GAA: Commercials ease to record equalling success
Three goals in a blistering six minute period in the first quarter secured a record equalling 21st county senior football title for a rampant Clonmel Commercials on Sunday as they brushed aside the challenge of JK Brackens who were seeking their first success.
GAA: FBD Insurance County Senior Football Championship Final
Clonmel Commercials 6-7
JK Brackens 2-6
Report: Michael Dundon at FBD Semple Stadium
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Sean O’Connor (Clonmel Commercials).
SCORERS – Clonmel Commercials: Sean O’Connor 2-3 (0-2 frees); Michael Quinlivan 1-2 (1-0 pen); Peter McGarry, Padraic Looram, Cathal Deely 1-0 each; Colm Kennedy 0-2.
JK Brackens: Jack Kennedy 1-3 (1-0 pen, 0-2 frees); Adrian Bourke 1-0; Jack Nevin, Eanna McBride, Dean McEnroe 0-1 each.
Commercials were unbackable favourites to retain their title, but nobody predicted a thirteen point drubbing for the Templemore boys who four years ago, in their first final appearance, suffered a similar demolition.
It all happened very quickly. Commercials were ahead 0-4 to 0-2 when, in the ninth minute, Sean O’Connor was fouled, and Commercials were awarded a penalty. Michael Quinlivan’s shot was parried by Kuba Beben in the Brackens goal, but the rebound fell kindly to Quinlivan who duly dispatched it to the net.
Five minutes later, Peter McGarry careered down the right flank of the attack almost untouched before getting goal number two and a minute after that Quinlivan and Colman Kennedy combined to leave Sean O’Connor with the easiest of tasks for Commercials third goal and a 3-5 to 0-2 lead.
It looked curtains for the Templemore lads at that stage, but Adrian Bourke raised their hopes with a goal after nineteen minutes after an Eanna McBride effort came off the post. Lorcan Egan, who had earlier been black-carded, was back on for Brackens who had further points from Dean McEnroe and Jack Kennedy to leave them 3-5 to 1-4 adrift at the break.
It was not an unbridgeable gap, but it was going to require a big Brackens effort in the second half. Big became huge inside a minute as Padraic Looram sallied through for Commercials fourth goal.
Once more JK Brackens responded when Adrian Bourke was fouled after 33 minutes, Jack Kennedy gave Michael O’Reilly in the Clonmel goal no chance with the penalty and then immediately fired over another point to leave just two goals between them (4-5 to 2-5) after 39 minutes.
Could JK Brackens bridge the gaps. An emphatic no was Clonmel’s answer as Colman Kennedy pointed and Sean O’Connor netted off a Michael Quinlivan delivery, before Colman Kennedy again pointed to give Commercials a 5-7 to 2-5 advantage at the three quarter stage.
And it didn’t finish at that as Cathal Deely netted in the 46th minute reducing the last quarter to something akin to a pre-match kick-about with Commercials content to retain possession and run down the clock as they recorded their fourth title in five years.
Sean O’Connor, Michael Quinlivan, Seamus Kennedy, Rory O’Dowd, and Colman Kennedy all had big games for a largely untested Clonmel Commercials with Conor Cadell, Stephen Cahill, Eanna McBride, and goalkeeper Kuba Beben foremost for JK Brackens.
TEAMS - Clonmel Commercials: Michael O’Reilly (6); Tadhg Condon (6), James Morris (6), Rory O’Dowd (7); Kevin Fahey (6), Seamus Kennedy (7), Padraic Looram (6); Cathal Deely (6), Ross Peters (6); Peter McGarry (6), Colman Kennedy (6), Conal Kennedy (6); Cian Smith (6), Michael Quinlivan (7), Sean O’Connor (8).
Subs: Jamie Peters (6) for R Peters (HT); Aldo Matassa (6) for Conal Kennedy (37); Sean Kennedy (6) for Smith (45); Ciaran Cannon (6) for Fahey (49), Declan Nee (6) for Morris (53).
JK Brackens: Kuba Beben (7); Luke Ormond (6), Lorcan Egan (6), Martin Delaney (6); Stephen Cahill (7), Neil Quinlan (6), Jack Nevin (6); Paddy Cadell (7), Adrian Bourke (6); Eanna McBride (6), Cathal Scully (6), Conor Cadell (7); Lyndon Fairbrother (6), Jack Kennedy (7), Dean McEnroe (6).
Subs: Shane Doyle (6) for McEnroe (25); Jordan Moloney (6) for Scully (HT); Andrew Ormond (6) for Fairbrother (38); David O’Shea (6) for Egan (47), Shane Scully (NR) for McBride (55).
Referee: Derek O’Mahoney (Ardfinnan).