Mullinahone were on song in Tipperary Under 17 B football final

Mullinahone 2-10 Moyne/Templetuohy 1-4

Mullinahone supporters broke into song to acclaim their team’s success in Sunday evening’s County Under 17 B Football Championship final at Fethard Town Park.

John O’Meara’s goal in additional time, which put the seal on their nine-points victory, was the cue for his team’s delighted followers to strike up a chorus of ‘Slievenamon’, just before the end of this keenly-fought final contest against Moyle/Templetuohy.

Mullinahone were six points to the good, 1-7 to 1-1, at the halfway stage, and it looked as if they would need that cushion on the turnover, when they faced a stiff breeze on a bitterly cold evening, and against a Moyne team that appeared to pose a considerable threat, despite disturbing the scoreboard just twice in the opening period.

However, Moyne hardly made any inroads into the deficit. They closed the gap to four points approaching the midway point of the second half, thanks to a pair of converted frees from Conor Campion, the first of which was their first score in 20 minutes.

Mullinahone, though, were in no mood to let their advantage slip. The game was a much more scrappy affair in the second period but Mullinahone’s workrate never slackened. Top scorer Ned O’Meara, Alex Britton, Colin O’Brien, Cillian Direen, Conor Tobin, Dylan Hennessy, John O’Meara, Liam Hogan and captain Shane McGrath all put in serious shifts to preserve their healthy advantage on the scoreboard.

Ned O’Meara extended their lead (1-8 to 1-3) with their first score in 21 minutes, after Jack Dunne and John O’Meara had combined. When O’Meara followed up with another score from a free, they led by six points and were set fair for victory with eight minutes of normal time remaining.

Colin O’Brien made it 1-10 to 1-3 before Conor Campion responded with a Moyne point that was mere consolation. John O’Meara added further gloss to the scoreline in added time when his lob dipped under the crossbar for their second goal.

There was a lively start to this game. Colin O’Brien kicked Mullinahone into an early lead before Moyne’s Jack Noonan sent Conor Campion scampering clear and Campion picked his spot with some aplomb for the game’s opening goal after just a minute and a half.

Mullinahone regained their composure when Ned O’Meara found the target from a free. Things got even better for them in the ninth minute when Alex Britton stole possession around midfield to start a move that ended with the same player being hauled down after Ned O’Meara had picked him out with a peach of a pass. Ned O’Meara stroked the resulting penalty to the net to give them a lead they never relinquished (1-2 to 1-0).

Mullinahone had two more chances for goals in the opening half. John O’Meara struck the foot of the post after a lovely flowing move, and the same player shot wide when he raced onto an inviting lob from Ned O’Meara.

Ben Moore kicked a fine point for Moyne after a quarter of an hour before Mullinahone enjoyed a period of sustained pressure, when it seemed as if they owned the ball. During that spell they had five unanswered scores from Ned O’Meara (two frees), Pearse Vaughan, Ned O’Meara with his first from play, and another point from the same player from a free, to open up a six-points lead at the break.

Despite trailing by two goals, the performances of Moyne/Templetuohy’s Conor Campion, Ben Moore, Leo Cleere and Eoghan Sumner suggested they were capable of giving it a right go in the second half. However, they flattered only to deceive, and never raised a gallop in the second half.

Instead, it was Mullinahone who were on song, to capture the title.

Mullinahone: Charlie Vaughan, Pearse Vaughan 0-1, Dylan Hennessy, Jack Dunne, Oisin Maher, Liam Hogan, Shane McGrath (captain), Alex Britton, Colin O’Brien (0-2), Philip Dunne, Cillian Direen, Jack Dunne, Ned O’Meara (1-6, 0-4 frees, 1-0 penalty), Conor Tobin, John O’Meara (1-1).

Substitutes: Darragh Walsh for Oisin Maher (half-time), Killian Bolger for Jack Dunne (49 minutes), Philip Lynch for Alex Britton (54), Cillian MacDomhnaill for Cillian Direen (60), Darragh Scott for Jack Dunne (60).

Moyne/Templetuohy: Liam Cleere, Conor Cleary, Sean Lyons (captain), Andrew Everard, Jimmy Campion, Jack Reddan, John Cleere, Adam Lane, Conor Campion (1-3, 0-2 frees), Jack Noonan, Leo Cleere, Ben Moore (0-1), Frank Doyle, Eoghan Sumner, Cody Doyle.

Substitutes: Jack Guilfoyle for Conor Cleary (45 minutes), Mark Campion for Cody Doyle (50), Paddy Ely for Jack Reddan, Rogan Lyons for Frank Doyle (both 59), Joachim Everard for Jack Noonan (60).

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Referee: Paddy Ivors (Ballingarry).