By: Kevin Corrigan
Tullamore Court Hotel Senior Football Championship Round 3
Tullamore 2-14
Shamrocks 1-12
Just two points ahead, 1-9 to 0-10 with 48 minutes played, Tullamore showed why they have been such an irrepresible force in this decade as they found another gear when needed and within just six minutes, the gap was out to nine, 2-13 to 0-10 and the game was over as a contest.
It could very easily have went to double digits from here but Darragh Bryant scrambled home a 58th minute goal and with Nigel Dunne adding a two pointer, Shamrocks achieved the scoring respectability that their very wholesome, committed effort deserved.
A five point losing margin was a much fairer reflection of the way this game went. Tullamore were the better team and fully deserved to win but they were pushed all the way by Shamrocks and a double digits defeat would have been hard on them.
It means that Tullamore will play knockout football with four points out of two games and four teams qualifying from this strong group. Shamrocks have three points from three games and are very likely to make it through so this defeat is far from a calamity for them.
In some ways, it could prove to be a blessing in disguise as a win, as welcome as it would have been, would have created a lot of local hype whereas now all feet remain firmly anchored to the ground.
Tullamore gave a master class of efficiency as they kicked just four wides compared to ten for Shamrocks, who also missed a first half penalty, and finishing was the big difference between the teams.
As defeats go, this was as good as they come for Shamrocks. Tullamore blew them out of the water in last year’s group, trouncing them by 2-16 to 0-8 and that was a very hard watch for their neighbours. They have turned a definite corner this year, they are fit and they have earned complete respect. They still have plenty of road to travel and there is a clear gap between them and Tullamore, but they are moving in the right direction and are championship dark horses.
Tullamore will be very happy with the way they performed here. They were sloppy enough at times, particularly in the way they conceded two frees for not keeping three men in their attack in the first half. One of them was a fairly marginal one in that the guilty player just went a few metres across the half way line but he did interfere with play and it was a correct call.
It is the one cloud on the horizon for Tullamore at the moment as obeying the three man rule is fairly basic stuff for a team of their stature and talent – they also sinned in their first round demolition of Edenderry, it is a fairly inexcusable breakdown in communication and they were fortunate that it was punished by two points and not four here: Shamrocks goalkeeper Sean O’Toole converted the first two point free but was off target with the second one. The three man rule should be self policing by players on the field but Tullamore tightened up on that whole area in the second half with a backroom team member, Shaun Martin and others telling players to be careful when they looked like straying.
However, as a unit, Tullamore played very composed, steady, almost flawless football and a marked edge at midfield, where Aaron Leavy established a crucial first half beachhead, and the veteran Michael Brazil put in a fine shift, lasting the full distance, laid the foundations for victory.
The game was won and lost in the first half. Shamrocks played with a strong wind and needed at least a five point lead to have a chance. Instead, they were heading for defeat when their lead was only one, 0-8 to 1-4 at the break.
Six of Shamrocks’ first half scores were two pointers with the excellent David O’Rourke and Jack Bryant getting ones from play. They were the better side for 20 minutes or so but simply didn’t do enough to win in the first half.
The game turned against them when they missed a penalty in the 17th minute. Tullamore goalkeeper Arron Hensey quite rightly received a black card for taking Jack Bryant out of it as he went around him, ace forward Harry Plunkett stepped into the goals and made a fine save from Sean O’Toole, who had come out of the goals to convert a penalty in their very impressive win over Edenderry.Shamrocks were 0-5 to 0-2 ahead at that stage and a goal would have greatly increased their victory prospects. As it was, Tullamore began to play more and more football as they half wore on and they struck for an all important goal in the 31st minute to level it at 1-4 to 0-7. That goal was a work of art with Cormac Egan sending in a sensational ball over the top to flying brother Diarmuid who off loaded to Mike Fox, and Fox’s finish from a few metres was sublime.
Jack Bryant’s point ensured that Shamrocks at least went in ahead but that was never likely to be enough.
Tullamore began to turn the screw on the restart and points from Mike Fox and Diarmuid Egan had them ahead for the first time by the 38th minute. Shamrocks battled hard and refused to go away. Eoghan Neville settled them with a point but Niall Furlong floated over a beauty for Tullamore and Harry Plunkett got a two point free to make it 1-9 to 0-9 after 42 minutes.
David O’Rourke made a great tackle to deny Mike Fox a 47th minute goal and Jack Bryant’s fifth point brought the gap down to two again. Techically Shamrocks had a chance but scoring was now a huge ordeal for them and there was an air of inevitability about the way Tullamore killed them off.
Luke Plunkett fisted a point, Jack Maher and Harry Plunkett added to their tally and Diarmuid Egan’s goal after a Niall Furlong ball in, made it 2-12 to 0-10, ending it as a contest. Luke Bourke got another point for Tullamore but Shamrocks deserved their late scores, even if they were purely consolation ones.
MATCH ANALYSIS
THE SCORERS
Tullamore: Harry Plunkett 0-5 (1 x 2pf, 2f), Diarmuid Egan and Mike Fox 1-1 each, Niall Furlong 0-3, Jack Maher, Aaron Leavy, Luke Plunkett and Luke Bourke 0-1 each.
Shamrocks: Jack Bryant 0-5 (1 x 2p), Darragh Bryant 1-0, Sean O’Toole (2pf), David O’Rourke (2p) and Nigel Dunne (2p) 0-2 each, Eoghan Neville 0-1.
THE TEAMS
TULLAMORE: Arron Hensey; Patrick Kenna, Declan Hogan, Ciaran Burns; Cormac Egan, Diarmuid Egan, Jack Maher; Michael Brazil, Aaron Leavy; Niall Furlong, Harry Plunkett, Luke Bourke; Mike Fox, Luke Plunkett, Luke Egan. Subs – Daire McDaid for Luke Egan (50m), Oisin Keenan-Martin for Maher (56m), Luke Egan for Fox, inj. (61m),
SHAMROCKS: Sean O’Toole; Donal Dooley, Adam Keyes, David O’Rourke; Kieran Dolan, Padraig Cantwell, Shane O’Toole-Greene; Andrew Delaney, Scott Delaney; Eoghan Neville, Michael Lambe, Dan Heffernan; Darragh Bryant, Johnny O’Toole-Greene, Jack Bryant. Subs – Nigel Dunne for Heffernan (44m).
Referee – Marius Stones, Clara.
STATISTICS
Wides: Tullamore – 4 (2 in first half); Shamrocks – 10 (4 in first half).
Yellow cards: Tullamore – 0; Shamrocks – 2 (Kieran Dolan and Johnny O’Toole-Greene).
Black cards: Tullamore – 1 (Arron Hensey); Shamrocks – 0
Red cards: 0
By Offaly Secretary Sat 1st Aug
