Carrick Swan regain senior hurling championship title in South Tipperary

Carrick Swan 3-19 Killenaule 1-16

Carrick Swan produced a complete team performance to regain the Clonmel Oil South Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship title with a stunning victory over Killenaule in the final at Monroe on Sunday afternoon, winning by nine points.

It was one of the great South final displays, the Carrick-on-Suir side building on their semi-final win over Mullinahone to totally crush the resistance of Killenaule, who never reached the same level of intensity and commitment as Swan.

Leading by a massive ten points at half time, 1-14 to 1-4, Swan saw their lead cut down to four points midway through the second half. But they rallied again, with goals from Callum Walsh and Dean Waters seeing them home.

Their third goal came from man of the match Callum Lanigan, who also hit eleven points, ten from frees, with a remarkable 100 percent record from placed balls.

Swan were pipped by Killenaule in last year’s final, a result that saw the Slieveardagh side narrow the gap to Swan in the senior hurling roll of honour to just one, 24 to 23. Now Swan have extended the lead to two with this thrilling victory that secured their 25th title, more than any other club.

“We treated this final with the respect it deserved and our lads wanted to create their own piece of history and maintain our proud tradition in the south,” said a very happy Carrick Swan manager Kieran Reade after the game.

“I am delighted with the display as it was important that our players got this experience. Our average age is 24, we have three under 19s and seven under 21s from last year, and it was great that we were able to blood these young players,” he said.
Reade also paid tribute to the more experienced players in the side.

“We have great leaders in Eric O’Halloran, Gavin O’Halloran, Colin Loughman and goalkeeper Kieran Lonergan. They are showing the younger lads the way forward. Everyone put in a shift, the whole team, including the subs who came on”.

He also mentioned Callum Walsh, who had been troubled by injury but came on to score a goal, and Dean Waters, who returned to the team after a long lay-off with a cruciate injury, and also hit the net.

“To have him back is crucial,” he said.

The manager paid tribute to Killenaule, describing them as a phenomenal side. “We have the utmost respect for them. They are well coached by Niall (O’Dwyer) and Declan (Fanning). We needed that display to beat them and I was happy with the way we responded when they came back at us. We did the same against Mullinahone so that’s a good sign”.

And he added that while he was delighted with the win, the county championship remained their main goal for the season. “It’s important that we get back to work this week,” he said.

Few could have predicted a ten-points half-time lead for Swan when they trailed by 1-2 to 0-1 after just five minutes. Torrential rain before the game made for a slippery surface but that didn’t deter The Robins, who led 0-2 to no score after just two minutes from a Joe O’Dwyer 65 and a free.

When team captain Eric O’Halloran was fouled, Callum Lanigan pointed the free for the Swan opener but then they were shocked with the concession of the game’s first goal – they were too slow clearing the ball and Killenaule full forward Eoin Shaw reacted quickest to block down an attempted clearance and shoot past Kieran Lonergan.

However, Swan responded in sparkling style with six points without reply over the next six minutes. They looked like a team determined to right the wrong of last year’s one-point defeat to Killenaule in the final.

Shane Torpey started the recovery; Aaron O’Halloran had the next score after taking a pass from Dean Waters; Lanigan pointed a long range free; Aaron Dunne tied up the score at 0-5 to 1-2; Lanigan pointed another free before Aaron O’Halloran picked up a loose ball to make it 0-7 to 1-2 after eleven minutes.

Following a foul on Paudie Feehan, team captain Joe O’Dwyer hit Killenaule’s first score in ten minutes. But it was followed by another Swan scoring burst – in fact, in the second quarter Swan outscored Killenaule by 1-7 to 0-1.

Of more concern to Killenaule is that they failed to score a single point from play in the first half, while the goal came from sloppy Swan defending.

Swan were in imperious form. Scott Hogan, Colin Loughman and Gavin O’Halloran were rock solid in defence; Aaron O’Halloran was in supreme form at midfield, with Eric O’Halloran, Callum Lanigan and Dean Waters constant threats in attack.

Swan responded to Killenaule’s third point with two more pointed frees from Lanigan, following fouls on Lanigan himself and Taylor Fleming. Joe O’Dwyer scored his fourth point from placed balls after twenty minutes to leave it 0-9 to 1-4, but that was their last score of the half – O’Dwyer was also off target from three further frees before the break as the Killenaule challenge to retain their title faltered.

Ben Mulcaire hit an immediate reply to Killenaule’s fourth point, with Eric and Aaron O’Halloran following up with points in the space of thirty seconds, and then Callum Lanigan broke up a Killenaule move to hit a great score from play.

