Golden/Kilfeacle stroll through to West Tipperary Under 21 final

Golden/Kilfeacle 2-12 Galtee Rovers 0-6

Golden/Kilfeacle are through to the McGrath Oil Emly West Tipperary Under 21 A Football Championship final following their relatively easy victory over neighbours Galtee Rovers at Páirc na nGael, New Inn on Sunday afternoon.

Played in sharp, dry conditions, this game was a repeat of the 2024 Under 19 A final, also won by Golden/Kilfeacle, with the expected outcome a much closer contest. From the throw-in Golden took the game to their neighbours with a direct attacking approach. The Fontenoys enjoyed good possession over the opening quarter but some wayward shooting and missed opportunities meant that their possession wasn’t transferred to the scoreboard.

Sam Hall was quickly off the mark after thirty seconds when he punished a foul on Gavin Dalton on the twenty metre line. Jack Begin doubled that advantage before Reuben Grace got the Bansha side moving on the scoreboard in the sixth minute.

Golden did manage to knock over three points during that opening period from a Sam Hall 45 and one each from open play from James Finn and Charlie Hall. They led 0-5 to 0-1 after 18 minutes, but overall would have been disappointed with their return.

Coming towards the end of the second quarter Galtee came more into the game. First up was a converted placed ball from goalkeeper Robbie McGrath, but this was cancelled out by Sam Hall after an interchange with Aaron Colohan following a quickly-taken free.

Conal Grogan, who had replaced the injured Evan Kennedy, was involved in two scores. First he set up Jack Crowe for a minor before splitting the posts after getting onto a breaking ball to reduce the deficit coming up to the half-hour mark.

Golden finished on a high in added time, with a Charlie Hall point and then a goal from Aidan Tuohy when he palmed to the net after Lee Hayes had put through Jack Dalton, who supplied the final cross for Tuohy. The half-time score was Golden/Kilfeacle 1-7 Galtee Rovers 0-4.

After the break, Galtee brought goalkeeper Robbie McGrath into their attack in a direct swap with Josh O’Dwyer, but the change had limited success as Golden pushed on. Sam Hall, from two placed balls, and Lee Hayes from open play stretched the lead before a team move resulted in a James Finn point putting ten between the sides at the three-quarter stage.

With ten minutes remaining Jack Crowe added a point after a turnover by Robbie McGrath on a Golden defender before Harry Fogarty crashed home a goal, having been off target minutes earlier. Robbie McGrath tapped over a minor before Aaron Colohan finished off a Golden move out of defence with the closing score of the game.

Golden are through to the final where they play the winners of Arravale Rovers and Aherlow Gaels. They will be happy enough with this victory but will have to work on transferring possession into scores in the lead-up to the final. They play an entertaining brand of football with their direct approach in attack. They were solid in defence with Cian Ryan (P) and Cian Lonergan mopping up a lot of ball, but their strong point was in midfield and attack where the Hall brothers, James Finn and Gavin Dalton were excellent.

Galtee Rovers will be disappointed with their display and also with the result. They haven’t pushed on from their Under 19 campaign of two years ago. The loss through injury to Evan Kennedy early on was a big handicap but a lot of their attacking options fell short.

Scorers: Golden/Kilfeacle: Sam Hall (0-5, 3f, 1×45), Harry Fogarty (1-0), Aidan Tuohy (1-0), Charlie Hall (0-2), James Finn (0-2), Jack Bergin (0-1), Aaron Colohan (0-1), Lee Hayes (0-1).

Galtee Rovers: Robbie McGrath (0-2, 1f), Jack Crowe (0-2, 1f), Reuben Grace (0-1f), Conal Grogan (0-1).

Golden/Kilfeacle: Tyler Barry, Ning Brennan, Cian Ryan (P), Cian Lonergan, Jack Dalton, Ciaran Byrne, Eanna Ormond, James Finn, Gavin Dalton (captain), Charlie Hall, Jack Bergin, Aaron Colohan, Sam Hall, Aidan Tuohy, Lee Hayes. Subs: James McLoughlin for Lee Hayes (42), Harry Fogarty for Jack Dalton (42), Colin Tuohy for James Finn (46), Dan Queally for Charlie Hall (52), Kevin Hogan for Ciaran Byrne (54).

Galtee Rovers: Robbie McGrath, Liam Finnane, Ciaran McCarthy, Tadhg Gubbins, Ger Quinn, Dermot McCarthy, Joe O’Callaghan, John O’Callaghan, Koby Quinn, Cian Collins, Evan Kennedy (captain), Reuben Grace, Jack Crowe, Josh O’Dwyer, Charlie Crowe. Subs: Conal Grogan for Evan Kennedy (injured 12), Ryan Greenstein for Ger Quinn (57), Eoghan Byrnes for Dermot McCarthy (57).

Referee: Paddy Russell (Emly).