Sport

Determined Nire progress to first ever provincial final

Munster Club SFC Semi-final replay: Waterford senior football champions Nire are through to their first Munster club championship…

Mon Dec 04 2006 - 00:00

Munster Club SFC Semi-final replay:Waterford senior football champions Nire are through to their first Munster club championship final following this seven-point victory over Aherlow of Tipperary in a thrilling semi-final replay at Dungarvan yesterday.

A storming second quarter performance which saw them score four points in as many minutes through Shane Walsh (two), Diarmuid Wall and Connie Power helped the Nire establish control.

Those scores saw the eventual winners go in leading 0-7 to 0-2 at half time after they had waited 14 minutes to open their account despite playing with the aid of a strong wind.

Aherlow had made the better start. Corner forward Séamus Grogan put the Tipperary champions in front on 11 minutes and they held the upper hand in many sectors but they still found it hard to breach a tenacious Nire defence for scores.

READ MORE

In a thrilling second half Aherlow made the better start, with Barry Grogan converting two frees in a nine-minute spell after the restart to cut the deficit to three points.

The impressive Diarmuid Wall and Barry Grogan exchanged points before Grogan cut the deficit between the sides to two points midway through the second half, but it was as close as the visitors came.

Power stretched the winners' lead to three points in the 47th minute when he converted a free after an attack that had started deep in his own side's half.

Wall added an excellent point from play six minutes later to leave the Waterford side leading 0-10 to 0-6 with seven minutes remaining.

The score that sealed Nire's place in the provincial decider came 60 seconds from the end of normal time when good work from substitute Séamus Lawlor set up Martin Walsh whose effort dipped in under the crossbar for a goal.

The Nire defence, in which Thomas O'Gorman, Brian Wall, David Ryan and Maurice O'Gorman were outstanding, can take much credit for this deserved success while midfielder Shane Walsh, who contributed three points for his side, worked tirelessly throughout the game.

NIRE:T Flynn; J Walsh, T O'Gorman, M O'Gorman; J Moore, D Ryan, B Wall; A O'Gorman, S Walsh (0-3); M Walsh (1-0), P Walsh, A Ryan; C Power (0-4), D Wall (0-3), M Moore. Subs: G Walsh for Aidan Ryan, S Lawlor for Ger Walsh.

AHERLOW:S Leonard; D O'Shea, M O'Brien, C McDonald; C O'Shea, J Hennessy, C Dillon; D Peters, S Maloney; B O'Brien, M O'Shea, L Coskeran; S Grogan (0-2), D Cleary, B Grogan (0-4). Subs: T Fahey for Bernard O'Brien; S Mullins for Cathal O'Shea.

Referee:M Meade (Limerick).