Moneygall progress past poor Burgess

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship Group 3

Moneygall 0-26

Burgess 0-10

Report: Liam Hogan

at St Michael's Park, Toomevara

Moneygall produced an excellent display of craft and hard work that should serve notice to their rivals in defeating a listless Burgess side in this winner-takes-all clash in group 3 of the County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship on Sunday evening.

Coming two months after the sides met in the North Championship quarter-final which Moneygall won by three points – this latest success gives them a place in the knockout stages.

With a convincing display served by every member of the starting fifteen, Moneygall hit the ground running and led by a resounding nine points at half time.

The opening ten minutes of the second half was a battle of how to increase the teams’ respective wides tally with six wides in that period. Then Moneygall suddenly resurfaced and raced away with score after score in the last twenty minutes.

Meeting for the fourth time in thirteen months, what surprised most was the size of the defeat in a manner which much have left Burgess supporters bewildered.

Moneygall simply crushed the life out of them with ten players on the score-sheet with top-class performances produced by Paddy McCormack, Roddy Teehan, Shay Gleeson, Eoin Whyte, Cormac Hoolan, Eoghan Doughan, captain Joe Fogarty, and Sean Kenneally.

Caught like rabbits in headlights, Burgess depended on what Johnny Grace, Johnny Mulqueen, Donagh Maher, Daire Hogan had to offer in front of Ronan Tucker in goals who had one of his best days when producing two very good saves.

Moneygall were boosted by the availability of captain Joe Fogarty who limped out of the defeat to Lorrha with a leg injury and was very much into the action as the sides were level three times in the opening seven minutes. Moneygall had taken the lead each time through Doughan, Kenneally Joe Fogarty while Paul Cahalan and Stephen Murray with two frees had replied for Burgess who had lost Sean Dunne as early as the third minute with a hand injury.

Patrick McCormack’s long puckouts were accurate and his delivery to Sean Kenneally in the eighth minute saw the Tipp player move his side in front from close to the left touchline.

Over the next six minutes, Moneygall edged further ahead as Andy Hoolan made it double scores at 0-8 to 0-4. The margin was back to three after Johnny Grace scored in the 18th minute, however, Moneygall were well on top and the scores kept on coming through Kenneally, Shay Gleeson, Fogarty, and Cormac Hoolan for a 0-14 to 0-7 lead, two minutes from half time.

There was still time for more as Adam Hogan and Aodhan Ryan added white flags. Paul Cahalan chipped in with his second point for Burgess but Eoghan Doughan was the target of another accurate McCormack puckout with the Tipp under 20 player making it 0-17 to 0-8 at half time.

This reporter’s account said eight points for Burgess, as did Clubber TV, but the second half began with the scoreboard adjusted to see the Burgess total down to seven, according to the officials. Thankfully it didn’t prove decisive.

The opening ten minutes of the second half were a little unsatisfactory as both sides traded wides, three apiece, before normality resumed in the guise of five unanswered points by the red & black, starting with a second Cormac Hoolan score. Sean Kenneally was having his best game to date but was denied a goal by Ronan Tucker leaving Tadhg Whyte to gather the clearance to score another point.

Kenneally added another and was later fouled for Doughan to convert as Adam Hogan made it 0-22 to 0-8.

David Nealon replied with his third free and he would add two more before hours end. Meanwhile, Moneygall finished with aplomb as points from Kenneally, Hogan, Doughan, and Cian Ryan finished the job.

Player of the Match: Sean Kenneally (Moneygall)

Moneygall: Paddy McCormack (7); Jack Kirwan (7), Brendan Tuohy (7), Roddy Teehan (7); Eoin Whyte (8), Shay Gleeson (0-1, 8), Andy Hoolan (0-1, 7); Cormac Hoolan (0-2, 8), Aodhan Ryan (0-1, 7); Bob Kenny (7), Sean Kenneally (0-7, 8), Joe Fogarty (Capt, 0-2, 8); Tadgh Whyte (0-1, 7), Adam Hogan (0-3, 7), Eoghan Doughan (0-7, 3f, 8);

Subs: Sean Fogarty (6) for Kenny (45); Cian Ryan (0-1, 6) for T Whyte (48); Cathal Green for A Ryan (53); Dylan Sayers (6) for J Fogarty (53); Gearoid Larkin for E Whyte (58).

Burgess: Ronan Tucker (8); Conor Grace (6), Kieran Ryan (6), Keith O’Donoghue (6); Johnny Grace (0-1, 7), Donagh Maher (7), Johnny Mulqueen (7); Daire Hogan (7) Michael Ryan (6); Stephen Murray (0-3, 2f, 6), Eoin Grace (6), Paul Cahalan (0-2, 7); Sean Dunne (NR), Stephen Kirwan (6), David Nealon (0-5f, 7).

Subs: Willie Ryan (6) for Dunne (3 inj); Joe O’Dwyer (6) for M Ryan (38); Diarmuid O’Donoghue (6) for Murray (42); Michael Ryan (Mixer 6) for Cahalan (54).

Referee: Joe Leahy (Moyne-Templetuohy).