And it got even better for Swan three minutes from the break when Gavin O’Halloran sent a huge free into the Killenaule danger area and Dean Waters was quickest to react among forwards and backs and he shot to the net past Joe Caesar.

When Lanigan pointed a free following a foul on Aaron Dunne, it put Swan 1-14 to 1-4 ahead at the break. With a margin that wide, it was no surprise to see John “Bubbles” O’Dwyer among the Killenaule changes for the second half. He hit six points, four from frees, and his presence alone appeared to energise the Killenaule attack.

After some wayward shooting in the first half, Joe O’Dwyer was back to his best at the start of the second, hitting three points, two from frees in the first six minutes, with Callum Lanigan replying with two pointed frees for Swan to leave it 1-16 to 1-7.

The “Bubbles” impact then came into play. In the space of nine minutes, he was directly involved in six scores. He pointed from play with his first touch and then set up Tom Stakelum for a nice score. Swan hit back with a Lanigan pointed free but Bubbles pointed his first free following a foul on another sub, Gus Browne.

When Eoin Shaw was pulled back when bearing down on goal, O’Dwyer pointed the free and a minute later followed up with a point from play, after a super run from Stakelum set up the chance.

And when he pointed another free midway through the half, Killenaule were back to within four points, 1-17 to 1-13. With the momentum very much in their favour, it looked like they had a real chance of retaining their title.

But then they were hit with a double whammy in the space of two minutes that finally decided this final. First, a loose ball fell at the feet of Callum Lanigan and he hit it off the ground to the Killenaule net.

Then a huge free from Kieran Lonergan was gathered by substitute Danny O’Hanlon on the right touchline and he flashed a shot across goal that was gathered by another sub, Callum Walsh, and he smashed a shot to the net.

When Lanigan pointed a free two minutes later, the Swan lead was back out to eleven points, 3-18 to 1-13, with ten minutes left.

The cup was very definitely heading back to Carrick-on-Suir, even though the defending champions never gave up the fight. They outscored Swan by three points to one in the final minutes, through Paudie Feehan, a “Bubbles” free and Joe O’Dwyer, to a Swan response from Aaron O’Halloran.

However, the result was never in doubt and referee Keith Delahunty’s final whistle sparked wild celebrations among the Swan players and supporters.

Accepting the cup from Declan Browne, representing the sponsors, Clonmel Oil, Swan captain Eric O’Halloran said the team were determined to right the wrong of last year’s final defeat to Killenaule, as he thanked all the players and the management team for their effort.

With a total of 1-11 to his name in an overall outstanding performance, Callum Lanigan was a popular winner of the Man of the Match award, presented by sponsor John Quirke, Cahir.

And on a day when a cloudburst preceded the final, and rain continued for much of the first half, South Board Chairman Nicholas Moroney quipped that the conditions appeared to favour Swans more than Robins, as he wished both sides well in the forthcoming county championship.

It was an occasion befitting a senior hurling final, the showpiece of the year in the division, with the Dr O’Hurley Pipe Band and pre-match parade, and exciting mini-games at half time, with great credit due to Moyle Rovers for the condition of the pitch and all the big match preparations.

Carrick Swan: Kieran Lonergan, Dean Kiely, Scott Hogan, Jack Murphy, Colin Loughman, Gavin O’Halloran, Ben Mulcaire 0-1; Aaron O’Halloran 0-4; Shane Torpey 0-1; Eric O’Halloran 0-1; Callum Lanigan 1-11, 10 frees; Taylor Fleming, Aidan Waters, Aaron Dunne 0-1; Dean Waters 1-0.

Subs: Callum Walsh 1-0 for Aidan Waters, Corey Ryan for Shane Torpey, Danny O’Hanlon for Taylor Fleming, Owen Harrigan for Ben Mulcaire, Dean Fitzgerald Walsh for Aaron Dunne.

Killenaule: Joe Caesar, Finn Nolan, Paddy Codd, Jack Hassett, Cian Johnson, Ciaran O’Dwyer, Jimmy Feehan, Eoin O’Connell, Thomas Keaveney, Joe O’Dwyer 0-8, 5 frees, 0-1 ’65; Paudie Feehan 0-1; Podge O’Dwyer, Tom Stakelum 0-1; Eoin Shaw 1-0; Darragh Fitzgerald.

Subs: Gus Browne for Podge O’Dwyer, John O’Dwyer 0-6, 0-4 frees for Darragh Fitzgerald, Killian O’Dwyer for Jimmy Feehan, Luke Ryan for Thomas Keaveney.

Referee: Keith Delahunty (Moyle Rovers).