Strong second half seals the deal for St Patrick's in south Tipperary Under 19 B final

St Patrick’s 2-10   Carrick Swan 1-7

A strong second half performance on Wednesday evening in Monroe saw St Patrick’s defeat Carrick Swan in the Hall Alarms South Tipperary Under 19 B Football Championship final.

After a slow start from both sides, the opening score of the game came after six minutes with a point from play from lively Pat’s midfielder Sean Nash. Both teams, despite the low amount of scoring chances at the start, came into the game with lots of fight and energy.

The Swan were able to regain a lot of possession in the early stages, as they hunted in packs throughout the middle third. The Carrick side worked the ball well up the field through the hands, as strong running from Stefan Tobin, Sean Foley and Eoin Hogan left the St Pat’s defence with few options but to foul.

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Free-taker Eoin Hogan was well able to capitalise on these opportunities, converting three points off the deck in the first half alone in tough conditions for a free-taker, with the wind in his face. At the opposite end of the field St Pat’s found it hard to break through the Swan defence and any frees they were given were often either from acute angles or long distances from goal, which made it tough for free-taker Finn Madigan, who missed three in the first half.

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With their tails up, Swan were pushing for goals when an attempt taken on the half-volley from wing corner forward Alex Tobin blazed over the St Pat’s crossbar. This was closely followed by a spectacular save from Pat's goalkeeper Eoin Morrissey on the 20-minute mark, after Callum Smith hammered a shot low along the ground, which would have given his side a five-point lead at the time.

This proved to be a turning point for St Patrick’s, as Oran Gahan marched up the field and took a great goal off the left boot after breaking through the Swan defence. Gahan was a strong force in the middle of the field from this point, as he dominated in the air to help Pat’s get on top in the middle third. A point from play within the following minute from captain Finn Madigan meant that St Pat’s went in at half-time with a one-point lead. 

A strong start to the second half from St Pat’s gave them the edge in this encounter, as they scored 1-3 without reply in the opening fifteen minutes. Conor Maguire opened his scoring tally as he jinked left and right before slotting over his first point from an incredibly tight angle.

Madigan scored his second point from play just before wing forward Charlie Noonan scored a goal from outside the 21 when his effort for a point dropped short and into the top right-hand corner of the Carrick Swan goal.

Despite a strong finish from the Swan, which included a two-point effort from Stefan Tobin, and a late goal that came from Eoin Hogan kicking a long ball in and centre forward Dylan Barry punching the ball to the net, St Pat’s came away six-point winners after strong performances from Sean Nash, Cormac Duggan, Charlie Noonan, Finn Madigan and man of the match Oran Gahan.

St Patrick’s: Eoin Morrissey, Cathal Keane, Cormac Duggan, Conor Danagher, Dane Outram, Evan Holohan, Sean Fitzgerald, Sean Nash, Oran Gahan, Charlie Noonan, Finn Madigan (captain), Bobby Purcell, Tom Lee, Conor Brett, Conor Maguire.

Subs: Eoin Horan for Conor Brett, Tiernan O’Brien for Bobby Purcell.

Scorers: Charlie Noonan (1-2, 2f), Finn Madigan (0-4, 2f), Oran Gahan (1-0), Sean Nash (0-2), Conor Maguire (0-2).

Carrick Swan: Eoin Connolly, Jay Fleming, Rian Power, Bobby Cody, Darragh Dunne, Aidan Hanson, Sean Foley (joint captain), Jack Raymond Walsh, Eoin Hogan, Stefan Tobin, Dylan Barry (joint captain), Callum Smith, Zach Tobin, Jack Kinsella, Alex Tobin.

Subs: Noah Power for Alex Tobin, Josh Simpson for Jack Kinsella, Jack Torpey Walsh for Bobby Coady.

Scorers: Eoin Hogan (0-4, 4f), Dylan Barry (1-0), Stefan Tobin (0-2, 1 two-pointer), Alex Tobin (0-1). 

Referee: Sean Lonergan (Ballylooby/Castlegrace).