Shannon Rovers on the cusp of Munster glory

By Liam Hogan

Even the most ardent of Shannon Rovers supporters would never have dreamt of seeing their club appear, in not just one, but two Munster finals in a four month period.

That is what is going to happen next Sunday in Ballyagran at 2.00pm when Shannon Rovers will do battle with St Oliver Plunkett’s of Cork in the Munster Junior ‘B’ Football final.

The club’s second appearance in a provincial final follows the footsteps of the club’s camogie side that lost narrowly to Clanmaurice of Kerry in the intermediate final at the end of last October.

Willie Lennox was club chairperson with Shannon Rovers up to the end of 2023 when his three-year term was completed. At the same time, he had taken the role of team manager with the footballers alongside selector John Tierney and assisted by a coaching team of Jack O’Sullivan and George Hannigan.

“In our wildest dreams no body every expected to see Rovers in a Munster final,” Lennox began.

“The evening the team defeated Ballina in the North final in Puckane last April, it wasn’t on the horizon until somebody mentioned the idea of a Munster championship after we won the county final.”

Rovers were drawn in a non-competitive group of four teams along with Ballina, Burgess, and Moneygall for the North championship. A 1-14 to 3-6 semi-final win over Moneygall led to a 1-6 to 0-6 win over Ballina in the North final on the 21st of April.

Football then took a back seat and resumed in October when the Rovers defeated Eire Og Annacarty in the county quarter final 2-7 to 1-8 at Dolla. One week later, they defeated Galtee Rovers 0-11 to 0-9 in the semi-final in Templetuohy before defeating Clonmel Commercials 1-7 to 0-8 in the final in Castleiney on 11th November.

The Tipperary champions had to wait until the 28th of January for their Munster quarter final win over Ballylanders of Limerick when Andy Byrnes goal and Sean Hough’s point aided a 1-13 to 2-6 win. The semi-final win over Kilmihil from Clare two weeks ago was a much easier affair as a great display by George Hannigan, Michael Dolan and Conal Moran helped secure a 2-13 to 0-6 win.

Rovers’ final opponents are Cork champions St Oliver Plunkett’s who progressed to the final following a quarter final victory over Waterford champions Erins Own, before defeating Lispole of Kerry 3-15 to 2-11 in the semi-final at Ballyagran last Sunday.

Situated in the village of Ahiohill, midway between Bandon and Clonakilty in south-west Cork, St. Oliver Plunkett’s made history last year when they won the County Junior ‘B’ Hurling & Football double in the space of a week. A remarkable feat for such a small club who came into being in 1974, the year St. Oliver Plunkett was canonised.

“Prior to then the players played with St. Mary’s, which is situated in our own parish of Enniskean, or a number played with neighbouring Ballinascarthy,” revealed manager Margaret Keohane.

“Enniskean is a big parish and after 1974 three dual clubs formed, St. Mary’s, Diarmuid O’Mathunas and our own St. Oliver Plunkett’s. Three separate clubs in the one parish.”

Margaret is joined in her management team by former Clare footballer Noel Griffin and Alex Whooley who played senior football with Ilan Rovers, plus Brian Walshe and Conor McCarthy.

“The path to the double was well managed”, she revealed.

“We had a programme in place. It was every second week, hurling and football. Brian Walshe, who will play on Sunday, co-ordinated the football and Con McCarthy organised the hurling. They made sure there was no overlapping. It worked out really well for us and on the 15th of July we won the Junior ‘B’ hurling county final, beating Ballyclogh, followed by success in the County Junior ‘B’ football with a win over Ballykeohane, a week later.”

Of the thirty players in the panel, 27 play both codes. Indeed, the club were also in the Munster Junior ‘B’ hurling tournament, defeating De La Salle from Waterford in the quarter final but lost to Drom & Inch in the semi-final, with the Tipp champions going onto win the title and will play Monaleen in the All-Ireland final next week.

Similarities exist between the two Munster finalists. Like Shannon Rovers, reaching the Munster final has been a dream come true as Plunkett’s have trouble with player numbers according to their manager.

“We had two players come out of juvenile for 2023 and we will have four next year we hope all going well,” Margaret revealed.

“We failed to field a team in the Under 21 football championship recently. We have grouped with Ballinascarthy at juvenile for 2024. But things look good in the present under 12 & 13 grades. It’s up and down. We won a West Junior ‘A’ Hurling final in 2011. Our only player to wear a Cork jersey was Brian Walshe who played in goals with Cork minors in 2007.”

Numbers, good or bad, the word on the street is that this Plunkett’s side are well coached as Willie Lennox remarked.

“They are smart and well-organised tactically. They have produced big scores in their two games so far. Okay, we have a number of injuries with Alan Hannigan and John O’Meara not 100 percent fit. James and Jack O’Sullivan are defiantly out.

“But we are not going to Ballyagran next Sunday just to make up the numbers. If we play the way I know we can play, we will do well. It has to be for the hour. I hope we have good support. It’s not every day we get to a Munster final,” he said.