Goal-hungry Carrick Swan win Tipperary county under 17 B football title

Carrick Swan 4-7 Silvermines 0-8

Goals win games, so the old adage says. This was certainly true at a cold and windy Bansha on Saturday afternoon as Carrick Swan won the County Under 17B Football Championship title with an eleven-point victory over Silvermines.

Both of these teams had been defeated in their respective divisions, Swan going under to Cahir by nine points in the south decider, while Silvermines lost the north final by the minimum to Kilruane MacDonaghs.

Swan played with the aid of the strong wind in the first half and were two goals to the good by the eighth minute. It would take another eight minutes for Silvermines to register their opening score, as they battled hard against both the elements and the Swan defence.

The south lads, with midfielder Stefan Tobin in good scoring form, held an eleven-point lead at the half-time break.

Faced with this eleven point deficit, Silvermines needed to get more into the game and they attacked from the restart. Daniel Quinn kicked three long range points in the opening quarter but the goal that was required never materialised.

The deficit was down to six with seven minutes of normal time remaining but Swan struck for two goals in a ninety second spell around the 25th minute, the second coming directly from a Stefan Tobin free to the right of the goal. This ended any hope of a Silvermines comeback.

From the start both sides found the strong wind difficult to handle and scores hard to come by.

The opening goal came after six minutes following a long ball by Aaron O’Halloran from a sideline near the dugouts at the roadside. This well-floated ball found Callum Smith, who in turn laid off to Daniel McCarthy and the corner forward made no mistake from close-range. Two minutes later the advantage was doubled as Callum Lanigan found the net for goal number two.

One minute later, Silvermines goalkeeper Sean Nolan was called into action and a shot from Lorcan Sullivan was saved at the expense of a forty five.

The Carrick side continued to make good use of the elements and the quick, long ball was causing all sorts of problems for the opposition defence. A point from a Stefan Tobin converted free was followed up with two good scores from Callum Walsh and Callum Lanigan to put them nine clear by the end of the opening quarter.

Silvermines eventually opened their account when Eoin Grace cut in at the far end before splitting the posts. They continued to attack in numbers but wayward shooting, wrong shot options and a stubborn Swan defence denied them.

At the other end Lorcan Sullivan, who was covering acres of ground, put over a great point from near the sideline. Stefan Tobin kicked two points from placed balls, either side of a Conor McGrath point, as the clock headed for thirty minutes.

Sullivan again had the final say of the half as he kicked his second point, leaving the half-time score Carrick Swan 2-7, Silvermines 0-2.

Trailing by eleven points, but with the aid of the strong wind for the second half, Silvermines needed to get into the game quickly. Eoin Grace kicked his second point after ninety seconds.

They then went through a period of dominance, especially around the middle third with Sean Murphy, Cathal Treacy and Darragh Treacy particularly impressive.

Daniel Quinn kicked over three long-range frees but they were unable to break down the Swan defence for a much-needed goal.

During this period of dominance, their forwards were guilty of wayward shooting and really never looked like raising a green flag.

With seven minutes of normal time remaining Brendan McGrath reduced the deficit to six when he cut through the defence before putting over from close range.

The game was still there to be won, as Swan hadn’t raised a flag during the second half, but all changed in a ninety seconds spell around the 25th minute.

Keane Harrington was introduced to the attack and with his first possession he put Callum Walsh through and the centre forward made no mistake, beating the helpless Sean Nolan.

Following the kick out, Swan attacked again and a Stefan Tobin free kick to the right of the posts went directly to the net for goal number four. Brendan McGrath had the last say on the scoreboard with a point, two minutes from time, to leave eleven points between the sides at the finish.

Overall Swan were fully deserving of this victory. They played more as a unit, and even when under pressure for periods during the second half they never abandoned their game plan. They defended well throughout, with Luke Power being very impressive. They held their own at midfield and their forwards got the goals when it mattered.

Following the game, Bord Na nOg Chairperson, Tommy Landers (Knockavilla/ Doneskeigh Kickhams) presented the Hugh Kennedy Memorial Cup to the winning captain Cameron Harrison.

Carrick Swan: Cameron Harrison (captain), Bobby Cody, Dylan Barry, Evan Hennessy, Luke Power, Aaron O’Halloran, Harry Still, Darragh Dunne, Stefan Tobin (1-3 frees), Sean Foley, Callum Walsh (1-1), Lorcan Sullivan (0-2), Callum Smith, Callum Lanigan (1-1), Daniel McCarthy (1-0).

Subs: Ronan Redmond for Daniel McCarthy (42 mins), Keane Harrigan for Callum Walsh (55 mins), Billy Hanrahan for Bobby Cody (58 mins), Oisin Dunne for Sean Foley (58 mins).

Silvermines: Sean Nolan, Luke O’Connor, William Murphy (captain), Ben Claffey, Sean Murphy, Cathal Treacy, Daniel McKelvey, Conor McGrath (0-1), Darragh Treacy, Michael Young, Sean McGrath, Ronan Cunneen, Billy Shanahan, Daniel Quinn (0-3 frees), Eoin Grace (0-2).

Subs: Liam Grace for Billy Shanahan (half-time), Jack Quirke for Michael Young (41 mins), Brendan McGrath (0-2) for Ronan Cunneen (49 mins), Sean Ryan for Luke O’Connor (55 mins), Cathal Quigley for Eoin Grace (55 mins).

Referee: Paddy Russell (Emly).