Borris-Ileigh's reign ends as Drom edge epic
GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Quarter Final
Drom & Inch 4-19
Borris-Ileigh 1-28 (AET)
(Drom win 3-1 on penalties)
Borris-Ileigh 1-28 (AET)
(Drom win 3-1 on penalties)
Report: Shane Brophy in Semple Stadium
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Eoin Collins (Drom & Inch)
SCORERS – Drom & Inch: Seamus Callanan 1-10 (1-7f); David Butler 2-2; Joey Maher 1-0; Michael Connors, John Campion 0-2 each; Johnny Ryan, Lorcan Campion, Shane Hassett 0-1 each.
Borris-Ileigh: Brendan Maher 0-13 (11 frees, 1 ’65); Conor Kenny 0-5; Jerry Kelly 0-3 frees; James Devaney 1-0; Kevin Maher, Tommy Ryan, Dan McCormack 0-2 each; Ray McCormack, Shane Kenny 0-1 each.
Player of the Match: Eoin Collins (Drom & Inch)
SCORERS – Drom & Inch: Seamus Callanan 1-10 (1-7f); David Butler 2-2; Joey Maher 1-0; Michael Connors, John Campion 0-2 each; Johnny Ryan, Lorcan Campion, Shane Hassett 0-1 each.
Borris-Ileigh: Brendan Maher 0-13 (11 frees, 1 ’65); Conor Kenny 0-5; Jerry Kelly 0-3 frees; James Devaney 1-0; Kevin Maher, Tommy Ryan, Dan McCormack 0-2 each; Ray McCormack, Shane Kenny 0-1 each.
What a way for Borris-Ileigh’s reign as county senior hurling champions to end, in a game they technically didn’t lose, but Drom & Inch do claim the bragging rights which they will hold over their neighbours from ever more in emerging from the first penalty shootout in the a county senior hurling championship quarter final.
This was a game that had everything, and the only disappointing aspect was there were no spectators there to be part of a the drama as Drom & Inch came back from the dead in normal time before Brendan Maher does what he does when Borris-Ileigh are in trouble, before penalty shots were finally required to decide the game with Drom & Inch emerging 3-1 winners with goalkeeper Eoin Collins the hero as he saved two of the penalties from Kevin & Brendan Maher.
Collins also saved from Brendan Maher in the dying minutes of extra time after Niall Kenny had been pulled down in the square, but the young Drom keeper stood tall to make the crucial saves which decided the game in the end.
It was a evening for penalties as his opposite number James McCormack also saved one in normal time, from David Collins late in the first half. However, McCormack will rue his moment of petulance which led to Drom’s fourth goal in the 14th minute of extra time. Having won a free coming out with the ball, he retaliated by firing the ball at David Butler, the free was overturned and from the ensuing throw-in, the ball broke favourably to Butler to force home his second goal.
It was tough on Borris-Ileigh’s Brendan Maher to be the fall guy in the end after he produced another heroic performance, added to by his outstanding free-taking, including a nerveless 94-yard free in the seventh minute of injury time in normal time, to send the game to extra time.
Borris-Ileigh will feel the game should never have gotten that far and will rue switching off just after James Devaney’s goal in the second minute of injury time which put the defending champions five points up and they looked home and hosed.
However, there was still three minutes of added time to play and from the puckout, Drom won a free 35 yards out. Seamus Callanan stepped over it in a manner that suggested he was going to tap it over, but he shot for goal with a top spin shot that deceived everyone and ended up in the net.
The sides traded points and as the clock went passed the added time, Drom conjured up an attack with David Collins playing in super sub David Butler for what looked like the winning goal, before Brendan Maher intervened to send the game to extra time, 1-21 to 3-15.
However, the trend of the game had now been set and Drom & Inch were on the front foot and they looked the more likely the longer the game went on with their bench proving to be their trump card with David Butler (2-2), John Campion (0-2) and Shane Hassett (0-1) making the difference, as did Liam Ryan who managed to negate Conor Kenny who scored five points from play up to the midway point of the second half of normal time.
With Kenny quietened, Borris-Ileigh relied heavily on the free-taking of Brendan Maher and Jerry Kelly for their scores thereafter, bar two superb points from Dan McCormack, the second proving to be the score that sent the game to penalty shots.
For long stages of normal time it looked as if Borris-Ileigh were about to do what they do best, win a tight game by doing the basics well and getting the scores at crucial times but they came up against a Drom & Inch side that were the epitome of their manager James Woodlock as they fought to the bitter end and they got their just rewards in the end and after the manner of this performance and victory, it could inspire them all the way to a county title, if it hasn’t taken too much out of them.
For the history books, David Collins, Seamus Callanan and David Butler converted the three Drom penalties in the shootout, while Johnny Ryan missed his, while for Borris-Ileigh, Jerry Kelly was the only one to convert with Conor Kenny missing the target with Kevin Maher and Brendan Maher having their shots saved by Eoin Collins.
TEAMS – Drom & Inch: Eoin Collins (9); Jamie Moloney (7), Kevin Hassett (7), Robbie Long (7); Fintan Purcell (7), Podge Campion (7), Michael Campion (6); Johnny Ryan (6), Emmett Moloney (8); Lorcan Campion (6), Joey Maher (6), David Collins (7); Michael Connors (7), Seamus Callanan (8), Thomas Nolan (6).
Subs: Liam Ryan (7) for M Campion (36); David Butler (9) for Nolan (42); John Campion (8) for J Ryan (46); Stephen Nolan (7) for Connors (55); Shane Hassett (6) for Moloney (60+2 inj); Michael Connors for S Hassett (ET); Shane Hassett for Connors (10 ET); Johnny Ryan for Maher (17 ET).
Borris-Ileigh: James McCormack (6); Liam Ryan (7), Ray McCormack (7), Seamus Burke (7), Sean McCormack (6), Brendan Maher (9), Ciaran Cowan (7); Tommy Ryan (7), Dan McCormack (8); James Devaney (7), Jerry Kelly (7), Conor Kenny (9); Kevin Maher (8), Niall Kenny (7), Shane Kenny (6).
Subs: Kieran Maher (5) for S Kenny (42); Paddy Stapleton (6) for Cowan (58); Matthew Stapleton (5) for Kieran Maher (60+4); Thomas Fahy (6) for S McCormack (HT ET); Jody Harkin (6) for Stapleton (HT ET)
Referee: Fergal Horgan (Knockavilla Kickhams)