Rockwell Rovers footballers retain the Tom Cusack Cup in Tipperary

Rockwell Rovers 2-14 Killenaule 0-6

Rockwell Rovers retained the Tom Cusack Cup with the minimum of fuss with a comprehensive 14-points win over Killenaule at Clonmel on Saturday.
It was a virtual stroll in the park for the New Inn side, in stark contrast to their victory last year when it took a last-minute Alan Moloney point to secure victory.
There was never going to be any late drama in this year’s decider. A dominant Rovers raced into a four-point lead after ten minutes and had an unassailable 2-9 to 0-2 lead at the interval. Two goals in the space of two minutes from Joseph Lawrence and team captain Aidan Barron were the crucial scores.
Lawrence was the game’s top scorer, with 1-4 from play, and along with TJ Ryan, Alan Moloney and Luca Fitzgerald proved too hot to handle for the overworked Killenaule defence.
At the other end the Rockwell defence kept a tight grip on the Killenaule attack, with Paul Halley, Liam Lonergan, Kevin Cleary, Liam Fahey, Gavin Ryan and Robert O’Donnell restricting The Robins to just two points from play over the hour – the only blemish on O’Donnell’s display was picking up a black card as the game ticked into injury time.
Missing the influential John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer, Killenaule struggled to gain any traction upfront.
Despite playing into the teeth of the strong breeze in the first half, they still had plenty of possession, with Tom Stakelum and Joe O’Dwyer central to their best moves, but they couldn’t convert it into scores, too many of their attacks petering out with a misplaced pass or a Rockwell turnover.

Clonmel Commercials win another Tipperary County Senior Football Championship

Clonmel team prove too strong for Upperchurch/Drombane in one-sided final

The match stats reflect their difficulties – their first point was from a Joe O’Dwyer free after twelve minutes; their first from play from Darragh Fitzgerald on the stroke of half-time; and they had just one more from play from substitute Eoin O’Connell three minutes into the second half. That was nowhere near enough to trouble a Rockwell side that looked determined from the throw-in to bring the silverware back to New Inn.
They had the benefit of the strong breeze in the first half and made it pay. TJ Ryan pointed a free in the first minute and nearly doubled the lead two minutes later when he took a pass from Alan Moloney but his shot hit the upright.
They went two points clear in the fourth minute when Aidan Barron was fouled and Moloney pointed the free.
The one-way traffic continued when Joseph Lawrence ended a great run with a super point and it was already looking bleak for the south side when Luca Fitzgerald squeezed the ball over from a tight angle to make it 0-4 to no score after ten minutes.
Killenaule deserved their breakthrough two minutes later when Joe O’Dwyer pointed a free but their lack of penetration upfront meant that they couldn’t build on it. All the action was at the other end. A brilliant save from Killenaule goalkeeper David McCormack denied Lawrence what looked like a certain goal following good build-up play from TJ Ryan and Moloney midway through the half.
However, over the following ten minutes Rockwell kicked four points without reply to start putting daylight between them and Killenaule. Lawrence pointed from a Liam Fahey pass, TJ Ryan converted a free, Kevin Cleary broke from the half back line to kick a great score and the hugely influential Joseph Lawrence made it 0-8 to 0-1 six minutes from half- time.
It would not have been an impossible deficit for Killenaule to make up with the breeze at their backs in the second half, but then in the space of two minutes the game was put beyond them. A well-crafted goal started with TJ Ryan creating space down the stand side and his inch-perfect pass found Lawrence unmarked in the centre, and he gave McCormack no chance with the shot.
McCormack was more at fault for the second goal two minutes later. His short kickout intended for a defender was intercepted by Aidan Barron and the Rovers captain’s quick thinking saw him lob the ball into the net before McCormack could get back in time.
TJ Ryan then pointed a free following a foul on O’Donnell to make it 2-9 to 0-1. However, the last action of the half was at the other end, Darragh Fitzgerald cutting in from the right to shoot over for Killenaule’s first from play. Fitzgerald was injured in the move and didn’t return for the second half.
Killenaule were still facing a mountain to climb in that second half with a 13 points deficit, 2-9 to 0-2, but having the breeze in their favour offered some hope. And it looked like they might make a game of it with the first two points of the half. Fifty seconds in Joe O’Dwyer pointed a free following a foul on centre back Killian O’Dwyer and two minutes later Eoin Shaw set up a score for substitute Eoin O’Connell.
It was crucial momentum for Killenaule and even when Alan Moloney had Rovers’ first score of the second half in the tenth minute, the south side hit back quickly when a great run from Jimmy Feehan was stopped illegally, and Joe O’Dwyer pointed the free to make it 2-10 to 0-5 midway through the half.
But Killenaule were only to score once more and that came deep into injury time. Rockwell Rovers weathered the storm and saw out the final quarter in the style of champions.
When TJ Ryan was pulled down, he pointed the free himself and then Kevin Cleary popped up with his second of the game. TJ Ryan hit his fifth, and first from play, before Joseph Lawrence completed the Rockwell scoring.
With the finishing line in sight, Rovers’ management were able to withdraw such key players as Gavin and TJ Ryan, Luca Fitzgerald and Patrick Halley following their contributions to the big win.
The final action of the game saw Rovers finish with fourteen players when Robert O’Donnell was black-carded for blocking a Killenaule attack and Michael Doyle pointed the free deep into injury time.
Rockwell Rovers players and supporters celebrated on the pitch as Aidan Barron was presented with the Tom Cusack Cup for the second year in succession.
Following on from their promotion from intermediate to senior a year earlier, it represents three years of significant progress for the New Inn side. This year’s final was won in more comfortable circumstances that last year’s but celebrated just as enthusiastically by the club.
Rockwell Rovers: Eoghan Doyle, Paul Halley, Robert O’Donnell, Liam Lonergan, Kevin Cleary 0-2; Liam Fahey, Gavin Ryan, Tom Downey, Aidan Barron 1-0; Luca Fitzgerald 0-1; Alan Moloney 0-2, 1 free; Joseph Lawrence 1-4; Willie Flynn, Patrick Halley, TJ Ryan 0-5, 4 frees.
Subs: Pa Hickey for Gavin Ryan, Mikey Barron for Luca Fitzgerald, Diarmuid O’Brien for TJ Ryan, Conor Hennessy for Patrick Halley.
Killenaule: David McCormack, Denis Fogarty, Jimmy Feehan, Jack Hassett, Ciaran O’Dwyer, Killian O’Dwyer, Cian Johnson-Croke, Tom Stakelum, Joe O’Dwyer 0-3 frees; Gus Browne, Michael Doyle 0-1 free; Mark Heffernan, Eoin Shaw, Johnny Gleeson, Darragh Fitzgerald 0-1.
Subs: Eoin O’Connell 0-1 for Johnny Gleeson; Dean O’Connor for Darragh Fitzgerald.
Referee: Jonathan Cullen (Loughmore/Castleiney).