Moyle Rovers senior footballers maintain their impressive run of form

Moyle Rovers 4-12 Ballyporeen 2-7

Two goals in the space of sixty seconds early in the game, and a third eight minutes from time to complete his hat-trick, ensured that Dean English emerged as top scorer in Moyle Rovers’ eleven-points win over Ballyporeen in the FBD Insurance County Senior Football Championship Group 3 Round 1 game at New Inn on Sunday.

It was a virtuoso full forward display from English, as he proved unmarkable for the Ballyporeen defence. His first two goals in the space of a minute put Rovers 2-2 to 0-1 ahead after eight minutes, that after Ballyporeen had taken the lead with a point in the second minute from Sam McGrath.

By half time the lead had stretched to 2-6 to 0-2 and English’s third goal and another from Brian McKeown, after a superb move, ensured that Moyle Rovers were never in danger of losing their opening game in the county series, as they bid to build on their South cup and county league double earlier in the season.

However, they will have taken little from this game other than the two points. They were never in danger of losing, as Ballyporeen failed to cope with their sparkling brand of attacking play, building with pace and slick passing from the back.
And it could have been a bleaker scoreline for Ballyporeen without the brilliance of former county captain Conor Sweeney, whose 2-6 accounted for all of his side’s scores, other than the early opener from McGrath.

Sweeney was often isolated at full forward without getting the service he needed, but eventually when Tomás Vaughan launched a high ball into him midway through the second half, he brilliantly gathered it and turned to shoot past Shane Ryan.

Six minutes from time he bagged his second, when cutting in from the right side to shoot past Ryan again. The goals had no impact on the outcome, other than to confirm Sweeney as one of Tipperary’s finest footballers of the present generation.

In a group of six, also including Clonmel Commercials, Loughmore-Castleiney, Arravale Rovers and Killenaule, where each side plays just three games, the Powerstown-Lisronagh outfit will expect to be one of the four sides to advance to the knockout series. Their remaining games are against Killenaule and Commercials.

Playing with the aid of a stiff breeze in the first half at New Inn – on a perfectly manicured pitch – Rovers were not long wiping out Ballyporeen’s opener with a pointed free from Liam Boland, and Ger O’Sullivan had put them in front before Dean English made his mark on the game after seven minutes.

A superb run from Luke Boland created the opportunity and English slotted home past Kieran Macken. Ballyporeen had barely recovered from the blow when English struck again with a very similar goal within a minute, finishing a flowing move that involved Riain Quigley, Dara Ryan and Brian McKeown. When Ger O’Sullivan pointed two minutes later, Rovers were eight points up, 2-3 to 0-1, after ten minutes.

It got worse for Ballyporeen when they lost their full back Oisín Brennan to injury. However, they continued to play some fine football, and after 12 minutes won a free that Conor Sweeney pointed for their second score of the game. By the end of the first quarter, points from Liam Boland and Riain Quigley had Rovers 2-5 to 0-2 ahead.

The scoring dried up significantly in the second quarter, with just a Rory Collins point in the 20th minute, after referee Derek O’Mahoney allowed advantage for a foul on Dara Ryan. A little earlier Ballyporeen were denied a goal with a Rovers goal-line clearance from Cathal McKeown from a Darragh Lyons shot.

Ballyporeen enjoyed a bright start to the second half, with Conor Sweeney pointing a free after just thirty seconds in their first attack. But it was only a false dawn as Rovers hits back with 1-3 over the next ten minutes to kill off the game as a contest.

Ger O’Sullivan hit two great points in another super display from the Kerryman, with one from Liam Boland, while a flowing move involving Liam Boland, Rory Collins and Dara Ryan ended with Brian McKeown converting the side’s third goal of the game for a 3-9 to 0-3 lead.

A fifteen-points lead with just over fifteen minutes to play meant that the game was over as a competitive fixture, and also as a spectacle, but Dean English completing his hat-trick and Conor Sweeney kicking two goals added some interest.

Sweeney hit 1-2 without reply in the space of five minutes, following up his goal from a superb catch, turn and finish, with a pointed free and a great score from play after taking a pass from substitute Anthony Crotty, to make it 3-9 to 1-5 with ten minutes to play. A comeback was never on the cards but any faint Ballyporeen hopes were extinguished when Dean English was on the end of a Luke Boland pass to palm home his third goal.

A point from Ben Owens was then followed by Conor Sweeney’s second goal as he virtually single-handedly dragged his side back into the game. He added two more points before the end, from a mark and a great score from play, with Shane Foley and Riain Quigley completing the Rovers total.

Ballyporeen ended the game with fourteen players following a black card for substitute Anthony Crotty in the closing minutes.

They would have known in advance that this was going to be one of their harder group games. They will take some comfort from the display of Conor Sweeney who, if injury-free, can cause havoc in any defence, but the poor return from the rest of the team will cause concern. Sam McGrath was busy throughout, taking the side’s opening point well; Charlie English, Dean Finn and Tomás Vaughan worked hard, while substitute Anthony Crotty impressed up to the time of his premature departure on a black card.

However, they met a Moyle Rovers side determined to get the county campaign off to a winning start and to maintain the momentum from recent months. Their slick passing cut through the Ballyporeen defence all too easily. Dean English’s hat-trick was the standout achievement but the star performers were all the usual suspects – Luke Boland, Cathal McKeown, Ben Owens, Liam Boland, Rory Collins and Ger O’Sullivan.

Moyle Rovers: Shane Ryan, Killian Butler, Graham Vaughan, Cathal McKeown, Luke Boland, Rory Collins 0-1; Brian McKeown 1-0; Ben Owens 0-1; Riain Quigley 0-2; Cian O’Sullivan, Liam Boland 0-3, 1 free; Dara Ryan, Ger O’Sullivan 0-4; Dean English 3-0; Shane Foley 0-1.

Sub: Michael O’Reilly for Killian Butler.

Ballyporeen: Kieran Macken, Seamus O’Callaghan, Oisín Brennan, John Ryan, James Barry, Charlie English, Mikey Maher, Dean Finn, Kevin O’Mahoney, Tomás Vaughan, Darragh Lyons, Sam McGrath 0-1; Tommy Sweeney, Conor Sweeney 2-6, 4 frees; Glen Walsh.

Subs: John Carey for Oisín Brennan, Anthony Crotty for Glen Walsh.

Referee: Derek O’Mahoney (Ardfinnan).