AIB Munster Club SFC quarter-final

CLONMEL COMMERCIALS 2-15 NEMO RANGERS 1-11

By Dylan O'Connell at Páirc Uí Chaoimh

Clonmel Commercials booked their place in the semi-finals of the Munster Club Senior Football Championship with a shock 2-15 to 1-11 victory over Nemo Rangers at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday evening.

The result was all that sweeter for the visitors as they got revenge for their defeat to the Cork kingpins in the 2019 final.

The Tipperary champions dominated this quarter final and they were awarded by with a scored tally of 2-4 in the opening half hour.

This was a totally new story from the one that seemed to write itself in the first two minutes, when Jack Kennedy missed a free and Mark Cronin punched over to give Nemo an early lead.

Then Sean O’Connor put away a free and Jason Longergan raised a green flag by collecting a ball over the top and slotting in.

He then made it 1-2 to 0-1 with just eight minutes on the clock and the sizable travelling support from Tipperary began to dream of a famous upset at the home of Cork GAA.

Clonmel responded to a Jack Horgan point by pushing up in numbers, a sequence that ended with a scrambling Nemo defence blocking a goal bound shot from Longergan.

Mark Cronin took it on himself to lead the fightback as he pressed the Clonmel back-line, and the Nemo corner forward won a free. His ball in dropped to Luke Connolly and the talismanic forward had a low shot blocked by Micheal O’Reilly.

Nemo got two points in a row through Mark Cronin and Ronan Dalton. This didn’t effect Clonmel’s momentum as a ball over the top was sent to Colman Kennedy and he finished neatly past Micheal Aodh Martin.

The next score was put over by Longergan, and Clonmel went into a five point lead with just over seventeen minutes gone.

Nemo kept going and Luke Connolly stepped up and adding two more to their first half tally.

Clonmel’s gap was cushioned at the break when Martin palmed over a driven shot from Padraic Looram.

Connolly opened up the second half by slotting over two frees, and Nemo reduced the gap to two.

Clonmel never wavered in the final quarter and they firmly kept the Cork champions at arm’s length. They achieved that with style, as just two scores of their final tally came from a free.

Clonmel will now face Newcastle West in the semi-final of the Munster Senior Club Football Championship in two weeks’ time.

Scorers for Nemo Rangers: Mark Cronin 1-2, Jack Horgan 0-1, Ronan Dalton 0-1, Luke Connolly 0-6 (6f), Luke Horgan 0-1.

Scorers for Clonmel Commercials: Sean O’Connor 1-4(2f), Jason Lonergan 0-6, Colman Kennedy 1-1, Padraic Looram 0-1, Conall Kennedy, 0-2, Tadgh Condon 0-1.

Nemo Rangers: Micheal Aodh Martin; Kieran O’Sullivan, Kieran Histon, Kevin O’Donovan,Ciaran McCartan, Stephen Cronin, Kevin Fulignati, Barry Cripps, Alan O’Donovan, Conor Horgan, Ronan Dalton, Jack Horgan, Mark Cronin, Barry O’Driscoll, Luke Connolly.

Subs: Paul Kerrigan for Ronan Dalton (30), Luke Horgan for Kieran O’Sullivan (30), Colin O’Brien for Kevin Fulignati (38), Ciaran Dalton fort Conor Horgan (50), Conor O’Donovan for Barry O’Driscoll (57).

Clonmel Commercials: Michael O’Reilly; James Morris, Seamus Kennedy, Jamie Peters, Tadgh Condon, Kevin Fahey, Padraic Looram, Jack Kennedy, Michael Quinlivan, Conall Kennedy, Jason Lonergan, Cathal Deely, Colman Kennedy, Sean O’Connor, Ross Peters.

Subs: Peter McGarry for Ross Peters (48), Declan Nee for Cathal Deeley (57), Ciaran Cannon for Kevin Fahey (60), Cian Smith for Colman Kennedy (60), Shane Power for Sean O’Connor (60).

Referee: Brendan Griffin (Kerry)