St Patricks make it back to back South Junior A titles with win over Ballylooby Castlegrace

South Tipperary Junior A Football Championship Final

St. Patrick’s 1-13

Ballylooby Castlegrace 0-10

By Michael Heverin

St. Patrick’s made history by securing back-to-back titles for the first time when beating Ballylooby Castlegrace by six points in the South Tipperary Junior Football Championship ‘A’ Final at Cahir on Sunday evening.

After an even first 29 minutes, when there was never more than a point between the sides, and Ballylooby/Castlegrace led on four occasions, the game turned in the last two minutes of the half, with Finn Madigan hitting the game’s only goal for St. Patrick’s, and nippy forward Daithi Hogan adding a point, for a 1-6 to 0-5 interval lead.

The Drangan/Cloneen side were never headed again and went on to record a comfortable and well-deserved win to the delight of their many supporters in the good-sized attendance. It was a proud occasion for South Board chairman, and St Patrick’s stalwart, Nicholas Moroney, to present the cup to team captain Eoin Ryan.

Man-of-the-match award went to St. Patrick’s goalkeeper Tony O’Brien who kicked four superb long-range frees at crucial times in the game.

St. Patrick’s, who reached the final with comprehensive wins over Clerihan, Cahir, Ardfinnan and Cahir again in the semi-final, were the better-balanced team, with Daithi Hogan, Finn Madigan and Jamie Broderick, posing a real threat upfront, and Pairic O’Brien, Bill Cuddihy and Keith Morrissey strong at the back.

However, Ballylooby/Castlegrace were very much in contention throughout most of the first half, and never gave up the battle in the second when the game was slipping from them. William Dunne and Ben Carey were unerring from placed balls, but their main problem was the lack of a scoring threat, with just two points from play over the hour, one each from Danny Morgan and Zach Keating. Brian O’Donnell and David O’Halloran were outstanding in defence.

Holders St. Patrick’s went into the game as favourites to retain their title, but never fully asserted themselves in the first half. The first of Tony O’Brien’s four long-range frees put them ahead in the first minute, but Ballylooby were ahead by the seventh minute. 

Ben Carey pointed a free following a great move involving David O’Halloran, Danny Morgan and Carey himself who was then brought down. Then another fine move resulted in a lovely point from Danny Morgan.

In a see-saw first quarter, Finn Madigan tied up the scores again before a William Dunne free restored the Ballylooby lead at 0-3 to 0-2. Madigan from a very tight angle on the church side levelled, before Ballylooby edged it again, goalkeeper Sean Lonergan pointing a long-range free following a foul on Danny Morgan.

Following the script of the half, Hogan hit back from a free to make it 0-4 all. This followed a foul on Keith Morrissey after a great run from Pairic O’Brien, who was having an outstanding first half.  He picked up an injury late in the half but continued to make driving runs at the heart of the Ballylooby defence. 

Once again, Dunne from a free restored the Ballylooby lead, with Jamie Broderick tying it up again following great play from Madigan and Cathal Mahoney. 

Then in a significant turn just before the break, St. Patrick’s struck for a goal, Daithi Hogan providing an inch-perfect pass for the unmarked Finn Madigan to shoot past Sean Lonergan. Hogan then followed up with a sweet point, and after trailing for large parts of the first half, St Patrick’s found themselves four ahead at the break, 1-6 to 0-5.

A bright start to the second half saw Ballylooby Castlegrace reduce the lead to just two inside two minutes. Zach Keating hit a lovely point inside 30 seconds – their last point from play of the game – and Ben Carey pointed a free after referee Brian Tyrell had brought it into a much more scoreable position for dissent.

But that was as close as Ballylooby came as St. Patrick’s upped their performance to ensure that the cup remained in Drangan/Cloneen for another year.

A late tackle on Daithi Hogan saw him brush himself down and point the free himself for the side’s second-half opener, and then the four points lead was restored when Cathal Mahoney finished a great run down the stand side with a superb point, to make it 1-8 to 0-7.

St Patrick’s pushed the lead out to five by the ninth minute when Hogan was fouled again and pointed the free, brought in closer for dissent.

Ballylooby Castlegrace were not giving up the fight and hit two in a row to narrow the gap to three again. William Dunne was fouled after taking a pass from substitute Paddy Kenneally, and Carey pointed the free, and then William Dunne pointed another free following a foul on Ben Carey.

But a feature of the St Patrick’s second-half display was their ability to pull away again whenever Ballylooby threatened their lead. Some sparkling forward play won two frees that were just outside the range of Daithi Hogan, and goalkeeper Tony O’Brien came upfield to convert with precision kicks, to push the lead out to four again, 1-10 to 0-9, entering the final quarter.

O’Brien failed with two further kicks, one dropping short and the other wide, but the momentum remained with St Patrick’s.

William Dunne pointed a Ballylooby free in the 23rd minute for their first score in over ten minutes, but St Patrick’s closed out the game with two late frees – the first from Hogan after he had been fouled, and then he was fouled again further from goal, and Tony O’Brien saw his accuracy restored to pop it over the bar.

O’Brien’s brilliance from his long-distance frees was crucial to St Patrick’s win, but Daithi Hogan also made a huge contribution with four frees and one point from play – he was also the player fouled for three of his own frees and one converted by O’Brien, as he led the Ballylooby Castlegrace defence a merry dance. Finn Madigan was another huge threat with 1-2, his goal the turning point in the game.

St. Patricks: Tony O’Brien (0-4f); Cathal Foley, Bill Cuddihy, Evan Holohan; Aidan Fitzgerald, Keith Morrissey, Pairic O’Brien; Conor Duggan, Eoin Ryan; Frank Meagher, Daithi Hogan (0-5, 0-4f); William Cleere; Jamie Broderick (0-1), Cathal Mahoney (0-1), Finn Madigan (1-2). 

Subs used: Michael Boland for Pairic O’Brien; Robbie Noonan for William Cleere; Mark Slattery for Finn Madigan; Ciaran Mockler for Bill Cuddihy; Jack Meagher for Conor Duggan.

Ballylooby Castlegrace: Sean Lonergan (0-1f); Conor Morrissey, Brian O’Donnell, Brendan Walsh; David O’Halloran, Pierse Murphy, Chris O’Donnell; William Dunne, Patrick Doyle; Greg Nugent, Zach Keating (0-1), Paddy Morrissey; Ben Carey (0-3f), Danny Morgan (0-4f), Paul Murphy. 

Subs used: Paddy Kenneally for Pierse Murphy; Brian Fitzgerald for Paddy Morrissey; Conor Lonergan for Paul Murphy; Andrew Burke for Danny Morgan.

Referee: Brian Tyrell (Clonmel Commercials)