
2023 Tullamore Court Hotel Senior Football Championship final
Tullamore 1-5
Ferbane 0-6
THE scoreline doesn’t tell any lies about a Senior Football Championship final played in dreadful conditions but that won’t bother Tullamore one bit as they celebrate their 29th title after a fully deserved win over Ferbane in O’Connor Park.
While the pretty dire quality of football on offer will be the abiding memory for many neutrals, there was a lot to admire in the way Tullamore won the title. They controlled the game in an almost quiet, understated way the whole way and never looked like losing while Ferbane never looked like winning it.
The conditions were a big contributory factor to the type of football that was played. Even on a good day, you would have expected only 1-10/1-11 to have won it but the dreadful weather was at least partially responsible for it being a good bit less than that.
We feared the worse when rain started to fall towards the end of the preceding Intermediate Football Championship final and got heavier between the games – and then persisted almost the whole way through. It turned it into a lottery and neither team adapted fully to the conditions with some players hopping the ball and then looking bemused when it didn’t bounce up while others misjudged ball that skidded off the greasy surface.
If ever there was a day for letting the ball doing the work, this was it but both teams stuck to their game plan of trying to keep the ball and playing it safe. The focus was on retaining the ball but in these conditions, the volume of ball spilled and turned over was considerably higher than normal.
Yet it made for compelling, engrossing viewing. It may also have been painful at times and the groans from supporters at some of the football were almost audible but it was fascinating in an almost sadistic way. It was football at its most honest, completely human as every ball was contested fully and the players ran themselves into the ground.
It was one of those days where a moment of magic or a bad mistake would be telling. As it turned out, we had neither as both sides defended very well and worked so hard to keep their opponents out of the shooting zone.
As the scoreline suggests, it was a day for defenders, not forwards and you had to admire the way some of the front men worked when things were not falling right for them. In this regard, Ferbane’s Joe Maher and Tullamore’s Cormac Egan come to mind quickest as the weather didn’t suit them but they fought with great tenacity for everything and ensured no ball came out softly – the football didn’t flow for them, they were tightly shadowed but their work rate and perseverance set a template for team mates.
There were other forwards who will be trying to forget it quickly. For Ferbane, Ronan McGuire, David Nally and Darragh Flynn had been instrumental in them reaching the final but all three were replaced and the failure of the previously in-form Flynn to make any headway against the outstanding Declan Hogan was a factor in their downfall. Cian Johnson did provide a new focus when introduced and top scored with three points, two from play.
Tullamore’s forwards didn’t fare any better. Three of their five points came from the half back back line, Luke Plunkett was the only forward to score from play and no one managed more than a solitary score. That is an extraordinary statistic and it is very seldom a team will win a final with that type of return – in fact it looked like no player would get more than one score until Cian Johnson booted over a 61st minute free, followed three minutes later by their final score from play.
If you put the quality to one side and allow for the conditions, there was something very impressive about the way Tullamore controlled the game for such long periods and snuffed the life out of Ferbane. They could never relax for one second but they never panicked for a moment and there was never a feeling that they were going to let it slip. It was a very professional, workmanlike display and it was a display where these attributes were always going to be king.
MAN OF THE MATCH
John Furlong (Tullamore): John Furlong was avery worthy recipient of the TG4 man of the match. He oozed quality and composure, kept the centre so efficiently and got forward very well – he was in behind the Ferbane cover at one stage midway during the second half, screaming for the ball but Dan Fox didn’t spot him and lofted a bad wide instead. He got that point, made that block and was instrumental in Tullamore’s win – Declan Hogan was his closest contender while Aaron Leavy’s midfield dominance was a great asset and Daire McDaid was also excellent.
THE SCORERS
Tullamore: Luke Plunkett 1-0, Nigel Bracken, John Furlong, Oisin Keenan-Martin, Michael Brazil (f) and Luke Plunkett (f) 0-1 each.
Ferbane: Cian Johnson 0-3 (1f), Paddy Clancy, Jack Clancy and Joe Maher 0-3 each.
THE TEAMS
TULLAMORE: Corey White; Daire McDaid, Declan Hogan, Paul McConway; Nigel Bracken, John Furlong, Oisin Keenan-Martin; Aaron Leavy, Aaron Hensey; Michael Brazil, Diarmuid Egan, Harry Plunkett; Dan Fox, Luke Plunkett, Cormac Egan. Subs – Luke Egan for Harry Plunkett (HT), Jay Sheeran for Keenan-Martin (48m), Niall Furlong for Dan Fox (48m), Mike Fox for Diarmuid Egan (57m).
