Gortnahoe/Glengoole win one-sided affair in Tipperary Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship

Gortnahoe/Glengoole 4-18 St Mary's 0-13

Gortnahoe/Glengoole breezed into the FBD Insurance County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship semi-final with a whopping 17 points win over St Mary’s in a totally lopsided quarter-final at Dillon Quirke Park, Clonoulty.

St Mary’s hit the opening two points from Ross Peters and Cathal Deely, but once Damien Corbett’s goal in the 11th minute put Gortnahoe/Glengoole into a 1-3 to 0-2 lead, the game was virtually over as a contest.

The Mid side hit two more goals over the next three minutes, from Darragh Maher and Corbett again, both set up by Ronan Teehan, and there was no way back for the Clonmel side after that.

The stats make grim reading for St Mary’s – they scored just four points from play, didn’t score from play from the 12th minute until the 61st minute, and relied on frees from Sean Kennedy for over half their scores.

Their problems were even more pronounced at the back, with a porous defence allowing the Mid side in for those three crucial goals in just over three minutes that decided the outcome. The fourth goal for Gortnahoe midway through the second half from Adrian Maher was just the icing on the cake.

It was the third year in a row that the Clonmel side have lost to Gortnahoe/Glengoole in the race for the Seamus Ó Riain Cup but this was by far the most disheartening, especially after topping their group with three wins from three.

Apart from their own failings on the day, they met a Gortnahoe/Glengoole side in sparkling form. They hit 4-13 from play, with their link play from defence to attack outstanding. Centre half back Brian Maher was a colossus, with Conor Gleeson and Enda McCarthy also in superb form.

Jack Moore was dominant at midfield, chipping in with three points, while the attack was a unit that St Mary’s hadn’t experienced in the campaign to date, with all six forwards scoring. Damien Corbett led the way with 2-1 but the contributions of Darragh Maher with 1-2, and Adrian Maher with 1-1 were also vital, while Keane Hayes was unerring from placed balls as well as pointing two points from play.

The game was more of a procession than a match after ten minutes. St Mary’s two opening scores were cancelled out by Adrian Maher and Keane Hayes, before Jack Moore gave the Mid side a lead that was never again threatened. After a brilliant move that saw Corbett hit his first goal, Ross Peters hit his second point for St Mary’s in the 12th minute, but their only other score of the half was a pointed free from goalkeeper Enda Dunphy.

The three goals put Gortnahoe 3-3 to 0-3 ahead and they hit another seven points up to the break from Fionn Cleary, two from Jack Moore, Ronan Teehan, two from Keane Hayes frees and a magical score from Brian Maher, who burst forward from defence for a 3-10 to 0-4 interval lead.

St Mary’s introduced Thomas Charles and James Power for the second half but Gortnahoe were in no mood to ease off the pressure, and points from two Hayes frees and one from Darragh Maher stretched the lead further by the eighth minute.

Enda Dunphy came out from goal again to point a 65, and Sean Kennedy added a free that was sandwiched between two superb points for Gortnahoe from Conor Gleeson to leave it 3-15 to 0-6, 13 minutes into the half.

With bigger games to come, Gortnahoe emptied the bench and the relentless pressure eased. St Mary’s were fighting a losing cause but their heads never dropped, and they took the battle to Gortnahoe until the end. Pressure on the Gortnahoe defence saw the concession of fouls and Sean Kennedy pointed five more frees in the final quarter, as well as scoring a fine point from play in added time.

Gortnahoe’s fourth goal from Adrian Maher midway through the half put paid to any faint hopes of a Clonmel revival, and the Mid men wrapped up their big win with further points from a Hayes free, Darragh Maher and a Damien Corbett free.

Gortnahoe/Glengoole: Timmy Dunne, Enda McCarthy, Davy Nolan, Aidan Guilfoyle, Conor Gleeson 0-2; Brian Maher 0-1; Davy Lanigan, Jack Moore 0-3; Liam Hayes, Adrian Maher 1-1; Ronan Teehan 0-1; Fionn Cleary 0-1; Damien Corbett 2-1, 0-1 free; Keane Hayes 0-6, 4 frees; Darragh Maher 1-2.

Subs: Gearoid Fahy for Aidan Guilfoyle, Kevin Slattery for Adrian Maher, Tomás Meany for Enda McCarthy, Oisín Cleary for Keane Hayes, Colm Guilfoyle for Davy Nolan.

St Mary’s: Enda Dunphy 0-2, 1 free, 1 ’65; Tadhg Condon, Ross Slattery, Josh Ryan, Darragh O’Connor, Tadhg Sheehan, Sammy Ryan, Conor Deely, Richie Gunne, Cathal Deely 0-1; Sean Kennedy 0-8, 7 frees; Michael Murphy, Peter McGarry, Niall Hoctor, Ross Peters 0-2.

Subs: Thomas Charles for Michael Murphy, James Power for Niall Hoctor, Joe Higgins for Cathal Deely, Eoghan Walsh for Ross Slattery, Oisín Forristal for Ross Peters.

Referee: Gerry Treacy (Borrisoleigh).