Moy Tír Na nÓg 1-10
Michael Glaveys 0-7
Kevin O’Brien reports from Croke Park
SEAN CAVANAGH MADE a victorious return to Croke Park as Moy Tír Na nÓg became the first Tyrone side since Cookstown Fr. Rocks in 2013 to lift the All-Ireland intermediate club football title.
Cavanagh won a hat-trick of All-Ireland titles with Tyrone during a stellar career and slotted over five frees during Moy’s club success this afternoon. It’s likely to be his final game at the historic venue.
His younger brother Colm stamped his class all over this encounter with a man-of-the-match display at midfield, while Harry Loughran and Ryan Coleman also impressed for the winners.
This victory in front of 6,756 supporters was built on an extremely solid defensive unit, but Michael Glaveys full-forward Andrew Glennon gave an exhibition of long-range shooting and finished with six points, including two from play.
For a club that has produced four footballers with 11 All-Stars between them – Plunkett Donaghy, Philip Jordan, Colm Cavanagh and Sean Cavanagh – success hasn’t been a regular visitor to Moy prior to this campaign.
They were a senior club in Tyrone for much of the last two decades but fell to the intermediate grade in 2015. Months after Sean Cavanagh retired from inter-county duty, Moy produced a series of gutsy victories win their first adult title since 1982. Ulster and All-Ireland titles have followed to cap off a special season for the club.
Michael Glaveys, the club of the late Roscommon legend Dermot Earley, are based in the rural north-west of the county. They were relegated to junior ranks in the county in 2009, but achieved promotion back to intermediate in 2014. They’ll be a senior club in Roscommon later this year, which will do little to soften the blow of losing today’s decider.
Moy went with the tactics that have served when well on their run to the final. Similar to his role with Tyrone, Colm Cavanagh dropped from midfield to his full-back line when Moy were defending, while Niall Conlon played as a full-time sweeper.
The Roscommon side needed to avoid going behind early on, but within 30 seconds Moy had the ball in the net. Tom Loughran found his namesake Harry with a long ball inside and the latter made no mistake from close range.
Andrew Glennon kicked a superb point for Glaveys in the 11th minute, but they didn’t score for the remainder of the half. A fine Eunan Deeney 45 and a pair of frees from Cavanagh left the Ulster champions seven ahead at the interval.
The floodlights turned on for the second half, Glennon curled over five fine frees for the Roscommon club to bring them to within four points by the 58th minute. Glaveys had earlier lost Caoileann Fitzmaurice to a red card midway through the half for an off the ball incident.
Moy played on the counter attack late on as Glaveys chased a goal, with Sean Cavanagh (free) and Duffy on the scoresheet. Glaveys had a late goal chance cleared off the line by Moy full-back Tomas McNicholl, and the final whistle sounded soon after to crown the Tyrone men champions.
Scorers for Moy Tír Na nÓg: Sean Cavanagh 0-5 (0-5f), Ryan Coleman 0-2, Harry Loughran 1-0, Eunan Deeney 0-1 (0-1 45), Harry Loughran 0-1, Conall Duffy 0-1.
Scorers for Michael Glaveys: Andrew Glennon 0-6 (0-4f), Stephen Comer 0-1.
Moy Tír Na nÓg
1. Nathan Brady
4. Thomas Conlon
3. Tomas McNicholl
2. Patrick Mackle
6. Niall Conlon
17. Adam Currie
5. Mark Gribbin
7. Eunan Deeney
8. Colm Cavanagh
10. Declan Conroy
20. Emmett Rafferty
9. Tom Loughran
13. Ryan Coleman
14. Sean Cavanagh
11. Harry Loughran
Subs
15. Conall Duffy for Conroy (52)
18. Aaron Donaghy for Rafferty (59)
21. Karol McQuade for Coleman (61)
28. Diarmuid McKeown for Currie (63)
29. Kris Kavanagh for Deeney (63)
23. Ryan O’Neill for Conlon (65)
Michael Glaveys
1. Darren O’Malley
4. Liam Cregg
3. Shane O’Malley
10. Tom Murphy
7. David Frayne
5. Gary Patterson
2. Neil Morris
9. John Finan
8. Caoileann Fitzmaurice
6. Conor Hussey
11. Stephen Comer
12. Dylan Ruane
13. Ryan Coleman
14. Andrew Glennon
15. Conall Duffy
Subs
20. Tiernan Murphy for Heneghan (20)
19. James Brennan for Ruane (ht)
18. Sean Markham for Cregg (64)
Referee: Brendan Cawley (Kildare)
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