TIPPERARY SFC FINAL: Thomas MacDonagh's 0-9 Moyle Rovers 0-7FORMER LAOIS footballer Chris Conway masterminded an historic Tipperary club victory for Thomas MacDonagh's yesterday.
MacDonagh’s are eligible to pick from nine clubs in North Tipperary and were represented by six yesterday as they became the first team from the division to claim the county crown since Kilruane McDonagh’s in 1975.
MacDonagh’s have been in existence for five years and were granted a straight route into the county championship as de facto divisional champions as Father John Kenyons did not participate in the north competition.
In the semi-final, MacDonagh’s scored a victory against 14-time champions Clonmel Commercials before edging home by two points against seven-time winners Moyle Rovers yesterday. MacDonagh’s, however, are ineligible to compete in the Munster championship and so Rovers will take their place.
County star Philip Austin was the scoring hero for MacDonagh’s with five pointed frees. And it was Austin’s 40th-minute free that gave MacDonagh’s the lead for the first time, a lead they would not relinquish against a Rovers side badly missing the injured two-time All Star Declan Browne.
There was a dramatic finish as Rovers, 0-7 to 0-8 in arrears, were unlucky not to equalise deep in stoppage time when Brian Mulvihill’s shot struck an upright.
Ref David Grogan played nine minutes extra following an injury to Rovers forward Paul Shanahan. After Mulvihill’s miss, MacDonagh’s substitute Tommy Connors kicked the insurance score.
MOYLE ROVERS: I Browne; D Conway, R Power, A Campbell; S Keating, N Fitzgerald, D Dwyer; M Dunne, P Acheson (0-1); P Quirke, S Carey (0-1, free), P Shanahan (0-1, free); L Boland (0-1), J Shanahan (0-1), B Mulvihill (0-2). Subs: R Desmond for P Shanahan (32 mins), D McGrath for Keating (50 mins), D Nolan for Conway (50 mins), S Foley for Boland (55 mins), L Cronin for McGrath (59 mins).
THOMAS MACDONAGH'S: J McDonnell; D Hackett, D Buckley, R McLoughney; K Maher, N O'Meara, J Carroll; S Murphy, L England (0-1); P O'Meara, A Hannigan, J Gallagher (0-2); B O'Meara, P Austin (0-5, frees), G Hannigan. Subs: D Egan for B O'Meara (half-time), F Hayes for A Hannigan (46 mins), T Connors (0-1) for P O'Meara (58 mins), R Gleeson for Maher (60+5 mins), B O'Meara for Egan (60+7 mins).
Referee: D Grogan (Aherlow).
In the provincial finals, scheduled for November 20th, Clare champions Kilmurry-Ibrickane will host Dr Crokes, while – as a combination team cannot play in the provincial club championship – Moyle Rovers will host UCC.
