Loughmore fightback stuns Kilsheelan

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Football Championship Semi-Final

Loughmore/Castleiney 2-3-10 (22)

Kilsheelan/Kilcash 1-4-10 (21)

Report: Michael Dundon at Pairc Ciocum, Dundrum

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Liam McGrath (Loughmore/Castleiney)

SCORERS – Loughmore/Castleiney: Liam McGrath 0-8 (2x2play, 4 frees), Philip O’Connell 1-2 (0-1 free), Brian McGrath 1-0; Noel McGrath, Eoin O’Connell (2pt) 0-2 each; John McGrath, John Ryan 0-1 each.

Kilsheelan/Kilcash: Paul Maher 1-2 (0-2pt); Tommy O’Connor, Michael Freaney (2x2pt) 0-4 each; Mark Kehoe 0-3 (1x2pt); Jamie Roche (frees), Conor Freaney 0-2 each; Shane Garland 0-1.

Twice in a winning position, last year’s beaten finalists Kilsheelan/Kilcash were sucker-punched by Loughmore/Castleiney in a nail-biting finish to this County Senior Football Championship semi-final on Sunday, Brian McGrath poking home an injury time goal for the Mid men to earn them a place in the final.

This Loughmore/Castleiney team have had some memorable wins during their extended period at the top in both hurling and football but it’s doubtful if any can match this.

Twelve points down after twenty disastrous minutes, still eight points down at the three quarter stage, they fought back to be on terms with seven minutes to go.

Momentum was with Loughmore at that stage, with Kilsheelan a man down due to a black card to Mark Kehoe, but two minutes from the end, Micheal Freaney kicked what looked a match-winning two-pointer for the South side and then Loughmore had John Ryan dismissed on a second yellow card.

Loughmore/Castleiney never surrender and they piled forward in injury time looking for a lifeline. They were not to be denied. Frantic action in the Kilsheelan goalmouth saw the ball scrambled off the line twice before Brian McGrath got the vital touch for a goal that had their supporters and players ecstatic at the finish.

It was an outcome nobody would have predicted after twenty minutes as Kilsheelan ran the show. Paul Maher’s goal after four minutes was the forerunner to a flurry of Kilsheelan scores building to a 1-11 to 0-2 lead that included two-pointers from Micheal Freaney, Tommy O’Connor and Paul Maher.

Loughmore were struggling big time but five points, four from Liam McGrath, the last a two-pointer, before half-time, the other from cousin John, saw them trail 0-9 to 1-13 at the break.

The break helped Kilsheelan regroup and they began the second half well extending their lead to 1-16 to 0-11 after seven minutes.

Critically, they lost Mark Kehoe to a black card after twelve minutes. Loughmore/Castleiney took full advantage. Philip O’Connell pointed, Eoin O’Connell kicked a two-pointer; Philip O’Connell notched another point; Liam McGrath pointed a free and in the 53rd minute, Philip O’Connell netted after good work by sub Ed Connolly to level at 1-16 each with seven minutes to play.

The recovery appeared to take its toll on Loughmore as Kilsheelan now began to get back into the game and when Micheal Freaney kicked a two-pointer with two minutes of the hour left, it looked as though they were going to repeat last year’s semi-final win when Freaney again kicked what proved to be the winning score.

Not this time however. Loughmore surged back despite losing John Ryan to a second yellow card. They bombarded the Kilsheelan goal which had a few escapes before Brian McGrath, three minutes into injury time, poked home the winner in a goalmouth scramble. Kilsheelan couldn’t believe it; Loughmore were over the moon, their place in the final secured in the most dramatic of circumstances.

What a performance by the Mid men who simply refused to die. Never was the character of this team more seriously tested and what a response when the chips were down. Liam McGrath was their key man, especially when things weren’t going well, but all the big names came up thrumps.

The brothers Noel, John & Brian McGrath, Ciaran Connolly, Eoin & Philip O’Connell all having big games while goalie Shane Hennessy made a vital save at the start of the second half to deny Paul Maher a goal that would surely have put the game beyond the Mid men.

It was tough on Kilsheelan/Kilcash but their last quarter slump cost them dearly. Their first twenty minutes was full of quality and purpose but subsequently their intensity dropped and they were duly punished.

Paul Maher was their top performer but Micheal Freaney, Jason Maadigan, Conor Freaney, Mark Stokes, Barry Kehoe when introduced, and Tommy O’Connor did everything possible to get them through to the decider.

TEAMS – Loughmore/Castleiney: Shane Hennessy (7); Lorcan Egan (6), Eoin O’Connell (7), Willie Eviston (6); Tomas McGrath (6), Tommy Maher (6), Ed Meagher (6); Noel McGrath (7), Brian McGrath (7); Joey Quinn (6), John McGrath (7), Darragh McCahey (6); Philip O’Connell (7), Liam McGrath (8), Ciaran Connolly (7).

Subs: John Meagher (7) for T McGrath (20); John Ryan (6) for Eviston (38); Ed Connolly (6) for Quinn (43).

Kilsheelan/Kilcash: Evan Comerford (6); Conor Neville (6), Jason Madigan (7), Billy O’Connor (6); Conor Freaney (7), Mark Stokes (6), Emmet Butler (6); Lucas Shiel (6), Michael Freaney (7); Tommy O’Connor (7), Billy Murphy (6), Mark Kehoe (6); Jamie Roche (6), Shane Garland (6), Paul Maher (7).

Subs: Barry Kehoe (6) for Shiel (HT); Senan Butler (6) for Murphy (53).

Referee: Sean Lonergan (Moyle Rovers).