Super Carrick Swan retain their senior hurling crown in south Tipperary

Carrick Swan 1-17 Killenaule 0-15

Carrick Swan rewrote the history books at Clonmel Sportsfield on Saturday evening when they retained their Clonmel Oil South Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship title with a convincing win over Killenaule in the final, their superiority more pronounced than the five- points winning margin would suggest.

It was the first time since the 1980s that they won back-to-back titles and the celebrations that greeted the final whistle, and again at the cup presentation, reflected what it meant to the proud Carrick-on-Suir club.

They were never behind, but after an even first quarter, it was a stunning goal from Aaron Dunne in the 18th minute that helped propel them to victory.

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Swan had match-winners all over the field. The outstanding Gavin O’Halloran was peerless in his performance, the Tipperary player adding another south medal to the Celtic Cross won two weeks earlier with his county. He always appeared to be in space, clearing up any danger at centre back, and chipping in with two points.

He was voted man of the match but other challengers for the accolade could have been his brother Aaron, team captain Eric O’Halloran, Callum Lanigan or Callum Walsh in attack, Scott Hogan, Dean Kiely or Ben Muclaire in defence, or midfielder Dean Waters.

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The south championship victory caps a great few months for Swan with Aaron O’Halloran, Callum Lanigan and Stefan Tobin at Under 20 level, and Aaron and Gavin O’Halloran at senior level, bringing back five All-Ireland medals to the club.

And the remarkable thing about Saturday evening’s win is that they achieved it when playing with fourteen men for virtually the entire game. In the second minute, just after Ryan Waters had pointed to give them the lead, Stefan Tobin was shown a straight red card for striking by referee Brian Tyrrell.

The numbers were evened up five minutes into the second half when Killenaule’s Eoin O’Connell was also shown red for a similar offence.

However, despite the intensity of the game, the final was not a classic. Nearly half, fifteen, of the 35 scores were from placed balls, with both sides also guilty of wayward shooting. Killenaule were the guiltier in the first half with six wides, while Swan were off-target too often in the second half for manager Kieran Reade’s liking.

However, the defending champions were more clinical in their finishing. Eric O’Halloran led from the front, with three superb points in the space of five minutes in the second half, with a fourth effort, that many felt had gone over, waved wide; Gavin O’Halloran hit two super scores, and Aaron Dunne’s 1-1 was crucial.

Killenaule never reached the same level as they had in their semi-final win over St Mary’s, with defender Shane Ryan their top scorer from play with two points, with an over-reliance on frees from team captain Ciaran O’Dwyer and Luke Ryan.

However, Killenaule battled to the end in a bid to avoid back-to-back final defeats to Swan, with Ciaran O’Dwyer playing a true captain’s role at midfield, Tom Keaveney and Shane Ryan resolute in defence and Paudie Feehan, Luke Ryan and Dara Fitzgerald busy in attack.

After O’Dwyer from a free had drawn Killenaule level in the third minute, Swan reorganised their forces when reduced to fourteen players, and within another two minutes had gone two clear following a Lanigan free and a lovely score from Callum Walsh, following a pass from Gavin O’Halloran.

Goalkeeper John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer pointed a Killenaule free before Lanigan responded for Swan. In a first ten minutes dominated by placed balls, Luke Ryan pointed a Killenaule free following a foul on Paudie Feehan to leave it 0-4 to 0-3.

Swan pushed the lead out to two through Gavin O’Halloran, after Dean Waters had been twice involved in the move. But the Slieveardagh side were level midway through the half from two further Luke Ryan frees.

Despite being down to fourteen men, Swan continued to have more success with their passing, and a flowing move involving Dean Waters and Eric O’Halloran ended with a foul on Aaron Dunne and Callum Lanigan pointed the free.

And then in the 18th minute the Carrick side got the score that set them firmly on their way to retaining the title. Possession was turned over in midfield and Eric O’Halloran put Aaron Dunne through on goal and his blistering shot to the net gave ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer no chance in the Killenaule goal.

It put Swan four ahead, 1-6 to 0-5, and they were never less than three points in front for the remainder of the game. Lanigan stretched the lead to five three minutes later when he intercepted a misdirected ‘Bubbles’ puckout, but the goalkeeper made amends a minute later with a brilliant diving save to deny what looked a certain goal from Eric O’Halloran.

Shane Ryan had Killenaule’s first point from play in the 22nd minute and they had the margin back to three a minute later when Ciaran O’Dwyer set up Eoin O’Connell for a score. However, Lanigan from a free stretched the lead to 1-8 to 0-7 by the break.

Luke Ryan from a free opened the second half scoring, but two pointed frees from Lanigan over the next eight minutes pushed Swan into a 1-10 to 0-8 lead, the scores coming either side of the red card for Eoin O’Connell.


However, as happened with Swan in the first half, the dismissal didn’t unduly faze them and despite the number of wides mounting – fourteen for Killenaule and eleven for Swan at that stage – Killenaule hit the next two scores, from Tom Keaveney after a great run through the centre from Ciaran O’Dwyer, and then from O’Dwyer himself.

Then Swan hit the next three in a row to open up a six points lead, 1-13 to 0-10, with twelve minutes to go – not for the first time Gavin O’Halloran found himself in space to split the uprights, followed by points from Aaron Dunne and a Lanigan free.
Killenaule replied with two of their own, from substitute Michael Doyle and a Ciaran O’Dwyer free, but they were matched in the space of sixty seconds with Swan scores from a Lanigan free and Eric O’Halloran.

Killenaule had a great chance for a goal that would have brought them back into contention when Swan goalkeeper Kieran Lonergan drifted too far from goal when attempting to clear, was then turned over, and Killenaule substitute Gus Browne shot over for a point when the goal was left unprotected.

As the game petered out, the sides shared four points over the last five minutes – two lovely scores from Eric O’Halloran for Swan, and Paudie Feehan and a Ciaran O’Dwyer free for Killenaule.

Carrick Swan: Kieran Lonergan, Jack Murphy, Scott Hogan, Dean Kiely, Ben Mulcaire, Gavin O’Halloran 0-2; Ryan Waters 0-1; Aaron O’Halloran, Dean Waters, Eric O’Halloran 0-3; Callum Lanigan 0-9, 8f; Taylor Fleming, Callum Walsh 0-1; Aaron Dunne 1-1; Stefan Tobin.

Subs: Eoin Hogan for Ryan Waters (41), Sean Power for Taylor Fleming (55), Luke O’Dwyer for Callum Walsh (59), Darragh Dunne for Dean Waters (63).

Killenaule: John O’Dwyer 0-1f; Shane Ryan 0-2; Killian Ryan, Jack Hassett, Tom Keaveney 0-1; Tom Stakelum, Podge O’Dwyer, Ciaran O’Dwyer 0-3, 2f; Eoin O’Connell 0-1; Dara Fitzgerald, Mark Stakelum, Dean O’Connor, Paudie Feehan 0-1; Luke Ryan 0-4f; Finn Nolan.

Subs: Fionn Fitzgerald for Mark Stakelum (39), Michael Doyle 0-1 for Dara Fitzgerald (42), Gus Browne 0-1 for Luke Ryan (49).

Referee: Brian Tyrrell (Clonmel Commercials).

Footnote – Well done to the Clonmel Sportsfield committee for having the pitch in such fine condition and for all the big match arrangements, and to the South Tipperary GAA Board for the organisation of their premier fixture of the year, with the Sean Treacy Pipe Band in attendance.

It was also a nice touch to have the Under 11 juvenile players, who played in the half-time mini-games, also take part in the pre-match parade with the senior players – a proud moment for the young stars of the future.