Ballyea (Clare) 4-18
Thurles Sarsfields (Tipperary) 2-22 (AET)
Michael Moynihan, Cusack Park, Ennis.
Ballyea’s Gary Brennan hit a sensational late goal yesterday in this Munster club final to send proceedings to extra time after sixty minutes in a bitterly cold Cusack Park yesterday.
In that extra period visitors Thurles Sarsfields had to give second best to the Clare men in a pulsating encounter.
Thurles Sars attacked the town end and opened with a Conor Lanigan point, but on three minutes Niall Deasy won a Ballyea penalty, which Tony Kelly goaled. Game on.
Ballyea, aided by the breeze, put Sars under pressure: a minute later a long ball broke from Clare footballer Gary Brennan to Pearse Lillis: goal number two, and Sars had to move Tipp star Ronan Maher from wing-back to mind the square.
Tommy Doyle’s two points kept Sars in touch, and they began to threaten: on 12 minutes Lar Corbett kicked an effort just wide and from the resumption Aidan McCormack’s speculative ball ended in the Ballyea net. On 15 minutes, then, it was 2-2 to 1-4, the Clare side just ahead but Sars, always dangerous when in possession, had nudged ahead by the 22nd minute thanks to a Pa Bourke free.
The rest of the half was blue and white, Sars outscoring their opponents five points to two: the visitors led 1-11 to 2-4 at the break.
The sides swapped points on the resumption but with Padraic Maher dominating the middle for Sars they began to get on top, with Lanigan and Bourke points: at the end of the third quarter they led 1-15 to 2-6 and looked comfortable.
Clare star Tony Kelly came into the game in the closing stages with points from play, but Sars were always able to respond and maintained the gap.
A Lillis point for the Clare men made it 2-11 to 1-18 with five minutes left, but even though Kelly was now rampant, hitting four of the last five Ballyea points, they really needed a goal as the clock ticked on – cue Brennan with his dramatic leveller.
In extra time the two sides flagged, unsurprisingly, but Kelly found the gas to go through and point, only for McCormack to answer. Kelly pointed again and then Brennan burst through once more, placing Damien Burke for a goal: 4-14 to 1-19 eight minutes into extra time.
It was 4-15 to 1-20 at half-time but Ballyea were in full cry, though a Bourke free made it a three point game.
Credit Thurles, who conjured an equally sensational equalising goal then through Paraic Maher, up supplementing his forwards’ efforts: Deasy and Stephen Cahill then swapped points; Deasy then put Ballyea one up with a free, four minutes left on the clock. Ronan Maher then hit the post with a monster sideline cut before putting another chance just wide with a minute to go.
Scorers for Thurles: P. Bourke (0-9, 0-7 frees); A. McCormack (1-4); T. Doyle (0-3), P. Maher (1-0); C. Lanigan (0-2); S. Cahill, J. Maher, R. Maher, M. O’Brien (0-1 each).
Scorers for Ballyea: T. Kelly (1-10, 1-0 pen, 0-1 65, 0-3 frees); P. Lillis, D. Burke (1-1 each); G. Brennan (1-0); N. Deasy (0-5 0-3 frees, 0-1 65); PJ Connolly (0-1).
THURLES SARSFIELDS: P. McCormack, S. Maher, S. Lillis, R. Dwan, D. Maher, P. Maher (c), R. Maher, J. Maher, S. Cahill, B. McCarthy, A. McCormack, P. Bourke, C. Lanigan, T. Doyle, L. Corbett.
Subs: M. O’Brien for Lanigan (50); K. Dunne for Doyle (55); D. Kennedy for Lillis (60); C. Moloney for Corbett (inj., 61); Corbett for Moloney, Lanigan for O’Brien (all at start ET); J. Maher for Lanigan (HT, ET); C. Moloney for Kennedy (73).
BALLYEA: K. Sheehan, J. Neylon, J. Browne, B. Carrig, G. O’Connell, P. Flanagan, J. Murphy, T. Kelly, S. Lineen (c), N. Deasy, P.J. Connolly, C. Doohan, M. O’Leary, G. Brennan, P. Lillis.
Subs: D. Burke for O’Leary (inj.,4); D. Egan for Carrig (inj., 10); A. Keane for Connolly, (47).
Referee: D. Kirwan (Cork)
*A minute’s silence was observed before the game in memory of the late Eugene McNamara of Eire Og, Ennis.
