Rovers mentality tips the scales in Munster success
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Shannon Rovers captain Padraic O’Meara accepts the Cup from Munster Council Chairperson Ger Ryan Odhran DucieImage 2 of 7
Shannon Rovers - Munster Junior ‘B’ Football champions. Back row: Willie Lennox (Manager), Cathal Hogan, Aodhan Kirwan, Matthew Hardy, Vincent Mulvihill, Derek Horan, Conal Moran, Oisin McMahon, Matt Tierney, Emmet Moran, Ryan Moran, John O’Meara, Sean Hough, Alan Hannigan, Eamon Hough, Michael Dolan, James O’Sullivan, Jack O’Sullivan, John Tierney (Manager). Front row: Niall Cahalan, John O’Dwyer, Enda Hogan, Andrew Byrne, Austin Tierney, Michael Tierney, Paddy Heenan, George Hannigan, Marcus Esmonde, Padraic O’Meara. PHOTOs: ODHRAN DUCIE Odhran DucieImage 3 of 7
Shannon Rovers club president Frank Moran with his grandsons, Emmet, Conal and Ryan after their Munster Junior ‘B’ Football success. Odhran DucieImage 4 of 7
Brothers Sean & Eamon Hough celebrate Shannon Rovers Munster win. Odhran DucieImage 5 of 7
Michael Dolan who hurls with his home club Lorrha with his parents Trish and Joe after winning the Munster Junior ‘B’ Football final with Shannon Rovers. Odhran DucieImage 6 of 7
Four generations of the O’Meara family from Ballinderry after winning the Munster Junior ‘B’ Football final, Gerry, Bridie, Padraic (Captain) and Annie. Odhran DucieImage 7 of 7
Man of the Match Marcus Esmonde with his parents Guta and Tony after Shannon Rovers win in the Munster Junior ‘B’ Football final. Odhran DucieBy Liam Hogan
“It was heart stopping at the end,” said a delighted Shannon Rovers manager Willie Lennox following their Munster Junior ‘B’ Football Championship victory.
“In the last five minutes they really threw the kitchen sink at us. Their goalkeeper produced two fantastic saves and when he came outfield, he was a constant threat.
“However, our lads managed the game pretty well. In the first half I thought we a little bit all over the place but at half time we got them in, and the mistakes made in the first half were corrected fairly well.
“You could see at the end the amount of spent bodies. George (Hannigan) had nothing left. Austin (Tierney) had little left. They were told at half time if they came off the field hopping it would not be a good sign because we had a bench to call on.”
Lennox agreed that his side were lucky not to be further in arrears at half time as St. Oliver Plunkett’s missed a few scorable frees mainly due to the breeze factor. Knowing the geography of Ballyagran pitch helped also he added.
“The breeze helped the goal,” he said.
“It was a swirling crosswind. It was the same for both teams. We managed fairly well because the two days we were here in Ballyagran we had the same conditions. We were happy at half time because we could have been a lot further behind, but we weren’t.”
The Shannon Rovers manager was also very proud of the players, especially the defence.
“I am happy that the defence didn’t give away too many frees,” he added.
“We were conscious of the fact they were able to put the ball over the bar from the dead ball. They didn’t use the same tactic as they did against Lispole in the semi-final.
“We had them watched last week and we were ready for them. They used the quick free for a ball winner inside and two runners coming at pace which they used well last week.”
Few would have believed it possible twelve months ago that Shannon Rovers would be a Munster champion, especially at the very start when the games were close, but his side grew in stature as the year went on.
“Paraic (O’Meara) said it in his winning speech that in the start of the year there wasn’t a queue of lads wanting to get involved,” Lennox added.
“We went from game to game and the momentum built. We played our first game in Ballina in atrocious conditions, and we met them again in the North final. We had a tough game against Moneygall which could have gone either way.
“In all the games we had, we didn’t win by a huge amount until we defeated Kilmihil here in the Munster semi-final.
“As the late, Paudie O’Shea said one time when he managed Westmeath that a grain of sand would tip the balance and we knew that would be the way today.”