Aherlow eventually come good to win Tipperary County Football League Division 2 final

Aherlow 2-10 Grangemockler/Ballyneale 1-11

Aherlow overcame a disastrous opening five minutes, when they failed to lay a glove on Grangemockler/Ballyneale while conceding four points without reply, to regain their composure and claim the FBD Insurance County Football League Division 2 title in impressive style at Cahir on Friday evening.

Backboned by county stars of past and present, Barry Grogan and Mark Russell, the west side reversed an earlier defeat by Grangemockler in the league stages, taking the lead three minutes before the break and never being led again.

Two goals in the lead-up to half-time proved crucial. The men from the glen had rallied well from the nightmare opening to trail by just two, 0-7 to 0-5, by the 27th minute when a Barry Grogan free came back off the upright and Michael Elligott reacted quickest to punch to the net.

Then in the fourth minute of injury time, Aherlow turned over the ball in midfield and a flowing move ended with Mark Russell shooting to the net past James Wallace, and Aherlow went into the break 2-5 to 0-7 ahead.

By that stage Grangemockler/Ballyneale had lost two of their most influential forwards and they were setbacks from which they never fully recovered. Team captain Mark O’Meara was in stunning form in the opening quarter and had scored four points, three from play, before he was forced off with a leg injury.

The south side were also reduced to fourteen players for nearly three quarters of the game when Michael Meagher was shown the line by referee Sean Everard when he picked up two yellow cards in the early exchanges.

And while Grangemockler – coached by former Clonmel Commercials boss Charlie McGeever – lost two of their key players, Aherlow could rely on outstanding displays from two of their club stalwarts.

County man Mark Russell was a colossus at midfield, orchestrating Aherlow’s best moves, taking his goal brilliantly and kicking two crucial points, one of which might have been a second goal.

And former county star Barry Grogan was in equally stunning form. He still must be of the best kickers of a ball in the county, from play or placed balls. His two points from play were wonder scores, both from near the touchline, and his two pointed frees from distance were equally impressive.

However, none of this Aherlow form was evident in the opening five minutes when they looked like they still hadn’t left the dressing room.

This was the chronology of those minutes - Grangemockler won possession from the throw-in, Alex Millea was fouled and Mike Lyons pointed the free; Lyons won possession from the kickout and fed Mark O’Meara for a point; Lyons won the next kickout and had an open goal to shoot into but rushed his shot that trailed wide; Michael Meaney was fouled from the kickout and Mark O’Meara pointed the free; the south side won possession from the next kickout and Ben Comerford and Lyons were involved before O’Meara pointed again.

Aherlow had no possession in that time and goalkeeper Jack Whelton was virtually their only player to touch the ball.

Two points over the next two minutes, from Michael Elligott and Thomas Hanley, got them into the game, and remarkably by the 12th minute they were only a point behind, 0-5 to 0-4, with Mark Russell (his shot just went over the bar rather than under) and Barry Grogan from a free replying to a Mark O’Meara point for Grangemockler.

Despite the double blow of Mark O’Meara’s injury and Michael Meagher’s dismissal, Grangemockler pushed it out to two again, when Lyons set up Millea for a shot on goal that Whelton did well to divert over the bar.

Grogan’s trademark score from the touchline reduced the margin again before Lyons made it two again, 0-7 to 0-5. Then the game turned on its head when the two Aherlow goals from Elligott and Russell in the space of seven minutes put them firmly in the driving seat.

Aherlow started to use the extra man to greater effect in the second half, spraying the ball back and forth across the pitch to stretch the Grangemockler defence – a tactic that had its risks, as it was prone to turnovers and the south side always looked dangerous and likely to score if opportunities were handed to them.

After Ben Comerford, and Grogan from a free, exchanged points, Grangemockler showed their intent when a Mikie Lyons free came back off the upright and Comerford was in the right place to punch to the net and make it a one-point game again, 2-6 to 1-8, seven minutes into the half.

But Aherlow confirmed their superiority with three superb points from play in a row, from Mark Russell (with the score of the game), Stephen Carey and substitute Mikey Nash, to go four clear, 2-9 to 1-8, entering the final quarter.

Grangemockler/Ballyneale still had hope. Two Mikie Lyons frees brought it back to just two points four minutes from the end of normal time, and a black card for Aherlow defender Mark Hanley evened up the numbers for ten minutes.

That was still the margin as the game entered added time, with points exchanged by Barry Grogan from a Russell pass, and Lorcan Magorrian.

Five minutes of injury time did nothing for the nerves of the Aherlow supporters, especially with their keep-ball tactics causing many jitters with the risk of turnovers.

However, they did enough to hold out and get their season off to a winning start, with silverware heading back to the glen.

Aherlow: Jack Whelton, Mark Hanley, Sean Mullins, Michael Russell, Tadhg Carew, Diarmuid Looby, Graham Bourke, Ben Carey, Mark Russell 1-2; Stephen Carey 0-1; Michael Elligott 1-1; Jack O’Halloran, Thomas Hanley 0-1; Barry Grogan 0-4, 2 frees; Cathal Dillon.

Subs: Gary Quirke for Michael Elligott, Thomas O’Donoghue for Thomas Hanley, Mikey Nash 0-1 for Michael Russell, Morgan O’Brien for Sean Mullins.

Grangemockler/Ballyneale: James Wallace, Darragh Lambe, Sean Daly, Darragh Shelly, James Daly, Leon Kennedy, Conor Hahessey, Michael Meaney, Joey Lyons, Michael Meagher, Mark O’Meara 0-4, 3 frees; Lorcan Magorrian 0-1; Alex Millea 0-1; Ben Comerford 1-1; Mikie Lyons 0-4, 3 frees.

Sub: Paudie O’Shea for Mark O’Meara (injured).

Referee: Sean Everard (Moyne/Templetuohy).