Kilsheelan Kilcash dethrone Loughmore Castleiney after thrilling finish to semi-final clash
AERIAL BATTLE: Loughmore Castleiney's Tomas McGrath fists home a goal despite Kilsheelan Kilcash's goalkeeper Evan Comerford. Pic: Diarmuid Brennan
Loughmore Castleiney’s quest for a back-to-back double of FBD Insurance County Tipperary Senior Hurling and Football titles came unstuck, following their two-points defeat to Kilsheelan Kilcash in a keenly contested senior football semi-final at Leahy Park Cashel on Saturday.
In the lead-up to this game, many felt that an emerging Kilsheelan Kilcash side would push the holders all the way, and so it turned out. It was three late points in added time that got them over the line after a very exiting second half. When a Jamie Roche converted free on 60 minutes reduced their deficit to the minimum, extra time looked on the cards, but a Micheál Freaney two-pointer, three and a half minutes into added time, gave the men from the south the lead for the first time since the end of the opening quarter. From the resulting kick-out, Senan Butler, who had earlier been black carded, won possession and fired over the insurance point to put his side back in a county decider for the first time since 1981.
From the throw-in Loughmore attacked the dressing room end but two early wides was their lot. Kilsheelan Kilcash got to the pitch of the game and their first attack was a two-point attempt from Micheál Freaney that drifted to the outside of the upright. Billy Murphy won possession from the resulting kick-out and split open the Loughmore defence before off loading to Jamie Roche who gave Shane Hennessy no chance with a low drive to the corner.
This was the start that they required, coming up against the holders. Loughmore eventually clawed their way back into the game and a Willie Eviston goal on 19 minutes, after a good build-up involving Liam and John McGrath, tied the game for the first time.
Loughmore suffered a huge loss when their championship top scorer, Liam McGrath, had to leave the field, with what looked to be a groin injury, after 21 minutes. Philip O’Connell and Liam Treacy, from a placed ball, eased the holders back in front before Jamie Roche kicked two on the bounce coming up to half time. Loughmore’s second major came in added time before the break, following a well worked move from Tommy Maher and Willie Eviston to set up Tomás McGrath, who crashed past Evan Comerford.
Loughmore maintained this three-point advantage for the opening 10-minutes after the restart, but Kilsheelan slowly began to eat into that advantage, through Jamie Roche from placed balls and Mark Stokes from open play. Kilsheelan were reduced to 14 players from the 46th to the 56th minutes when Senan Burler was black carded, but Loughmore failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage during that period.
Loughmore still held a one-point advantage when Janie Roche converted two placed balls, either side of a point from play by Eamon Connolly, as the game headed into added time, and extra time looked a possibility. However Kilsheelan got the vital scores in added time to get over the line and into the final where they hope to add to their four titles and a first since 1972.
: J Roche 1-7 (0-5f), M Freaney 0-2 (1x2pt), M Stokes 0-2, T O’Connor 0-2, S Butler 0-1.
T McGrath 1-0, W Eviston 1-0, L Treacy 0-3 (0-2f), C Connolly 0-3, N McGrath 0-1, P O’Connell 0-1, E Connolly 0-1.
: E Comerford, K Quinn, E Kehoe, J Madigan, E Butler, D Brennan, B O’Connor, M Stokes, B Murphy, T O’Connor, M Freaney, S Garland, S Butler, J Roche, B Kehoe Subs used: L Freaney for Garland (44), R Kelly for Murphy (50), M McGuire for B Kehoe (52)
: S Hennessy, L Egan, W Eviston, E O’Connell, J Ryan, E Meagher, T Maher, T McGrath, L Treacy, C Connolly, B McGrath, E Connolly, L McGrath, J McGrath, P O’Connell Subs used; N McGrath for L McGrath (21), C McGrath for J McGrath (35), J Quinn for T McGrath (50) C Ryan for P’O’Connell (50).
: D O’Mahoney (Ardfinnan).
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