Heavy defeat for Tipperary intermediate football champions in Munster final

Austin Stacks 7-7 Aherlow 0-2

Aherlow’s quest for Munster glory ended at Mallow on Saturday afternoon when they were annihilated by a rampant Austin Stacks in what was a very disappointing and one-sided Munster Club Intermediate Football Championship final.

The Tipperary champions were totally out of their depth against their Kerry opponents, who only three years ago contested the Munster senior club final.

Playing against the gale for the opening half, before an attendance of 1,129, Aherlow trailed by 1-5 to no score at the break, with the goal coming in the 13th minute.

While Stacks were winning most of the kickouts, they never pressed home their advantage and had twelve wides during that opening period, against one from Aherlow, a free from Barry Grogan in the ninth minute.

To compound their troubles, the Tipp champions had to face the elements for the second period, while reduced to fourteen men, after Cathal Dillon was dismissed on a second yellow card, received in the aftermath of the goal. Tempers were frayed and a member of the Aherlow backroom team was shown a straight red card by referee Niall Quinn as the teams left the field at half-time.

After the restart Austin Stacks were quickly on the attack and Aherlow ‘keeper Jack Whelton did well to save in the first minute, with the rebound coming off the post. The second major came on 34 minutes when, after fine inter-play, the influential midfielder Joe O’Connor goaled from close range.

This was the first of six second half goals, as Stacks completely ripped the Aherlow defence to shreds. The Kerry champions were not content to settle for an easy minor, but went for the jugular at every opportunity.

Full forward Cian Purcell hit a hat-trick during the final 20 minutes, the first after an individual run from fifty metres, when he sliced open the Aherlow defence. Aherlow’s opening score came from the boot of Barry Grogan after 38 minutes, when he curled over a placed ball. The second came on sixty minutes from a Mark Russell special.

Aherlow played against the strong wind for the opening half and were in trouble on the first kickout, which was overturned, resulting in a free to Austin Stacks that Donagh McKivergan converted. Their advantage was doubled after five minutes following a series of passing movements, after which corner back Colin Griffin fisted over.

Aherlow were on the defensive and for a time kept the Stacks attack at bay, and were also helped by wayward shooting from the Kerry champions. However, they were in big trouble from their own kickouts, both long and short. Stacks were quickly on to the breaking ball around midfield but they failed to convert that possession on to the scoreboard.

Coming up to the quarter hour Stacks got in for a brace, one from a placed ball by Paddy Lane and one from play from Cian Purcell. With six minutes of the half remaining Donagh McKivergan hit his second free.

As the game headed towards the break, the inevitable goal came for the Kerry men. Joe O’Connor used his pace to set up a one-two with Darragh O’Brien and the Kerry midfielder released the ball to Paddy Lane, who found the net with a piledriver.

In the aftermath of the goal tempers were frayed, with yellow cards issued to Aherlow’s Darragh O’Brien and Stacks’ Paddy Lane. Cathal Dillon, who had an earlier yellow on thirteen minutes, also received a second, which resulted in his dismissal. A member of Aherlow’s backroom team was also the recipient of a straight red card as the teams left the field at the end of the half.

Aherlow, eight points in arrears and a man short, faced a huge obstacle after the restart, even though they had the benefit of the strong wind. Stacks attacked from the throw-in and Jack Whelton pulled off a save inside the opening minute, with the rebound coming back off the post and away to safety. Paddy Lane converted his second free to put his side nine to the good.

Stacks upped their game considerably and with Jack O’Shea, Joe O’Connor and Greg Horan pulling the strings it was only a matter of time before the scores came. They were beginning to attack down both sides of the field, the extra man giving them latitude.

The second goal came after 34 minutes when Joe O’Connor blasted home from close range. Four minutes later Barry Grogan opened Aherlow’s account from a free.

Stacks were intent on going for goals at every opportunity and ten minutes after the restart, Cian Purcell got in for the first of his three second half goals. Gaining possession around fifty metres out, he cut through the heart of the defence to give Whelton no chance. He followed up with a second five minutes later, when a Shane O’Callaghan effort was cleared off the line.

Substitute Seán Quilter capitalised on a defensive error for goal number five before another substitute, Shane O’Callaghan, was first to react to a Jack Whelton save from Jordan Kissane to get the ball over the line.

Mark Russell kicked a huge point at the other end on sixty minutes before Purcell completed his hat-trick in added time.

Scorers: Aherlow: Barry Grogan (0-1 free), Mark Russell (0-1).

Austin Stacks: Cian Purcell (3-1), Paddy Lane (1-2, 2 frees), Seán Quilter (1-1), Shane O’Callaghan (1-0), Joe O’Connor (1-0), Donagh McKivergan (0-2 frees), Colin Griffin (0-1).

Aherlow: Jack Whelton, Mark Hanley, Raymond Hennessy, Tom O’Donoghue (captain), Tadhg Carew, Laurence Coskeran, Darragh O’Brien, Diarmuid Looby, Mark Russell, Micheál Elligott, Ben Carey, Jack O’Halloran, Cathal Dillon, Barry Grogan, Gary Quirke.

Subs: Liam Carew for Gary Quirke (HT), Bernard O’Brien for Micheál Elligott (HT), Seán Mullins for Laurence Coskeran (37), Thomas Cooper Fahey for Mark Hanley (43), Paddy Chapman for Tom O’Donoghue (51).

Austin Stacks: Michael Tansley, Colin Griffin, Barry Shanahan, Joey Nagle, Armin Heinrich, Jack O’Shea, Paul O’Sullivan, Michael O’Donnell, Joe O’Connor, Fiachna Mangan, Greg Horan, Daniel Kirby, Donagh McKivergan, Cian Purcell, Paddy Lane.

Subs: Darragh O’Brien for Donagh McKivergan (25), Ronan Shanahan for Michael O’Donnell (39), Shane O’Callaghan for Armin Heinrich (42), Sean Quilter for Daniel Kirby (50), Jordan Kissane for Paddy Lane (50), Adam Curran for Darragh O’Brien (temporary).

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Referee: Niall Quinn (Clare).