson, Aaron O’Halloran (1-0 penalty), Ben Mulcaire (joint captain), Callum Walsh, Jamie Holloway, Dale Power, Owen Harrigan (0-1), Cory Ryan (joint captain), Callum Lanigan (0-12, 10 frees, 1 ‘65), Taylor Fleming (1-0), Aidan Waters (0-1).

Substitutes: Kieran O’Donnell for Dale Power (47 minutes), Danny O’Callaghan for Aidan Waters (56 minutes), Dylan Barry for Nigel O’Keeffe (60 minutes), Sean Foley for Taylor Fleming (60 minutes).

St Mary’s: Cian Corcoran, Oisin Power, Ross Slattery, Thomas Charles, Tadhg Sheehan, Tadhg Condon, James Morris, Cathal Deely (captain), Eoghan Walsh, Dean Cagney (0-1), Sean Leahy, Ruairí Leahy (1-8, 0-6 frees), Dara O’Connor, Sean Cooney, Peter McGarry (0-2, 1 free).

Substitutes: Joe Higgins (0-1) for Sean Cooney and Shane Ryan for Eoghan Walsh (both half time), Paraic Bond for Oisin Power (47 minutes), Niall Deely for Sean Leahy (55 minutes).

Referee: Nigel Carrigan (Ballybacon/Grange).