FBD Insurance Tipperary SHC quarter final: Clonoulty Rossmore's 2022 voyage comes to a crushing end

Kiladangan 1-14

Clonoulty Rossmore 0-12

2020 champions Kiladangan produced a better second half showing to claim their place in the FBD Insurance county senior hurling semi-final when they defeated fourteen man Clonoulty Rossmore in a disappointing encounter at Semple Stadium this afternoon.

A low key affair with little enough to cheer about for long periods, Kiladangan just had greater class, more scoring danger and an extra man for forty five minutes, all of which helped to see them over the line, without ever really firing on all cylinders.

It was a rather pedestrian first half with the biggest talking point at the interval being the dismissal, on two second yellow cards in ten minutes, of Clonoulty Rossmore half forward Aaron Ryan - a major blow to the prospects of the west men.

This was a physical game with plenty of big hits going in across the field and it took the favourites some time to find any kind of rhythm in the match.

Clonoulty Rossmore had raced into a 0-5 to 0-1 lead after just ten minutes with Jack Ryan (4) and Aaron Ryan all pointing for them, against a single score for Kiladangan from Bryan McLoughney.

The west champions were five in front when Aaron Ryan received his marching orders in the 20th minute and from then until the interval Kiladangan had the better in the scoring stakes with Bryan McLoughney (2) and Tadhg Gallagher grabbing points against one for Clonoulty Rossmore's Cathal Bourke.

So, the Clonoulty Rossmore lead stood at 0-8 to 0-5 at the break  - it was pretty uninspiring stuff.

Clonoulty Rossmore were further impacted by the loss of tallisman Jack Ryan at the interval through injury - he had been hampered in the first half with a problem and into his place came Thomas Butler who had made big impressions upon introduction in previous games.

But, all the impressions being made in the second half were coming from Kiladangan who hit five of the six scores in the twenty minute spell after resumption - Paul Flynn (2), Billy Seymour, David Sweeney and Tadhg Gallanger all on target against a solitary score from Ciaran Quirke for Clonoulty Rossmore who were guilty of some very erratic shooting. Indeed, wides were a feature of this game with some very poor attempts on goal from both sides drawing groans from the attendance.

The match was slipping from Clonoulty Rossmore and when Tadhg Gallagher raced through and goalled for Kiladangan four minutes from time, it precipitated a mass departure of patrons from FBD Semple Stadium. Clonoulty Rossmore's race was run and a difficult, heart breaking season in which they endured much pain ended on the pitch which was the scene of their greatest hurt.