By: Mary Dunne
Tullamore Court Hotel Senior Football Championship Semi Final
Shamrocks: 1-19
Clara: 1-12
With a whopping 1-12 to his credit Paddy Dunican was certainly back with bang as he guided Shamrocks to their final four of the Tullamore Court Senior Football Championship with a very good win over Clara.
Played on Sunday last in Glenisk O’Connor Park, Tullamore this was a very polished Shamrocks performance and while they had to contend with Clara’s blistering pace at the start, in the end the outcome was never really in any doubt.
Shamrocks made massive inroads this year under the stewardship of their player manager Nigel Dunne and they will go into their semi final meeting against Ferbane with plenty of self belief.
Clara started at a ferocious pace and before Shamrocks even had a chance to catch a break, the 2025 Senior B Champions were 0-6 to no score ahead.
With Shamrocks dubbed as favourites and rightly so having come through the tougher group, Clara needed to start well and for John Rouse’s charges they did that and they certainly in those opening minutes they looked very hungry and out to prove a point.
However, despite the start and it being a very good catalyst, it wasn’t long until Shamrocks woke up and by the thirteenth minute they were the driving force and back on level terms.
Shamrocks started to do what Clara had done in the early exchanges breaking at speed from the back and it wasn’t long until their firepower up front were on the mark.
Paddy Dunican was back on the starting fifteen having featured in their last group game against Ferbane as a substitute after coming off a long term cruciate injury was certainly one of those men up front with massive scoring ability and it was him alone who brought Shamrocks right back into the game.
The game as only seventeen seconds on when Clara hit over the opening score. It was a brilliantly worked move through the hand from Josh Fleming to Ed Cullen with Conor Egan hitting over.
With the momentum in their favour, they had more come. Josh Fleming doubled the lead on the 2nd minute before Adam Kelly landed a massive two pointer to bring the scores to 0-4 to no score with only two minutes on the clock.
Colm Doyle added a second two pointer by the 5th minute and it was all Clara at that point who were playing all the football.
It was inevitable however that Shamrocks would come and that they did, with a massive sting in their tail.
The game was ten minutes old when they got on the board with a two pointer free from Paddy Dunican, but just before that they had a massive chance for a goal but Shane O’Toole Greene’s rasping shot just shaved wide.
Paddy Dunican brought it back to a three point game on the 11th minute and then with the same player fouled in the square, Kevin Williamson had no choice but to point to the spot. Up stepped Paddy Dunican and he rattled the net. The sides level 1-3 to 0-6 in the blink of an eye.
Marcas Dalton edged Clara back in front, but Shamrocks had more to come. Jack Bryant drew the side’s level and with scores from Paddy Dunican (free) and Conor Egan, Shamrocks were two clear 1-6 to 0-7 by the 24th minute.
When Josh Fleming was on the ball for Clara he did cause havoc and it was his next run that forced Sean O’Toole to be very strong it the Shamrocks goal, but all was not lost for Clara with Ed Cullen getting the last touch over the bar to leave one between the sides.
It was Shamrocks who had the final say of the half, when Jack Bryant was deemed to be fouled out near the terrace sideline. Paddy Dunican was called upon and with a masterful strike off the ground he landed another two pointer. Shamrocks three clear 1-8 to 0-8 at the break.
It was certainly all there to play for and on the resumption Clara attacked early again. Colm Doyle was tearing through and was met with a very good shoulder, but as he was calling for a free, everyone seemed to stop with the exception of Ed Cullen.
He came in around the back and with a rasping shot he drove it to the back of the Shamrocks net and with that the sides were deadlocked at 1-8 each.
Paddy Dunican and Adam Kelly traded scores and the game was on a knifes edge, but that’s when Shamrocks once again took over.
Paddy Dunican was simply exceptional and with Nigel Dunne finding his range too it wasn’t long until Shamrocks were flying again on the board and with the seven scores from those two players Shamrocks were 1-16 to 1-9 clear forty eight minutes in.
It was the Dunican/Dunne show in that period. Paddy hit four in that sequence while Nigel popped over three and from there really there was no comeback for Clara.
Eoghan Neville hit a fabulous two pointer on the 50th minute and while Clara were never to going to claw it back, they did keep going.
Ed Cullen and Graham Guilfoyle hit the mark, but with another score from Paddy Dunican it really was a case of him being a massive thorn in their side.
Josh Fleming did have the final say of the game for Clara and while they will be very disappointed, they certainly will look back on their first year back up at top flight football as a very good learning curve.
Shamrocks now march onto the semi final and will face off in a showdown with Ferbane. The final scores reading 1-19 to 1-12.
The Scorers
Shamrocks: Paddy Dunican 1-12 (0-6 TPF, 0-3 Frees, 1-0 Penalty), Nigel Dunne 0-3, Eoghan Neville 0-2 (TP), Conor Egan 0-1, Jack Bryant 0-1,
Clara: Ed Cullen 1-2, Adam Kelly 0-3 (0-2 TP), Colm Doyle 0-2 (TP) Conor Egan 0-1, Josh Fleming 0-1, Marcas Dalton 0-1, Graham Guilfoyle 0-1 (Free), Josh Fleming 0-1 (Free)
The Teams
Shamrocks: Sean O’Toole; David Doole7, Gary Hutchinson, Padraig Cantwell; Kieran Dolan, Shane O’Toole Greene (Capt.), David O’Rourke; Andrew Delaney, Scott Delaney; David O’Toole Greene, Nigel Dunne, Conor Egan; Darragh Bryant, Jack Bryant, Paddy Dunican.
Subs: Eoghan Neville for Darragh Bryant (Half Time), Eoghan Neville for Jack Bryant (35 mins), Dara Bates for Conor Egan (58 mins),
Clara: Adam Scanlon; Barry Egan, Callum Bracken, Alan Gavin; Conor Doyle, Marcas Dalton (Capt.), Colm Doyle; Ed Cullen, David Falsey; Ben Loughran, Conor Egan, Adam Kelly; Josh Fleming, Cormac Delaney, Graham Guilfoyle.
Subs: Ciaran Doyle for Ben Loughran (36 mins), Ryan Carroll for Conor Egan (45 mins), Kevin Minnock for Colm Doyle (57 mins),
Referee: Kevin Williamson (Tullamore).
By Offaly Secretary Mon 14th Sep
