Tipperary Senior Football Championship Final – Aherlow 2-4 Loughmore-Castleiney 1-6

Grogan kicks Aherlow to title

From the Irish Times newspaper

Aherlow 2-4 Loughmore Castleiney 1-6

BARRY GROGAN kicked an injury-time point to clinch a dramatic win for Aherlow over 13-man Loughmore-Castleiney at Semple Stadium, Thurles, yesterday. His winning point in the 62nd minute of a hard-fought encounter, crowned a fine individual performance by him as he had earlier blasted home the 44th minute goal which had ignited a struggling Aherlow side. Aherlow’s victory, which gave them their second title, was well deserved but they had a nail-biting finish to endure as Liam McGrath’s 64th-minute free for Loughmore tailed wide of the post.

Loughmore-Castleiney, seeking their 12th title, had the better of things in the opening half. They went three points clear after nine minutes, but Conor O’Shea’s goal for Aherlow in the 17th minute levelled the game. Loughmore responded with a Cian Hennessy goal in the 23rd minute created by Micheál Webster, and they led at the interval by 1-5 to 1-1. David McGrath, the Loughmore goalkeeper, stopped a Barry Grogan piledriver in the 41st minute but he could do nothing three minutes later when Grogan latched on to a delivery from Séamus Grogan to blast home a goal that brought the sides level.

The intensity of the game grew and after John Scully restored Loughmore’s lead, they had forward James Egan sidelined with a second yellow card. Grogan levelled once more for Aherlow with a 54th-minute free. Then Loughmore had defender Aidan McGrath sent off in injury-time with a second yellow card for a foul which led to Grogan shooting the winning point for Aherlow. Beaten finalists last year, Aherlow last won the title in 2006, and on this occasion Barry Grogan was their star. His brother,Séamus, Ciarán McDonald, Laurence Coskeran, Cathal Dillon and substitute Tom Hanley were others to shine.

AHERLOW: B Moroney; M O’Brien, J Hennessy, M Hanley; S Mullins, Chris McDonald, Ciarán McDonald; C Dillon, S Moloney; B O’Brien, S Grogan, L Coskeran; C O’Shea (1-0), B Grogan (1-4, 0-2 frees), D Peters. Subs: T Hanley for O’Shea; T Fahey for B O’Brien

LOUGHMORE-CASTLEINEY: D McGrath; T Long, E Connolly, W Eviston; A McGrath, C McGrath, T King (0-1); D Kennedy, J Scully (0-1); J Egan (0-2, one free), L Treacy, N McGrath; L McGrath, M Webster (0-2, one free), C Hennessy (1-0). Subs: P Brennan for Scully; J Meagher for Hennessy; D Bourke for Treacy.

Referee: B Tyrell (Clonmel)

Aherlow take Tipperary Senior Footbal title

Written by: Michael O’Neill on 7th November 2010 for the SportsNewsIreland web site

A fine second half performance from the men from the Glen, saw Aherlow take the Tipperary Senior Football title today – the first time since 2006 that the trophy is on its way to the West Tipp club.It was a closely fought battle today with no quarter asked or given – indeed one of the decisive factors was the sending off (for two yellow cards) of Loughmore-Castleiney’s James Egan in the 50th minute. Things had not started well for Aherlow indeed it was 17 minutes before they raised a flag – albeit a green one as a result of a Conor O’Shea goal and 27 minutes before their first point – from eventual match winner Barry Grogan. Grogan it was who scored 10 points in the semi-final against holders Moyle Rovers.

In a poor first half, a nice left footed point from Micheal Webster was the first score after two mins for Loughmore. Webster again (from a free) and a James Egan point saw the Loughmore men three points to the good. Aherlow were not short of chances at this stage – they simply wasted them . Tom King (Loughmore) pointed in the 19th minute and some 5 mins later Cian Hennessy goaled putting Loughmore 1-4 to 1-0 ahead. Following Grogan’s 27th minute point another from James Egan made it 1-5 to 1-1 at the interval.

Some 11 minutes had elapsed in the 2nd period before the umpires had to raise a flag – another Barry Grogan point and it was that man again who got Aherlow’s second goal of the game some two minutes later. Loughmore were very much still in the game at this point as John Scully caused the white flag to be raised after 45 minutes. 1-6 to 2-2 at that stage. Egan’s sending off in the 50th minute was to prove a vital moment as it left Loughmore with but fourteen men to cope with an increasingly confident Aherlow side well led by Tipp football star Grogan. Indeed it was another Grogan point in the 54th minute that levelled the scores at 2-3 to 1-6 and when the 60th minute came and went that remained the score as the referee added 4 minutes of injury time.

What happened next? Yes, a Barry Grogan match winning point decided the championship, in the 63rd minute and thus Aherlow gained a measure of compensation for last year’s final defeat (3-6 to 1-11) at the hands then of Moyle Rovers. Poor first half – great comeback by Aherlow in the second period and famed Tipp GAA commentator Eddie Moroney will be happy tonight. As Aherlow fan Eddie once said in one of his famous commentaries :” ‘Oh mother of God, there’ll be a big night in the Glen”