Big win for Tipperary senior football champions Clonmel Commercials

Clonmel Commercials 1-16 Galtee Rovers 0-6

County champions Clonmel Commercials made it two wins from two games in the FBD Insurance County Senior Football Championship when they had 13 points to spare over Galtee Rovers in New Inn on Sunday evening.

In truth, this game was over at half-time when Clonmel Commercials led 1-10 to 0-3. Jack Kennedy was the goalscorer, blasting past Edmund Grace after being set up by Michael Quinlivan.

Galtee Rovers manager Willie Tarrant was hoping his side would make a quick start and settle early but his side simply couldn’t cope with the intensity of the Clonmel side in the first half. 

Man for man Commercials were on top, punishing any misplaced pass or handling error.

Rovers did improve in the second half after a number of positional changes but they never looked like getting back into the game. Commercials’ greater ability to create space in the attacking third served them well with Jason Lonergan, Ryan Lambe and Sean O’Connor a constant threat.

O’Connor  got the game’s opening score, slotting over after Ian Fahey claimed a mark in the middle of the field. Jason Lonergan added a point soon after from a free and Seamus Kennedy made it three points to no score soon after.

Edmund O’Dwyer responded with a stylish point and Darren McGrath fired over from some distance, but a flurry of Commercials’ scores during a blistering 13-minute spell ended the game as a contest. 

Jack Kennedy and Jason Lonergan were the main protagonists, scoring 1-6 between them but Kennedy’s goal was the score of the half. Michael Quinlivan played a huge part in the build-up, winning the ball in midfield before feeding Ryan Lambe. Sensing an opening, Quinlivan burst forward and when Lambe teed him up Quinlivan played a clever hand-pass to Kennedy, who fired past Grace. 

From there Commercials were relentless. Sean O’Connor curled over a beautiful point before Jack Kennedy and Lonergan added another three between them.

To their credit, Galtee Rovers started the second half with more determination and scored the first two points of the half through Edmund O’Dwyer and Shane Ryan. 

Commercials thought they had wiped out those scores when Sean O’Connor fisted Seamus Kennedy’s pass to the net but referee David Grogan chalked it off, adjudging O’Connor to be in the square before the pass was played.

O’Connor did however get the game’s next score from a free and that was soon followed by points from Lonergan (two), Seamus Kennedy and Jack Kennedy before O’Connor rounded off the scoring with another dead ball point from close range. 

Galtee’s only response during that spell came from Adam McGrath.

Commercials were good value for their 13-point victory and owed much to the contributions of Jamie Peters, Padraic Looram, Michael Quinlivan, Jason Lonergan, Seamus Kennedy, Conal Kennedy and Ian Fahey.

Galtee’s Edmund O’Dwyer, Darren McGrath, Adam McGrath and Conor O’Sullivan caught the eye but the work rate and togetherness of the team in the second half will no doubt please their management team.

Clonmel Commercials’ scorers: Jack Kennedy (1-5), Jason Lonergan (0-5), Sean O’Connor (0-4), Seamus Kennedy (0-2).

Galtee Rovers scorers: Adam McGrath (0-2), Edmund O’Dwyer (0-2) Darren McGrath (0-1), Shane Ryan (0-1).

Clonmel Commercials: Michael O’Reilly, Danny Madigan, Liam Ryan, Jamie Ahearne, Jamie Peters (captain), Kevin Fahey, Padraic Looram, Seamus Kennedy, Jack Kennedy, Conal Kennedy, Ian Fahey, Michael Quinlivan, Jason Lonergan, Sean O’Connor, Ryan Lambe.

Subs: Ross Peters for Michael Quinlivan, Eoin Fitzgerald for Ian Fahey.

Galtee Rovers: Edmund Grace, Evan Breen, Eamon O’Connell, Conor O’Sullivan, Sean Daly, Tony O’Brien, Eric Grogan, Daire Egan, Colin Morrissey, Darren McGrath, Shane Egan, Shane Ryan, Adam McGrath, Edmund O’Dwyer, Rhys Byron.

Subs: Tony Egan for Edmund Grace, Jim Quirke for Tony O’Brien, Stephen O’Dwyer for Shane Ryan, Keelan O’Connor for Conor O’Sullivan.

Referee: David Grogan (Aherlow).

For more from the Tipperary county senior football championship read  Killenaule have six points to spare over Cahir