JK Brackens looking good to reach knockout stages of Tipperary senior football championship

JK Brackens 2-12 Ardfinnan 1-11

Two goals from Dean McEnroe proved to be the crucial scores for JK Brackens in their FBD Insurance County Senior Football Championship Group 1 Round 2 win over Ardfinnan at Leahy Park, Cashel on Sunday.

McEnroe also added two points in a man of the match display between the two unbeaten sides in the group. Brackens are now in pole position to advance to the knockout stages, with Ardfinnan and Kilsheelan/Kilcash battling for the second spot.

Ardfinnan never led against Brackens and McEnroe’s first goal in the 14th minute was a major blow, putting them 1-2 to 0-1 behind. JK Brackens were playing the more fluent and direct football, with Paddy Cadell outstanding with decisive bursts through the centre, but the Maroons never lost touch and excitement among their fans increased in the closing stages as they battled to get at least a draw.

They trailed by four points at the break, 1-7 to 0-6, and the game looked out of their reach when McEnroe got his second goal for Brackens six minutes into the half to leave it 2-8 to 0-7. The goals still separated the sides in the dying minutes, 2-11 to 0-11, but the South side kept pressing and were rewarded with a goal from midfielder Gerry Cronin.

However, realising the danger, JK Brackens managed the three minutes of injury time well, maintaining possession, and with Ardfinnan committing players to attack, gaps appeared at the back and with space appearing, Shane Doyle put substitute Lyndon Fairbrother in the clear to kick the final point.

It was a battling display from Ardfinnan that had many positives, and taking the game to last year’s beaten county finalists until the very end will have pleased manager Tom Dorgan and his management team. Colm O’Shaughnessy initiated a lot of good play from the heart of the defence, with Luke O’Brien also impressing and kicking two nice points.

Team captain and full forward Michael Barlow was tightly marked upfront but still put in an outstanding performance, with big games also from Billy Hewitt, Jack O’Neill and Oisín Ryan.

Dean McEnroe was JK Brackens’ top scorer but equally impressive was Paddy Cadell, bursting through from the centre half back position. His injection of pace caused major problems for the Ardfinnan defence, creating scoring opportunities for the forwards.

Jack Kennedy hit four points from placed balls, including three in a row off the ground late in the game to stretch the Brackens lead, after surprisingly being off target with two very kickable frees from the hands earlier in the half.

Ardfinnan held possession for the first 90 seconds, but after they failed to convert it into a score Brackens broke away to the other end, with Dean McEnroe pointing. Michael Barlow equalised in the sixth minute when he fisted over but he might easily have gone for goal, as the space opened in front of him.

Paddy Cadell restored the Brackens lead in the 12th minute following one of his trademark runs through the centre, and two minutes later McEnroe put the Mid side 1-2 to 0-1 ahead with a low shot to the corner of Cian O’Mahoney’s net.

However, Ardfinnan reponded well and after good build-up play from Shane Ryan and Billy Hewitt, Oisín Ryan pointed when once again a shot for goal might have been the better option.

In the next move, Brackens were penalised for a high tackle on Jack O’Neill and Barlow pointed the free to make it a two-points game, 1-2 to 0-3 midway through the half.

Michael Barlow then found himself a long way from his full forward berth as he tracked a run from Paddy Cadell, eventually fouling him, with Jack Kennedy pointing the free.

Ardfinnan had their third goal chance of the half when a good move up the sideline saw Jack O’Neill put Shane Ryan through on goal but his shot was brilliantly saved by Cian Sheedy in the JK Brackens goal. The ball fell to Ryan again but his second shot was again blocked by Sheedy. And Brackens made Ardfinnan pay when play switched to the other end and Conor Cadell pointed from a Jack Kennedy assist.

Ardfinnan responded with two in a row, Billy Hewitt pointing after a great run from Sean Nagle, and Shane Ryan adding another after a patient build-up. At the other end, the Ardfinnan marking was a little slack at times, and again Paddy Cadell had a free run through to score another fine point for a 1-5 to 0-5 lead five minutes from the break.

Ardfinnan hit back with Gerry Cronin and Billy Hewitt creating the chance for Michael O’Sullivan to come up from the back and score. But it was Brackens who finished the half stronger, and especially Shane Doyle who hit a brace in the space of a minute – he hit an immediate response to O’Sullivan’s point, and then benefitted from another Paddy Cadell run from midfield to leave the score 1-7 to 0-6 at the break.

Ardfinnan enjoyed a great start to the second half, with Luke O’Brien pointing after just 22 seconds, but within five minutes they started to see the game slip from them thanks to the impact of Dean McEnroe. He hit a great point to restore the four points lead, and then after Conor Cadell was off target with a goal chance, McEnroe made no mistake when taking a pass from Shane Doyle to beat Cian O’Mahoney for the second time, for a 2-8 to 0-7 lead.

Billy Hewitt replied with an Ardfinnan free and then the south side had the advantage of an extra man for ten minutes when Brackens defender Jordan Moloney was black-carded. Gradually they got back into the contest, aided by Jack Kennedy twice being uncharacteristically wide from a free in front of the posts followed by a mark.

Ardfinnan went on to score three points in a row in the space of eight minutes – Oisín Ryan had a great score from distance; Sean Nagle set up Luke O’Brien for the half back’s second of the game, and Michael Barlow made it 2-8 to 0-11 when cutting in from the right to shoot over.

A three-points margin with seven minutes left to play meant that Ardfinnan were still very much in contention. However, JK Brackens responded well to the danger and came back strongly, winning two frees and a 45 over four minutes that Jack Kennedy converted.

A six-points margin looked too high a hill to climb with just minutes left, until Gerry Cronin’s late goal offered renewed hope. However, Ardfinnan were unable to regain possession to try to force another goal and, denied the ball by a disciplined JK Brackens side, they just ran out of time.

Brackens are now on the cusp of progressing to the knockout stages, with their final game against Kilsheelan/Kilcash to come, while Ardfinnan still have the chance to join them, depending on the result of that game and their own final encounter with Grangemockler/Ballyneale.

JK Brackens: Cian Sheedy, Luke Ormond, Tom Murphy, Martin Delaney, Stephen Cahill, Paddy Cadell 0-2; Jordon Moloney, Adrian Bourke, Eanna McBride, Shane Doyle 0-2; Cathal Scully, Conor Cadell 0-1; Jamie Bergin, Jack Kennedy 0-4, 3 frees, 1 ’45; Dean McEnroe 2-2.

Subs: James Corcoran for Paddy Cadell, Lyndon Fairbrother 0-1 for Cathal Scully.

Ardfinnan: Cian O’Mahoney, Shane Keating, Jonathan Ryan, Michael O’Sullivan 0-1; Aaron Lonergan, Colm O’Shaughnessy, Luke O’Brien 0-2; Sean Nagle, Gerry Cronin 1-0; Oisín Ryan 0-2; Billy Hewitt 0-2, 1 free; Jack O’Neill, Jason Coffey, Michael Barlow 0-3, 1 free; Shane Ryan 0-1.

Subs: James O’Mahoney for Michael O’Sullivan, Andrew Browne for Oisín Ryan, Darragh O’Brien for Shane Keating, Mike Hogan for Jason Coffey.

Referee: David Grogan (Aherlow).