Commercials overcome St Josephs in Clonmel
Clonmel Commercials sauntered through to the Munster club SFC final courtesy of this 13-point win over Clare champions Miltown-Malbay.
A dominant first-half showing laid the foundations for victory as Clonmel held a seven-point interval advantage despite playing into the elements in the opening half.
The visitors managed only one score in the opening period, Eoin Cleary on target with the right boot after 27-minutes. By this juncture, Clonmel had already put one foot in the decider as Ian Barnes, Michael Quinlivan, Seamus Kennedy, Jason Lonergan and Jack Kennedy combined in kicking eight unanswered minors – 0-8 to 0-1 the interval scoreline.
Miltown-Malbay enjoyed their best spell of the game in the first eight minutes of the second-half but a Seanie Malone point was all they had to show for it.
Jack Kennedy re-opened a seven-point gap and it was game over when Michael Quinlivan fisted a Jason Lonergan delivery to the net on 41 minutes.
Points thereafter from Pádraig White, Ian Fahey and Lonergan closed out what was a most comprehensive victory for Charlie McGeever’s side.
M Quinlivan (1-3, 0-1 free); J Longeran (0-3); P White (0-1 free), J Kennedy (0-2 each); I Fahey (0-1 ’45), I Barnes (0-1 free), S Kennedy (0-1 each).
Scorers for E Cleary, K Malone, S Malone (0-1 each).
J McDonald; J Peters, D Lynch, F Condon; L Moore, K Fahey, K Harney; S Kennedy, M Quinlivan; A Matassa, J Lonergan, I Fahey; I Barnes, J Kennedy, P White.
Subs: P Looram for J Kennedy (35), D Madigan for Quinlivan (45, bc), J Harney for Barnes (48), E Fitzgerald for Matassa (54), S Taylor for Peters (57), C McGeever for Condon (58)
S O’Brien; E O’Brien, S Malone, Gordon Kelly; E O’Gorman, G Curtin, D Lafferty; J Meade, D McDonagh; K Keavey, K Malone, J Curtin; E Cleary, E Curtin, B Curtin. Subs: C Hehir for Lafferty (10 mins, inj), C Murray for Keavey (30), Graham Kelly for Meade (HT), S Curtin for G Curtin (51), D Talty for E Cleary (55),
Referee: C Lane (Cork).
