Burgess recover to pip Lorrha Rovers

GAA: North Tipperary Coiste na nOg Under 15 ‘B’ Football Final

Burgess 1-15

Lorrha Rovers 2-11

Report: Joe Scully at Gardiner Park, Borrisokane

Burgess are the North Tipperary Under 15 ‘B’ Football champions after a one-point victory over a game Lorrha Rovers side in the final last Thursday.

Both sides served up a highly entertaining affair with some high-quality football on display over the hour.

Burgess, despite getting off to a slow start, were deserving winners due to a strong second and third quarter period, as they made hay when Lorrha Rovers were reduced to fourteen players after Cathal Lambe received a black card in the 23rd minute, with Burgess going using this ten-minute period to turn the game around.

Lorrha Rovers, after a bright start, will be disappointed with the defeat, particularly the fact that they went scoreless between the 19th and 41st minutes, and despite a late fightback when Burgess were reduced to fourteen players themselves following a black card to Kaden Fogarty, they came up just short in the end.

Burgess opened the scoring after just 35 seconds through a great effort from the superb Oisin Hogan.

However, the Rovers were soon into their stride and would score an unanswered 1-3, through a Nathan Young free, followed by a Conor O’Donoghue goal straight from the resultant kick-out, with Michael Quinn setting up the Lorrha forward. Young added another free before Eddie Flynn scored a point with a superb finish.

Oisin Hogan reduced the gap with a free, before Eddie Flynn and Nathan Young added two more points for Lorrha Rovers, which was responded to by a brilliant effort from Burgess’s Kaden Fogarty from distance.

Lorrha Rovers got their second goal in the sixteenth minute when a Nathan Young free dropped short and fell to Conor O’Donoghue who finished to the back of the net.

Michael O’Meara added another point for the Rovers in the 21st minute but this would be their last score until the 40th minute as Burgess slowly started to take control, scoring five unanswered points before half-time, all from the boot of Oisin Hogan with one from play, as Lorrha Rovers led 2-06 to 0-8 at the break.

Burgess continued to dominate at the start of the second period, kicking 1-3 in the opening ten minutes, with Hogan opening the scoring before a Shane O’Donoghue goal in the 32nd second minute, following a fine move and pass by Hogan.

Hogan would add two more frees to leave Burgess ahead 1-11 to 2-6 after 37 minutes.

Lorrha Rovers finally scored again in the 40th minute through a Nathan Young free, but Burgess replied hitting four-in-a-row, all through Oisin Hogan, one from play, to leave his side 1-15 to 2-7 up after 48 minutes.

This would be their last score of the game as Lorrha Rovers finished stronger after a black card to Kaden Fogarty.

Nathan Young would hit four points in a row, two frees and then a superb individual score in the 54th minute, before another free in the 61st minute to leave just a point in it.

Despite Lorrha Rovers pushing for a leveller Burgess managed to hold on for a hard-earned victory.

Player of the Match: Oisin Hogan (Burgess).

Burgess: Tony Seymour, Sean Purcell, Tommy Ryan, Harry Hoare, Eoin Hogan, Luke Slattery, Tom Cahalan, Kaden Fogarty (0-1), Girvan Mooney, Dylan Darcy, Oisin Hogan (0-14, 10f), Shane O’Donoghue (1-0), David Mulcahy, Ben Madden, Jack Comerford.

Sub: Michael Grey for Madden (33).

Lorrha Rovers: Marty Guest, John Kelly, Gwilym Tooher, David Kennedy, Colm Coughlan, Michael O’Donoghue, Oscar Morin Gradwell, Cathal Lambe, Lee Mannion, Eddie Flynn (0-2), Nathan Young (0-8, 7f), Conor O’Donoghue (2-0), Darragh Kennedy, Michael O’Meara (0-1), Michael Quinn.

Subs: Paddy Hogan for Kelly (HT); Conal Gantly for Gradwell (35), Jack Cahalan for Quinn (45).

Referee: Ger Fitzpatrick (Roscrea).