Kiladangan aim for third Junior ‘A’ Football title

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Junior ‘A’ Football Final Preview

By Liam Hogan

KILADANGAN v KNOCKAVILLA-D KICKHAMS

Kenyon Park, Templederry

Saturday, 19th October

Throw-in @ 12.30pm

Referee: Seanie Peters (Aherlow)

For a club that has been so successful in hurling, Kiladangan is also very successful at Gaelic football as well.

The list of North divisional titles is considerable, 6 Intermediate football titles, 5 Junior ‘A’ and one in Junior ‘B’, plus 4 Under 21 ‘A’ & 3 Under 21 ‘B’ titles, not forgetting two at Minor ‘A’ 4 at Minor ‘B’ level.

Next Saturday, Kiladangan will take on Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams where they will be striving for their third County Junior ‘A’ Football title with previous wins in 1990 and 2011. They also won an Intermediate title in 2017 while it’s back to 1997 to see the one Junior ‘B’ title come to Puckaun.

In their bid for a third Junior ‘A’ title, Kiladangan reached the decider with three fine victories, the first in a North semi-final over Newport. With the North final against Shannon Rovers deferred, they were drawn into a quarter final with Mid champions Clonakenny which saw Kiladangan come from behind with Eoin Meagher getting the important goal in the 1-14 to 0-12 win.

After a slow start, the team upped the gears in the second half of the semi-final win over a spirited Boherlahan-Dualla side with goals by David Sweeney and Tadhg Gallagher proving the difference in the 2-6 to 0-8 win in Templemore two weeks ago.

In achieving that win, the team management called on the experienced Dan O’Meara and Fergal Hayes to help steer the side to victory. Bother Hayes and O’Meara are links with the 2017 Intermediate football win, as are James Quigley, Willie Connors, Joe Gallagher, Darren Moran, Tadgh Gallagher, and David Sweeney. Both Billy Seymour and Johnny Horan were substitutes that day.

We have to look back to a damp November night in 2009 when Shane Morrissey’s 63rd minute goal gave Knockavilla Kickhams their last Junior ‘A’ football success when defeating Shannon Rovers 1-4 to 0-6 at a rain-swept Templetuohy.

Their next appearance in the final was in 2017 when losing 2-7 to 0-8 to Loughmore/Castleiney. Few of that team will be on view next Saturday as Kickhams will try and bridge that fifteen year gap.

Jamie Duncan’s goal gave Knockavilla the cushion to beat Arravale Rovers in the West final, 1-8 to 0-4. They continued their winning run with a county quarter final win over Ballylooby/Castlegrace on the last weekend of September 3-4 to 0-9. A week later, they accounted for South champions St Patrick’s 3-7 to 0-12 in the semi-final.

Always consistent in West Tipp football matters, this Knockavilla team are never easy beaten. Their team contains plenty of youth and a will to win. The backline has given very little away if the score lines are anything to go by with Conor Farrell the mainstay at full back, behind a half backline of Aidan Duggan, Lorcan Carr and Eoin McCormack. McCormack is one of two players remaining from the 2009 success. The other is Elliot Thompson who lines out at midfield. He an experienced anchor behind a forward line that contains Walter Carroll, Joe O’Dwyer, who is usually on the frees, while Stephen Browne lines out at full forward.

In observing their semi-final win, when Kiladangan went up through the gears they were by far the better team as their speed and workrate would be their greater strengths as evident from their senior hurling exploits. It is because of this that I see them taking the laurels and the third title will make up for a disappoints of losing the Junior ‘A’ hurling final last weekend and, of course, losing their senior hurling crown.