For the 3rd time this season, Father Tom Burkes and Tipperary met once again on a scorcher of a day for their rubber match. Both teams had faced each other twice already this year, and both have recorded a win over each other already this season. With the Senior Hurling Championship all tied up with all teams on 2 wins each, and no love loss between the two teams, this was lining up to be a cracker of a match.
The scoring was started by Matt Kenny for the Toms, who won the puck out from the Tipperary keeper, and sent it right back over the bar for the first score of the match. It didn’t take long for the tempers to flare like the temperature on the day as an altercation occurred between Ali Dooey of Tom’s and Sean McGarr for Tipperary, which saw both men end the fracas without their helmets. The referee took control of the situation, and warned both players with yellow cards for their trouble. Conor Martin would take the free, who passed it towards James Sweeney who controlled the sliotar and slotted it over the bar. The intensity of the game continued to rage on as there was a lot of hard hits and small off the ball incidents to build the intensity of the game. It would be Tipperary who would get the first blood in terms of a goal when Donal Burke would punish the Tom’s defensive error as he controlled a bad clearance and caught the Tom’s keeper off his line to score a goal. The Tom’s would respond with a converted free from Dooey who brought the team back within a goal’s difference. Conor Whelan for the Tom’s and Colin Currie for Tipperary would go on to score points for each of their sides to keep the game close, However, it would be Father Tom’s who would start to grow their lead, When Jack Coyne, Ali Dooey, and Conor Whelan would all score points to level the game at 0-6 to 1-3.
The intensity of the match could still be seen as Tom’s Sean Downey hit a crunching tackle on Tipperary’s Darragh Mooney, and got a yellow card for his troubles. It would be the Tom’s who would break the deadlock as a series of good passes from Vincent Doyle to Ali Dooey to Conor Whelan would lead to a goal, when the All Ireland winner slotted a cracker of a goal it into the net from outside the square. Whelan quickly had another chance to score a goal but his shot was saved by the Tipperary keeper Dara Perry and put out for a Toms 65, which was taken by Dooey who slotted it over the bar for his 3rd score of the day. Tom’s would increase their lead when Jack Coye would score another goal to give Father Tom’s a 6 point lead. The heat and pressure got to the teams as tempers again boiled over. Father Tom’s conceded a free, and Colin Currie was setting up to take the free when a scuffle occurred with multiple players in Midfield. After everything was calmed down, Cronan Dempsey and Vincent Doyle were cautioned by the referee for their involvement. Whelan passed sideline cut to Doyle who passed it back to Whelan who scored a point. The half would end with multiple points from both teams as the half ended with a score of Father Tom’s 2-10 to 1-7.
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| A win for Tom's put them top of the Senior Hurling table. |
The 2nd Half began with multiple points from both sides as Tipperary’s Paddy Fitzgerald, and Father Tom’s Ali Dooey slotted over frees for their sides. The aggression of the game continued to be seen as Paul Morris got himself into a spot of bother after an off the ball incident with Sean Downey. After the referee consulted with the umpires, he showed the Tipperary player red to end his day on the field.
Both sides would go on to have a number of wides, before Whelan intercepted a Tipperary free and sent over the bar to increase the Tom’s lead.The Tom’s would go on to score a number of unanswered points from Dooey and Whelan before a set play lead to a clinching goal for the Tom’s as a free for Tom’s in their own half was taken by Matt Kenny, who passed it to Whelan, and while being fouled, passed the ball under pressure to Dooey who scored a goal to add to his ever growing tally. They would follow up with a great point from Tom’s half back Eamon Egan, who scored from distance.
Tipperary would have a number of heated instances as the match went on as they attempted to stem the flow of points, as Colin Currie would be disciplined with a yellow card due to a high tackle on Toms keeper, and Tipperary’s Simon Kennedy would see the same fate as he pulled a heavy challenge on Vincent Doyle.
Colin Currie would attempt to get Tipperary back in the game with an attempted free from the 21, however the shot was saved by the Tom’s Defence, and while Tipperary would eventually get the 2nd goal they were looking for from Conor Martin, it wouldn’t be enough as Father Tom’s would go on to win 3-19 to 1-12.
With this victory. Father Tom’s have taken one step into the Senior Hurling Championship final, while Tipperary look for a victory to keep their ambitions alive as they face Galway next weekend.
Father Tom’s - Kevin Flynn, Ian O’Shea, Damian O’Loughlin, Matt Kenny, Eamon Egan, Brian Flynn, Jack Coyne, Paul Cannon, Aaron Moore, Vincent Doyle, Sean Downey, Conor Whealan, Ali Dooey.
By Evan McDonagh
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