Swans back in the final after solid showing in beating Boherlahan
GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship Semi-Final
Carrick Swan 2-18
Boherlahan-Dualla 0-21
Report: Noel Dundon at FBD Semple Stadium
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Aaron Dunne (Carrick Swan)
SCORERS - Carrick Swan: Calum Lanigan 0-9 (6 frees); Aaron Dunne 2-2; Stefan Tobin 0-3, Taylor Fleming 0-2, Calum Walsh, Gavin O’Halloran 0-1 each.
Boherlahan-Dualla: Tomas Ryan 0-12 (10 frees); Brian Og O’Dwyer 0-3, James Kirby, Charlie Ryan 0-2 each; Eoin Moloughney, Gerard O’Dwyer 0-1 each.
A goal either side of half time proved decisive for last year’s finalists Carrick Swan as they returned to the County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship decider with a solid showing against Boherlahan-Dualla in Saturday’s semi-final.
A game in which the physical attributes of the South men had a big bearing on the outcome, Swans ambitions of going a step further this time round remain on track – their experience also proved crucial against a Boherlahan-Dualla side which is still cutting its teeth in the grade having been promoted two seasons ago.
The first half proved to be a scrappy affair with a lot of errors from both sides. Perhaps it was nerves that led to so many handling mistakes, but it certainly took a while for the game to settle down and when it did, it turned out to be competitive, full-blooded and whole-hearted.
Indeed, there was little between them all the way through until the last four minutes of the half, when Swans took a grip on proceedings, bagging 1-3 to open a four-point lead. The goal came from Aaron Dunne in the 28th minute when he latched onto a broken down long ball and turned it into the Boherlahan net.
It was to prove a decisive score in the half and it sat nicely with the points Calum Lanigan (2) and Stefan Tobin pilfered in the same five-minute spell to secure the interval advantage the scale of which the mid men probably felt a little hard done by.
Boherlahan had matched the Swan blow-for-blow and to trail by four at the break didn’t sit well with them.
They had started the game well and though the Swan had the first score through Calum Walsh, Boherlahan Dualla led by 0-3 to 0-2 after ten minutes – Tomas Ryan, Charlie Ryan and Gerard O’Dwyer pointing for them – Aaron Dunne, grabbing the second point for Swans.
The scores continued to flow and Boherlahan got three of the next four scores through Brian Og O’Dwyer and a pair of Tomas Ryan frees to send them into a two point lead – Gavin O’Halloran and Calum Lanigan grabbing scores for Swans in the interim.
Even though the Swan had an extra man in defence they were still able to create scores in attack and though Boherlahan still had that two-point advantage coming to the end of the half it was noticeable that more ball was sticking in the Swan attack. Brian Og O’Dwyer and Charlie Ryan traded points with Taylor Fleming and a superb Stefan Tobin point worked all the way out of the defence to keep the two-point gap.
That great spell before half time saw the Swan into a commanding position at the break and Boherlahan knew that they had to find a way around their opponents if they were to make up the shortfall in the second half.
That task became even greater within three minutes of the restart when Aaron Dunne bagged his second goal to post a significant score and steer his Swan side in the direction of the final.
Boherlahan had a mountain to climb now and in fairness to them, they set about the work. After a series of scores going either way – Taylor Fleming, Calum Lanigan and Stefan Tobin for Swans, against James Kirby, Tomas Ryan (2), and Brian Og O’Dwyer scores for Boherlahan – the Mid men got a grip on proceedings with a quarter of the game to go. Eoin Moloughney, Tomas Ryan (2) and Brian Og O’Dwyer put four scores together to get back to withing striking distance of their opponents – four points in it now with six minutes to go.
The Swan, perhaps sensing the danger, responded and three-in-a-row from Calum Lanigan (2) and Aaron Dunne more or less sealed the game. However, there was still a bit left in Boherlahan Dualla and after Tomas Ryan and Lanigan had traded scores, they hit four points in succession in injury time through Ryan (3) and James Kirby to leave a goal in it.
Boherlahan-Dualla lads needed a goal, but it wasn’t to come. Indeed, it wasn’t even threatened and Carrick Swan saw out the victory to return to their second successive county final.
TEAMS - Carrick Swan: Kieran Lonergan (6); Jack Murphy (7), Scott Hogan (7), Dean Kiely (6); Ben Mulcaire (7), Gavin O’Halloran (8), Luke O’Dwyer (7); Aaron O’Halloran (8), Dean Waters (7); Shane Torpey (6), Calum Lanigan (8), Taylor Fleming (6); Callum Walsh (7), Aaron Dunne (8), Stefan Tobin (8).
Subs: Colin Loughman (6) for O’Dwyer (45); Aidan Waters (6) for Torpey (54); Darragh Dunne (NR) for Walsh (57); Ryan Waters (NR) for Fleming (57); Eoin Hogan (NR) for D Waters (60+2).
Boherlahan-Dualla: Darragh Lacey (6); Tomas Bourke (6), Gerard O’Dwyer (7), John Ryan (6); Dylan Fogarty (6), Martin Paul O’Dwyer (6), Cathal Darcy (6); Charlie Ryan (6), Euan Ryan (6); Patrick Gahan (6), Brian Og O’Dwyer (7), James Kirby (7); Tomas Ryan (7), Seamus Leahy (6), Mark Downey (6).
Subs: Eoin McLoughney (6) for E Ryan (HT); Brian Carrig (7) for Bourke (40); David Clarke (7) for Leahy (44); Ryan Bargary (6) for Downey (52); Niall O’Dwyer (NR) for Darcy (60+3).
Referee: Ciaran O’Donovan (Burgess).