A disappointing day for Tipperary football - Rockwell Rovers into Tom Cusack Cup final

FBD Insurance Tom Cusack Cup Semi-Final

ROCKWELL ROVERS 7-13 EIRE OG ANNACARTY/DONOHILL 2-9

Defending Tom Cusack Cup champions, Rockwell Rovers cruised into this year’s final with a 19 points winning margin against Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill at Leahy Park, Cashel this afternoon. However, on a very disappointing day for this competition, the New Inn side were competing not against the Eire Og senior footballers but rather the club’s Junior B team. Resultantly, as a contest, this was a complete mismatch, effectively over at 2-9 to 0-0 after 20 minutes of play.

Credit at least to the Eire Og team for fielding at all, and giving of their best throughout in a David v Goliath contest. The other semi-final was conceded by Drom/Inch to Killenaule.

That both Eire Og and Drom/Inch, with eyes already on next weekend’s crunch hurling games, decided to treat the Tom Cusack Cup in this way, is an insult to this competition, initiated only last year for the weaker of the county's senior clubs to contest, and a slight also to those trying to promote football in the county. Walk-overs are increasingly becoming a problem in the senior club football competition each year. Seriously, something needs to be changed regarding the format of the county senior football championship.

But none of the fault of the day belonged to Rockwell Rovers who went about their task in a business-like manner, their opening score, a goal, ominously arriving after 18 seconds and scored by Joseph Lawrence.

Despite being without first-choice players such as Robert O’Donnell, Alan Moloney and TJ Ryan, the Rovers were 1-6 to 0-0 to the good by the end of the first quarter. Three points in quick succession followed their opening goal, Liam Fahey, Aidan Barron and Willie Flynn all finding the target. Two off-the-ground frees from Pa Hickey stretched the advantage before a well-worked move ended with Patrick Halley pointing to make it a nine-points game with just 16 minutes gone.

Joseph Lawrence then crashed home his second goal when getting on the end of a length of the field move linking Gavin Ryan, Kevin Cleary and Willie Flynn. And that lead was out to a massive 15 points by the 20th minute, with another Pa Hickey free and a brace of white flags raised by Willie Flynn, 2-9 to 0-0.

Finally, against a stiff breeze, Eire Og made the scoreboard in the 21st minute with an Evan Heffernan point but it was well-scratched from the kick-out when Joseph Lawrence started a move from midfield that ended with Pa Hickey finishing impressively with a left-footed shot past Aaron Tuohy in the Annacarty goal.

Conor Devlin had Eire Og’s second point before the New Inn side kicked on again with 2-2 scored inside four minutes. The hard-working wing-back Kevin Cleary kicked a great solo point soon followed by another from Patrick Hickey. But the floodgates then opened with two goals inside two minutes from the Halley brothers. Firstly corner-back Paul netted before Patrick got on the end of a perfectly weighted pass by Joseph Lawrence to make it 5-11 to 0-2 as half-time approached.

With the very last kick of the first half, Eire Og goaled, Philly McGrath, with a lot to do, came in from the right hand side to slide a low effort past Michael O’Donnell. Half-time score 5-11 to 1-2.

With victory assured, Rockwell Rovers introduced four subs at the break and it made for a more balanced game in the second period, which to their credit Eire Og were to win, for what it is worth, 1-7 to 2-2.

The first score of the second half had to wait eight minutes, a penalty converted by interval sub Patrick Keating after Joseph Lawrence was upended as he was about to pull the trigger for his hat-trick. Eoin Shine took a black card and a 10-minute rest for his indiscretion.

Philly McGrath had Eire Og’s first second half point with a free in the ninth minute; before Rockwell Rovers stretched their advantage to a massive 25 points following points from play from Joseph Lawrence and Luca Fitzgerald. With the scoreboard reading 6-13 to 1-3 after 42 minutes, the Rovers would not score again until the last minute of the game.

In that period the Eire Og juniors took the game to their senior opponents and scored 1-6 without reply over the closing stages.

Their second goal arrived in the 43rd minute, Philly McGrath setting up the hard-working Alan Shanahan for a deserved goal after Rovers were turned over in the middle of the field and Eire Og countered clinically.

Further points from Philly McGrath (free), Michael Buckley, Pa Aherne (3, 2 frees), a super effort from range by Cathal Coughlan had reduced the margin considerably, before the final score of an unfair contest came, a well-taken goal by Rockwell Rovers’ Conor Hennessy.

If there were any real winners on the day it was the Eire Og team for the great effort they made.

Rockwell Rovers:

Michael O’Donnell, Paul Halley (1-0), Liam Lonergan, Mikey Barron, Kevin Cleary (0-1), Liam Fahey (0-1), Gavin Ryan, Tom Downey, Eoin Shine, Luca Fitzgerald (0-1), Willie Flynn (0-3), Aidan Barron (capt), Joseph Lawrence (2-1), Pa Hickey (1-4, 0-3F), Patrick Halley (1-2).

Subs: Patrick Keating (1-0 pen) for Paul Halley (HT); Conor Hennessy (1-0) for Ryan (HT); Diarmuid O’Brien for Downey (HT); Diarmuid Lonergan for Barron (HT); Robbie O’Donnell for Luca Fitzgerald (43 minutes).

Eire Og, Annacarty/Donohill:

Aaron Tuohy, Conor Devlin (0-1), Dan Hogan, Stephen McDonald, Peter O’Dwyer, Cathal Coughlan (0-1), Ciaran Loughman, Liam Og O’Dwyer (capt), Willie O’Neill, Jordan Hayes, Richard O’Doherty, Pa Ahearne (0-2), Philly McGrath (1-3, 0-3F), Alan Shanahan (1-0), Evan Heffernan (0-1).

Subs: Michael Buckley (0-1) for Heffernan, and Kev Fox for Hayes (both 43 minutes); Cathal Ryan for Shanahan (55); David Breen for Devlin (57); Tomás Quinn for McGrath (58).

Referee: David Grogan (Aherlow).