Penalty drama in the Tipperary club championship sees Arravale Rovers progress after extra time

FBD Insurance Tipperary Intermediate Hurling Championship Preliminary Quarter-Final

Arravale Rovers 0-33  Shannon Rovers 4-21 (AET)

(Arravale win 11-10 on penalties)

By James Hayden 

Fourteen-man Arravale Rovers ousted Shannon Rovers following a dramatic extra-time and penalty shoot-out victory in what proved a drama-filled preliminary quarter-final tie in Holycross on Sunday.

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Shannon Rovers bowed out of this year’s championship following a game that ebbed and flowed throughout, with both sides serving up almost two hours of thoroughly entertaining fare.

The West side came into this clash off the back of a decent group stage campaign which saw them register victories over Carrick Davins and Newport, while Shannon Rovers, having suffered defeats to Golden Kilfeacle and Kilsheelan-Kilcash in the group stages, ended up in third place, but their North intermediate final victory over Borrisokane afforded them a second chance at progressing to the quarter-finals proper.

With a stiff crossfield breeze affording little assistance to either side, both teams started brightly with Eoghan Lonergan and Conal Moran opening their respective sides’ accounts. Arravale pushed on, though, and hit five without reply inside the opening six minutes with two from David Ryan and one apiece from Niall Sharpe, Sean O’Mahony and Orrie Jones (free).

Shannon Rovers eventually came to terms with Arravale’s nifty attack and responded with a well-struck Austin Tierney point in the eighth minute. Full forward Eamonn Hough added another before midfielder Johnny Ryan replied for Arravale with a sweet long-range effort. 

Shannon Rovers were causing problems for the Arravale rearguard, though, and it wasn’t long before Austin Tierney rattled the Arravale net with a cracking eleventh-minute strike, the first of four goals from the in-form corner-forward.

Conal Moran followed up with a levelling point to bring Shannon Rovers back on level terms as the rip-roaring nature of the opening half continued unabated. Successive points from Arravale corner-forward Cormac Maher, midway through the half, edged his side back into a two-point advantage before efforts from Sean O’Mahony (sideline) and Adam Ryan put four between the sides.

Shannon Rovers retorted with a well-flighted Conal Moran free before a searching Jack O’Sullivan delivery found Eamonn Hough. Hough battled tigerishly to win possession before setting Austin Tierney up for Shannon Rovers’ second goal on 25 minutes.

Arravale almost responded with a goal of their own after Johnny Ryan’s looping effort caught the top of the upright and dropped at the feet of the inrushing Ciaran Kelly. Kelly first-timed his effort but Vincent Mulvihill got down low to his left to deny Arravale.

Both sides traded points before the break with Orrin Jones and Conal Moran arrowing over efforts from placed balls for their respective sides to ensure it remained all square at the break, 2-6 to 0-12.

Austin Tierney almost netted his third goal as Shannon Rovers raided early in the second half but his effort blazed right and wide. Sean O’Mahony edged Arravale in front with his second sideline cut of the game before Shane Quigley and Cormac Maher exchanged points as the tit-for-tat nature of the game continued.

Conal Moran and Orrie Jones fired over three points each from placed balls as both sides battled ferociously for supremacy before Austin Tierney pounced again in the 38th minute for his hat-trick after George Hannigan’s low delivery skewed off Matthew Moroney’s hurley and straight into the path of the lurking Tierney, 3-9 to 0-18.

The final quarter proved just as dramatic, with Arravale substitute Shane Leahy straight red-carded minutes after coming on, following an altercation close to the stand sideline. Both sides continued to pick off some fine scores with Sean O’Mahony flighting over his third sideline cut of the game with five minutes remaining.

Orrin Jones looked to have secured a winner for the West side with a 61st-minute close-range free, but Shannon Rovers responded with a late last-gasp Conal Moran free after George Hannigan was pulled to the ground to send the tie to extra-time, 3-15 to 0-24.

The first period of extra-time failed to separate the sides with Arravale racing three clear before Austin Tierney netted his fourth goal of the game to bring Shannon Rovers level once more. Orrin Jones and Conal Moran exchanged frees late on to see the sides all square at half-time in extra-time, 4-14 to 0-28. Arravale edged two clear again in the second period only for John Tierney’s charges to peg them back once more with a late free and a 65 from the captain, Conal Moran, sending the tie to penalties. 

Both sides were still level after two rounds of penalties, having missed just two each before the unlucky John O’Meara saw his effort well saved by Paddy O’Donnell in the Arravale goal to ensure the West men progressed to a quarter-final meeting with Golden-Kilfeacle.

Impressive for Shannon Rovers were Austin Tierney, Alan Hannigan, Eamonn Hough, George Hannigan, Conal Moran, and Marcus Esmonde, while Orrie Jones, Cormac Maher, Sean O’Mahony, Johnny Ryan, David Ryan, and Adam Ryan were very much to the fore for Arravale Rovers.

Shannon Rovers: Vincent Mulvihill; Oisin McMahon, Alan Hannigan, Jack O’Sullivan; Derek Horan, George Hannigan, Matt Tierney; Marcus Esmonde (0-2), Cathal Hogan; John O’Meara, Conal Moran (0-14, 0-9f, 0-2 65s), Michael Tierney (0-1); Austin Tierney (4-1), Eamonn Hough (0-1), Andy Byrne (0-1).

Subs used: Emmet Moran (0-1) for Michael Tierney (30); Michael Tierney for Horan (42); Sean Haugh for Byrne (49); Andy Byrne for S Haugh (ET).

Arravale Rovers: Paddy O’Donnell; Raymond Kelly, Matthew Moroney, Peter Ryan; David Ryan (0-3), Darren Lowry, John Paul Lohan; Johnny Ryan (0-2), Niall Sharpe (0-1); Orrin Jones (0-17, 0-14f, 0-1 65), Eoghan Lonergan;  Sean O’Mahoney (0-4, 0-3 sl-cut); Cormac Maher (0-3), Adam Ryan (0-3), Ciaran Kelly.

Subs used: Shane Leahy for C Kelly (49); Donough Leahy for Lowry (57); Tommy Lowry for R Kelly (61); Shane Maher for O’Mahoney (63); Sean O’Mahoney for C Maher (ET); Eoin Doocey for Lohan (ET). 

Referee: John Butler (Upperchurch Drombane)

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