Moyle Rovers are flying at the start of the new football season in Tipperary

Moyle Rovers 4-14 Ballyporeen 0-8

A Moyle Rovers side full of attacking flair swept aside the challenge of Ballyporeen in a one-sided Clonmel Oil South Tipperary Senior Football Cup semi-final at Cahir on Friday evening.

Fresh from their Division 1 league title win a week earlier, the Monroe team cruised into another final with a devastating display that Ballyporeen couldn’t match.

They will now meet town rivals Clonmel Commercials in the final, after they also enjoyed a comprehensive win over Cahir in their semi-final on Sunday evening.

Rovers hit 4-11 from open play, three of the four goals coming after sparkling forward play, the other direct from a free kick that caught the Ballyporeen goalkeeper Kieran Macken and his defence off guard.

Ballyporeen poked the bear by taking an early lead through a Tomás Vaughan point, but Rovers had replied with 1-5 before they scored again. They managed just four points in each half and sorely missed the impact of their talisman, county star Conor Sweeney, who was on the sideline but not listed among the team or subs.

And yet they were not 18 points worse than Moyle Rovers. Despite the intensity of the Rovers attack that they faced over the hour, they managed some fine moves of their own, with Darragh Lyons a huge presence at midfield and John Martin, Tommy Sweeney, Glen Walsh and Tomás Vaughan taking the battle to Rovers.

However, Moyle Rovers threatened to score whenever they moved into the Bally’ half. Michael O’Reilly, Cian O’Sullivan and Luke Boland probed forward from defence, Ben Owens was busy at midfield and goalscorers Riain Quigley, Dara Ryan, Sean Cotter and Dean English proved a handful for the over-worked Ballyporeen defence. Stephen Quirke had a huge impact in a roving role on the right wing, with two booming trademark points from distance.

After Vaughan had opened the scoring in the third minute, Rovers were ahead by one within eight minutes through Riain Quigley and Shane Foley. Quigley started the goal rush a minute later when a thirty-metres free appeared to pose no real danger but instead of going over the bar, it dipped into Kieran Macken’s net for a body blow to the outsiders.

Two points from Quirke and one from Quigley pushed the lead out to 1-5 to 0-1 midway through the half, with Ballyporeen down to fourteen players for ten minutes with a black card for Darragh Lyons.

John Martin had his side’s first score in fourteen minutes but it was a short reprieve, with Stephen Quirke starting the move that ended with a final pass from Shane Foley for Sean Cotter to palm to the net.

Darragh Lyons marked his return to action with a superb score after his side’s best move of the half, but Quigley responded after a patient Rovers build-up. And then again, when Tommy Sweeney hit a fine long-range point to renew hope for Ballyporeen, Rovers hit back again within twenty seconds, with Dara Ryan taking a pass from Rory Collins to shoot low to the net past Macken.

A Dean English point, after good work from defence from Michael O’Reilly, gave Moyle Rovers a 3-7 to 0-4 lead at the break.

Ballyporeen never let their heads drop despite the widening gap on the scoreboard and they began the second half better, with Anthony Crotty kicking a lovely point in the second minute, and then following up with another from a free after a flowing move that involved Kevin O’Mahoney, Tomás Vaughan, Glen Walsh and then Vaughan again, who was fouled.

But they were never able to build on those moments, and Quirke hit back quickly with a point. John Martin from a free brought it back to 3-9 to 0-7 in the sixth minute, but that was Ballyporeen’s last score for twenty minutes.

The intensity had now drained from the game, as Moyle Rovers hit 1-5 without reply. The goal resulted from another move that cut through the heart of the defence, started by Dara Ryan, continued by Quigley and Quirke, and palmed to the net by English.

Shane Foley almost joined the list of goalscorers but his shot rebounded off the post.

Foley did add another point, Quirke converted a free, goalkeeper Shane Ryan came upfield to point a 45, and substitute Luke Delahunty made a significant impact on his introduction with two fine points from play.

Glen Walsh had Ballyporeen’s last point from play five minutes from the end but then failed to see the game out, as he was dismissed on a second yellow card by referee Willie Fitzharris in the closing seconds.

By then the result was well known, with Moyle Rovers continuing their impressive start to the season.

Moyle Rovers: Shane Ryan 0-1 ’45; Michael O’Reilly, Graham Vaughan, Nathan Croke, Cian O’Sullivan, Luke Boland, Brian McKeown, Ben Owens, Riain Quigley 1-4, 1-1 frees; Rory Collins, Dara Ryan 1-0; Sean Cotter 1-0; Dean English 1-1; Stephen Quirke 0-3, 1 free; Shane Foley 0-3.

Subs: Luke Delahunty 0-2 for Sean Cotter, Paudie Ryan for Stephen Quirke, Conor O’Gorman for Luke Boland, Sean Cotter for Cian O’Sullivan.

Ballyporeen: Kieran Macken, Seamus O’Callaghan, Riain O’Callaghan, John Ryan, Charlie English, James Barry, Kevin O’Mahoney, Dean Finn, Darragh Lyons 0-1; Tomás Vaughan 0-1; John Martin 0-2, 0-1 free; Paudie Fitzgerald, Anthony Crotty 0-2, 0-1 free; Tommy Sweeney 0-1; Glen Walsh 0-1.

Subs: Evan Hickey for Tommy Sweeney, Cillian Hackett for Paudie Fitzgerald, Josh Kearney for John Ryan.

Referee: Willie Fitzharris (Fr Sheehy’s).