Clonmel Commercials 1-12 Moyle Rovers 3-05
Clonmel Commercials are Clean Ireland Recycling Tipperary senior football champions for a 16th time after a one-point win over Moyle Rovers.
The newly-crowned Premier County kingpins came from six points down to see off local rivals at Semple Stadium this afternoon.
For Commercials, it’s a first county title since 2012 but they had to do it the hard way against dogged Moyle Rovers.
Commercials suffered a double-whammy in the first half when Diarmuid Foley netted twice in the space of three minutes for Rovers.
And Rovers struck again in bizarre fashion after half-time when Liam Boland’s long-range free caught out Commercials sub and goalkeeper Paul Nolan, who had strayed off his line.
But after Foley’s quickfire double in the opening half, Rovers went 16 minutes without a score and Commercials stayed patient to work their way back into contention.
At half-time, the margin was just two points, Commercials trailing by 0-07 to 2-03, but they got off to the worst possible start on the resumption.
Boland’s long-range free bounced over the head of Nolan and into the Commercials net in the 36th minute.
And when opposite number and Rovers netminder Ciaran Kenrick nailed a 45, Rovers were six points clear again, 3-04 to 0-07.
But they managed just a point for the remainder of the game as Commercials came on strong.
Sub Padraig Looram netted with his first touch before both sides lost players to black cards down the home straight.
Commercials, driven forward by Seamus Kennedy, drew level through county star Michael Quinlivan with 11 minutes left before Jason Lonergan put them ahead for the first time since the same player put over the opening score of the game.
Another Commercials sub, Ian Barnes, stretched the gap to two points before Rovers lost goalscorer Boland to a second yellow card.
Brian Gleeson’s point in the second minute of stoppage time left the bare minimum between the sides but Commercials held out.
Clonmel Commericals: J McDonald; F Condon, D Lynch, J Peters; D Madigan, S Kennedy (0-01), K Fahey (0-01); J Kennedy, A Matassa; L Moore, I Fahey, J Lonergan (0-03, 1f); K Harney, M Quinlivan (0-04, 3f), P White (0-02).
Subs: P Nolan for McDonald (inj, 17), I Barnes (0-01) for Kennedy (38), P Looram (1-00) for Matassa (38), S Taylor for Madigan (b/c 43).
Moyle Rovers: C Kenrick (0-01, 45); D Lyne, A Campbell, D Owens; R Mulcahy, P Acheson, D Dwyer; S Keating, M Dunne; R Clancy, T Fitzgerald, D McGrath; Liam Boland (1-02f), S Quirke (0-01), D Foley (2-00).
Subs: C Conneally for Clancy (47), B Gleeson (0-01) for Keating (49), J Lonergan for Foley (b/c 52), Luke Boland for Mulcahy (59).
Referee: D O’Mahoney (Ardfinnan).
