Seven goal Drom stun Moycarkey

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Quarter Final

Drom & Inch 7-23

Moycarkey/Borris 1-28

Report: Noel Dundon at FBD Semple Stadium

MATCH DIGETS

Player of the Match: Seamus Callanan (Drom & Inch)

SCORERS – Drom & Inch: Seamus Callanan 2-11 (0-8 frees); Cormac Fitzpatrick 1-3; David Butler 2-0; Jamie Bergin, Jack Lillis 1-0 each; Robbie Long, David Collins 0-2 each; Cormac Cahill, Mark Conroy, Podge Campion, Fintan Purcell, Paudie Kinnane 0-1 each.

Moycarkey/Borris: Kieran Morris 0-12 (10 frees); Jack Hayes 1-2; David Costigan, Rhys Shelly (frees); Killian Cantwell; Jack Fallon 0-2 each; Pat Molloy, Kieran Cummins, Stephen Walsh, Max Hackett, Bill Flanagan 0-1 each.

Drom & Inch plundered their way to the County Senior Hurling Championship semi-finals in the most unlikely of circumstances on Sunday when they rocked Mid neighbours Moycarkey/Borris with a green flag blitz for the ages.

On so many occasions throughout this remarkable encounter, Drom & Inch looked to be playing second fiddle to their fancied opponents. But they found goals at the right time and when the flood gates opened, they really opened – the arrival of sub David Butler into the attack causing havoc. In fact, subs Butler, Jack Lillis and Jamie Bergin bagged four goals between them with Butler getting two. The result was that a rather drab and dead game burst into life in the last twenty minutes of normal time, before extra time was played out to find a winner.

The first half had been a lacklustre affair for the most part and while the 1-10 to 0-8 interval advantage which Moycarkey/Borris enjoyed was probably an accurate reflection of proceedings, Drom could possibly have felt hard done by at the margin.

The difference between them was the goal after 35 seconds from Jack Hayes after David Costigan had set him up. It looked as though Moycarkey would take over, even at this early juncture, and they followed up with points from Joe Egan, Kieran Morris, and Stephen Walsh to open up a gap – corner back Robbie Long getting the first Drom point in the fifth minute.

It got better for the Moycarkey/Borris men, who were playing with real dash and purpose in these early stages, Kieran Morris, Walsh and Morris again (2 frees) extended the lead to 1-5 to 0-2 with Podge Campion getting the second Drom point from long range.

Seamus Callanan – operating further out than his number 13 jersey suggested – had a pointed free for Drom but Rhys Shelly (free) and Max Hackett responded and Moycarkey had a seven point lead with ten minutes of the half to play.

Then it turned. Drom & Inch got a roll and began to play a bit more direct. Seamus Callanan (3), Cormac Cahill, and Paudie Kinnane giving them five points in succession as they reduced the deficit to two in a matter of six minutes.

Pat Molloy broke the scoring sequence with a 29th minute point and team-mates David Costigan and Kieran Morris followed up for their side to see out in the half in a strong position. Crucially, Rhys Skelly saved well from Kinnane, a goal at that stage would have tied the game.

So, instead of perhaps going in level at the break, Drom & Inch were five in arrears having played with the aid of a slight breeze. Drom needed to get to grips with the razor-like puckouts from Shelly who was having a big influence on the game as he picked out loose colleagues on a number of occasions.

Drom drifted to seven down soon after resumption but points from Fintan Purcell, Seamus Callanan, Cormack Fitzpatrick and David Collins brought them back to within striking distance. And, when they struck, they really struck.

The first of their three-goal salvo came from a Seamus Callanan piledriver in the 42nd minute after he slipped inside the defence. He followed up with a free and then Cormac Fitzpatrick goaled after a long ball broke kindly for him. Remarkably, sub David Butler added a third goal a minute later when he swung a ground ball past Shelly – a third Drom goal in a remarkable five-minute period.

The pendulum had swung but Drom & Inch should have put the game to bed when a number of point chances presented but were missed - six in quick succession.

Instead Moycarkey/Borris, behind now by five points fought back and they managed to hit five points in succession through Kieran Morris, subs Jack Fallon & Killian Cantwell, Kieran Cummins, and Rhys Shelly (free) to tie up the match with three minutes to go.

It was quite the comeback, and they showed remarkable composure especially as Robbie Long and Callanan again put Drom two in front once more as the game slipped deep into injury time. A late free from Morris was tapped over and in the very last seconds Jack Fallon found a leveller to force extra time in what had been a grandstand finish.

Time to draw breath then but not for long as Moycarkey once again seized the initiative in extra time with Morris, Hayes, and Cantwell scores setting them on their way.

But goals were the Drom currency, and they struck two more in that first period – David Butler and a superb Callanan one as he lay on the ground – to take a 5-20 to 1-24 lead into the break.

The net shaking didn’t stop there either and with their first touches having come on as subs, Jamie Bergin and Jack Lillis had further goals as a demoralised Moycarkey/Borris faltered badly in the second half of extra time.

Incredibly, Drom & Inch had managed 0-8 in the first forty minutes of the game, but in the second forty minutes they hit a whopping 7-15 – the Tipperary goalkeeper beaten on seven occasions and little he could do about any of them.

So Drom & Inch prevailed and now find themselves in a semi-final with Nenagh Eire Og – a game they will relish.

For Moycarkey/Borris it is back to the drawing board and the inquisitions will undoubtedly begin with the defence having coughed up so many goals.

TEAMS – Drom & Inch: Eoin Collins (6); Robbie Long (7), Fintan Purcell (7), Kevin Hassett (7); Mark Conroy (6), Podge Campion (6), Eoin Kennedy (6); Lorcan Campion (6), Cormac Cahill (7); Paudie Kinnane (6), David Collins (6), John Campion (7); Seamus Callanan (9), John Ryan (6), Cormac Fitzpatrick (7).

Subs: Johnny Ryan (7) for Kinane (37); David Butler (8) for John Ryan (37); Michael Campion (6) for C Cahill (48); Jack Lillis (7) for Purcell (8 ET); Jamie Bergin (7) for Fitzpatrick (17 ET, inj); Cormac Cahill for Long (19 ET inj).

Moycarkey/Borris: Rhys Shelly (6); Kevin Hayes, (6) Tom Ryan (6), Stephen Walsh (7); Tom Hayes (7), Eoghan Hayes (6), Rory Darmody (6); Kieran Cummins (6), Max Hackett (6); Pat Molloy (6), Joe Egan (6), David Costigan (7); Jack Hayes (8), Bill Flanagan (6), Kieran Morris (8).

Subs: Jack Fallon (7) for Darmody (44); Killian Cantwell (7) for Molloy (50); Kyle Shelly (6) for Hackett (60); Peter Melbourne (6) for Cummins (4 ET inj); Max Hackett for Costigan (12 ET); Sean Hayes (6) for T Hayes (13 ET).

Referee: Conor Doyle (Silvermines).