Champions Commercials make successful start to title defence in Tipperary
Clonmel team got into their stride in second half
Clonmel Commercials 3-20 Ardfinnan 1-13
Clonmel Commercials began the defence of their FBD Insurance County Senior Football Championship title with a comprehensive 13-points win over Ardfinnan at Monroe on Sunday afternoon.
Three second half goals from Cian Smith, Peter McGarry and Sean O’Connor paved the way for a convincing win that already makes them firm favourites to advance from a group that also includes Aherlow and Ballina.
The real damage was done in that second half. Ardfinnan had started the game in impressive fashion and early two-pointers from Andrew Browne and James Murphy frees saw them lead 0-5 to 0-2 midway through the first half.
But by half time Commercials had regained control when they led 0-13 to 0-10, their final score a two-point free in injury time from the flawless boot of Seanie O’Connor.
The second half would not prove as competitive, with the champions outscoring Ardinnan by 3-7 to 1-3. A full forward line of Cian Smith, Seanie O’Connor and Peter McGarry proved too hot to handle for the over-worked Ardfinnan defence, scoring 3-15 between them. At the other end Commercials were rock-solid after a shaky start, with James Morris hugely influential on his return to the side from his time in the United States, with team captain Seamus Kennedy and Kevin Fahey also impressing.
Joe Higgins, Darragh O’Connor and Cathal Deely dominated the middle third with impressive fielding. Deely hit two points but had to go off injured after his second eight minutes from the end, shipping a heavy tackle as he fisted over. Full back Mark Corcoran had an earlier departure, making way for Tadgh Sheehan in the first minute after picking up a nasty hand injury.
The Commercials' defence was under extreme pressure in the early stages as the Village took the battle to them. Andrew Browne kicked a two-point free from a tight angle in the second minute and a great score from Conor Makim made it 0-3 to no score. Commercials needed a great point from Kevin Fahey to get them off the mark in the ninth minute but it was 0-5 to 0-1 two minutes later when James Murphy pointed another two-point free from the other side.
By the 19th minute it was all square at 0-6 each, Shane Ryan hitting a lovely score for Ardfinnan and the town side replying through Joe Higgins and four points from O’Connor, one and two-point frees and one from play.
However, there was no denying the threat from Ardfinnan and a Michael Barlow point from a free and a superb two-pointer from Shane Ryan from the sideline put them three clear again. However, the champions never trailed again – O’Connor from play and a free and Smith from a free drew them level before a beautiful point from Killian Smith, set up by Seamus Kennedy, put them ahead for the first time in the 26th minute.
O’Connor extended the lead before Shane Ryan reduced the margin to the minimum again. Michael Barlow had the chance to draw the sides level but after a scorching run down the right wing, his fisted effort went narrowly wide. At the other end, Commercials made them pay when Sean O’Connor punished a late tackle with a two-point free for a 0-13 to 0-10 half time lead.
Even though James Murphy opened the second half scoring to reduce the arrears to two, that was as good as it got for the team in maroon following their impressive opening thirty minutes. Dual star Peter McGarry replied with a brilliant two-pointer. Ardfinnan hit back from a Barlow free but the game was slipping from them when Commercials struck for their first goal, Ross Slattery and Kevin Fahey central in the build-up before Cian Smith shot past Cian O’Mahoney.
Michael Barlow was proving to be Ardfinnan’s go-to player and he finished another fine move with a point, but back came Commercials with three in a row from an O’Connor free and two from Cathal Deely, who was replaced by Thomas Charles following the second score after taking a heavy knock.
Just when it looked to be slipping away from Ardfinnan, they got a huge boost ten minutes from the end when a shot from Michael Barlow ended up in the net – Commercials goalkeeper Aldo Matassa got his hands to it but the shot was too powerful to keep out.
That brought it back to a five-points game, 1-18 to 1-13, but Ardfinnan were unable to score again as Commercials added 2-2. McGarry and Smith kicked points before the Clonmel side put the icing on the cake with two goals in the space of a minute – the first from McGarry and the second from O’Connor from a Kevin Fahey pass. Ace marksman O’Connor finished with a 1-10 total – 1-3 from play, two two-pointer frees and three frees.
Commercials have an attack that will trouble any defence, and when it clicks into top gear it is very difficult to stop. It took a while to fully hit its straps on Sunday, but once it did there was only going to be one winner.
Yet, Ardfinnan can take major positives from the game as they bid to be one of the two teams emerging from the group. They rattled Commercials with their blistering start and could have built up a bigger lead but for some wayward shooting. And even as the game slipped from them in the closing stages, they never gave up the fight.
Shane Ryan impressed with 0-4 from play, including a two-pointer; Michael Barlow hit 1-1 from play as well as converting two frees, while Andrew Browne and James Murphy showed their skill from frees outside the arc.
Scorers: Clonmel Commercials: Sean O’Connor 1-10 (2x2pt frees, 3f), Peter McGarry 1-3 (1x2pt) Cian Smith 1-2 (1f), Cathal Deely 0-2, Kevin Fahey, Joe Higgins, Killian Smith 0-1 each.
Ardfinnan: Michael Barlow 1-3 (2f), Shane Ryan 0-4 (1x2pt), James Murphy 0-3 (1x2pt free), Andrew Browne 0-2 (1x2pt free), Conor Makim 0-1.
Clonmel Commercials: Aldo Matassa; Tadgh Condon, Mark Corcoran, Ross Slattery; Kevin Fahey, Seamus Kennedy, James Morris; Darragh O’Connor, Joe Higgins; Cathal Deely, Peter McGarry, Ross Peters; Cian Smith, Sean O’Connor, Killian Smith.
Subs: Tadgh Sheehan for Mark Corcoran (1), Thomas Charles for Deely (52).
Ardfinnan: Cian O’Mahoney; Darragh O’Brien, Robbie Condon, Shane Keating; Darragh O’Leary, Sean Nagle, Johnny English; Jack O’Neill, Andrew Browne; Conor Makim, Michael Barlow, Gerry Cronin; Ronan Myles, James Murphy, Shane Ryan.
Subs: Aaron Lonergan for Myles (38), Billy Hewitt for English (42), Luke O’Brien for Makim (42), Oisin Ryan for Browne (53), James O’Mahoney for O’Neill (57).
Referee – Paul Guinan (Killenaule).