FERBANE: David Dunican; Conor Butler, Ciaran Cahill, Patrick Taaffe; Kevin Nugent , Leon Fox, Shane Nally; David Kelly, Paddy Clancy; David Nally, Jack Clancy, Cathal Flynn; Joe Maher, Ronan McGuire, Darragh Flynn. Subs – Cian Johnson for McGuire (HT), Conor Grennan for David Nally (40m), James Nally for Kelly (44m), Jack Egan for Darragh Flynn (47m), Stephen Wren for Cahill (61m).
Referee – Chris Dwyer (Clara).
2024 Tullamore Court Hotel Senior Football Championship final
Tullamore 0-15
Ferbane 0-14
TULLAMORE somehow found a way to break down one of their longest standing barriers when they retained the Senior Football Championship in a captivating and thrilling shootout with Ferbane in O’Connor Park in 2024.
It was Tullamore’s first time to retain the title since 1926 and while they have downplayed this at every opportunity in the past couple of years, this is a huge and important monkey off their back.
This group of players has managed what no other group still alive has done and they had to dig so deep to secure the win. In a fantastic game of football that ebbed and flowed in every direction, Tullamore were staring a devastating defeat in the face when they trailed by 0-13 to 0-11 with five minutes left.
They showed serious character to win it from here with John Furlong, brilliant in the second half in particular, arrowing over a 56th minute point. A controversial free when Leon Fox looked to have been hand tripped by Cillian Bourke but was instead penalised for over carrying allowed Harry Plunkett to float over the equaliser in the 59th minute.
They edged in front in the 62nd minute when Daire McDaid curled over a delightful point after a great Cillian Bourke turnover and their 15th point was the pick of the bunch. Diarmuid Egan, playing his first game of the year, was all on his own on the half way line with no one inside when he gained possession in the 64th minute. He took it on, twisting and turning as he ran straight at a retreating Ferbane defence, firing over a sensational point from about 35 metres. It was a score worthy of winning any game and a serious score by a player who missed the entire campaign through injury and had to work so hard to get back and play this very significant part.
That point left Ferbane needing a goal. They got a free that Cian Johnson tapped over with the five minutes of injury time just up. He was obviously told that there was one more play to come but when Tullamore won the kickout and just barely got it up field, it was all over.
MAN OF THE MATCH
John Furlong (Tullamore): A real tough call between John Furlong, Cillian Bourke and Cormac Egan and there was merit in going with either player. Bourke was immense, working his socks off, turning over ball and carrying it very well. He made a huge contribution to Tullamore’s win.
John Furlong and man of the match awards when Tullamore win almost go hand in hand and he edges it by a whisker. He was brilliant when Tullamore were under pressure, doing his defensive duty so well and getting forward to attack. He was also given the right sided frees, kicking three of these off his left and also got a crucial point from play.
Cormac Egan also had a terrific game for Tullamore with his ball carrying at pace creating a ripple of excitement. He put in a great shift and was also a very close contender. Others also played very well. Daire McDaid, Nigel Bracken and Oisin Keenan-Martin caught the eye while Harry Plunkett took his frees so well.
Ferbane had several players who performed to a high level. Kevin Nugent was outstanding in a fired up defence, Kyle Higgins and Oisin Kelly did great work at midfield, Cian Johnson, Joe Maher and Darragh Flynn had excellent spells in defence and Cathal Flynn also had good moments.
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THE SCORERS
Tullamore: Harry Plunkett 0-5 (5f), John Furlong 0-4 (3f), Nigel Bracken 0-2, Cormac Egan, Dan Fox, Daire McDaid and Diarmuid Egan 0-1 each.
Ferbane: Joe Maher 0-6 (6f), Cian Johnson (1 mark) and Darragh Flynn (2f) 0-3 each, Cathal Flynn (’45’) and Jack Clancy 0-1 each.
THE TEAMS
TULLAMORE: Corey White; Paul McConway, Declan Hogan, Daire McDaid; Nigel Bracken, John Furlong, Oisin Keenan-Martin; Aaron Leavy, Arron Hensey; Cillian Bourke, Michael Brazil, Cormac Egan; Luke Egan, Dan Fox, Harry Plunkett. Subs – Diarmuid Egan for Hensey (30m), Niall Furlong for Luke Egan (52m). Mike Fox for Dan Fox (62m), Sean McCabe for Diarmuid Egan (65m).
FERBANE: David Dunican; Patrick Taaffe, Ciaran Cahill, Jack Egan; Kevin Nugent, Leon Fox, Stephen Wren; Oisin Kelly, Kyle Higgins; Brian Carroll, Cathal Flynn, Jack Clancy; Cian Johnson, Joe Maher, Darragh Flynn. Subs – David Nally for Carroll (34m), Shane Nally for Clancy (46m), David Kelly for Higgins (62m),
Referee – Eamon O’Connor (Ballycommon).