Lanigan winner for Swan leads to Mary’s exit

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship Group 4 Round 3

Carrick Swan 1-15

St Mary’s 1-14

Report: Michael Heverin in Fethard

Already guaranteed a knockout spot through their divisional final success, Carrick Swan won through to the County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship quarter finals proper with an injury time win over South rivals, St Mary’s, in a keenly contested clash on Saturday.

The sides were level for the fifth time in the 62nd minute when Callum Lanigan pointed the winning free for Swan to ensure that they topped Group 4 with maximum points. It was Lanigan’s twelfth point of the game, nine from frees, two 65s and one from play.

Two minutes earlier, Ruairí Leahy had drawn the sides level after a free given for a foul on St Mary’s captain Seamus Kennedy had been brought forward for dissent for an easy tap-over.

But Swan hit back immediately and a foul on Luke O’Dwyer allowed Lanigan hit the winning score.

Swan were behind by the second minute, Seamus Kennedy starting a move from defence that ended with his county team-mate Peter McGarry shooting to the net at the second attempt.

Two Leahy frees to one from Lanigan had the Clonmel side 1-2 to 0-1 ahead by the ninth minute, but four points in a row – one from Aaron Dunne and three from Lanigan placed balls – had the sides level by the 21st minute.

St Mary’s had lost their early impetus, and they went behind for the first time from a Lanigan free, and a superb point from Aaron O’Halloran made it 0-7 to 1-2 by the 24th minute.

Leahy from a free had St Mary’s first point in seventeen minutes, but Swan hit back with two on the bounce from Lanigan, one a free.

Leahy from a free left it a two points game at the break, 0-9 to 1-4. Apart from McGarry’s early goal, all the St Mary’s scores were from Leahy frees, reflecting their problems in breaking down the Swan attack.

However, with the breeze in their favour they improved in the second half, and after Lanigan from a free extended the Swan lead in the first minute, St Mary’s hit back with Aaron Cagney setting up James Power for a point, and then Seamus Kennedy scoring from halfway.

Lanigan pointed a Swan 65 before St Mary’s hit five points in a row during their best spell of the game – from McGarry, an Enda Dunphy free, Cagney and two Leahy frees for a 1-11 to 0-11 lead.

Lanigan and Sammy Ryan swapped points before Aidan Waters’ goal to make it 1-12 each switched the momentum back in Swan’s direction.

The sides were level twice more before the ever-reliable Lanigan kept his nerve with the late free to keep the Swan bandwagon rolling on.

Player of the Match: Aaron O’Halloran (Carrick Swan)

Carrick Swan: Kieran Lonergan (6); Jack Murphy (7), Scott Hogan (7), Dean Kiely (6); Ben Mulcaire (6), Gavin O’Halloran (7), Luke O’Dwyer (6); Aaron O’Halloran (0-1, 8), Dean Waters (6); Eric O’Halloran (7), Callum Lanigan (0-12, 9f, 2 65, 7), Taylor Fleming (6); Callum Walsh (6), Aaron Dunne (0-2, 7), Jamie Holloway (6).

Subs: Stefan Tobin (6) for Fleming (HT), Aidan Waters (1-0, 7) for Holloway (50), Shane Torpey (6) for G O’Halloran (56).

St Mary’s: Enda Dunphy (0-1f, 6); Tadhg Condon (6), Liam Ryan (6), Ross Slattery (6); Tadhg Sheehan (6), Seamus Kennedy (0-1, 7) James Morris (6); Sammy Ryan (0-1, 7), Richie Gunne (6); James Power (0-1, 6), Ruairí Leahy (0-8f, 7), Josh Ryan (6); Peter McGarry (1-1, 7), Ross Peters (6), Aaron Cagney (0-1, 6).

Subs: Thomas Charles (6) for Morris (45), Sean Kennedy (6) for J Ryan (46), David Barry (6) for Peters (50), Darragh O’Connor (6) for Power (56).

Referee: Sean Lonergan (Moyle Rovers).