CHARLIE MCGEEVER feels that Clonmel Commercials’ victory in the Munster SFC Club final can continue the positive trend of football in Tipperary.
The Premier County reached this year’s All-Ireland Under-21 final, only to go down to Tyrone at Parnell Park and Derryconnor native McGeever’s minors also reached the All-Ireland Minor final, where they lost to Kerry at Croke Park.
However, McGeever’s Clonmel side enjoyed a spectacular 1-7 to 0-9 over Nemo Rangers in Sunday’s Munster Club final and now have an All-Ireland quarter-final to look forward to on Sunday week in Ruislip against Tír Chonaill Gaels.
No team outside of the Cork-Kerry axis has won the Munster SFC title since Clare’s victory in 1992 but Tipperary are now knocking on the door. Sunday’s win was the first time ever a team from the county won the Munster Club title.
“This is the start, I hope, of something,” McGeever told RTE 2fm’s Game On. “It’s not a one-hit under. We’ve done at underage now in Tipperary for a number of years and this team mirrors that. A lot of these players are playing in the Tipperary colours since underage and now at Under-21 and at senior.”
McGeever played Gaelic football for Cloughaneely and captained Donegal’s Under-21 side in 1981, also managed Finn Harps to the 1999 FAI Cup final. The Ballybofey side eventually went down to Bray Wanderers in a second replay.
On Sunday he felt as though his Clonmel team were certainly value for their narrow win, which was sealed by a dramatic goal by Michael Quinlivan with just 20 seconds of injury time left.
Here’s the winning goal …
https://wwwyoutube.com/watch?v=LPyJkbWOD4Q
“We were up against it and were playing a very experienced side in Munster football in the form of Nemo Rangers,” he said. “We knew that it was going to be tight going down the stretch.
“This young group of players we have – and they are very young – have come back from the dead on three occasions already this year. It wasn’t unexpected and in saying that, over the course of the 60 minutes we had left a number of chances behind us.
“We had plenty of possession so I think it was deserved at the end of the day.
“It was big day for many coaches in the club. We have a very good underage structure for 10 years now and these lads are now in their early twenties and late teens. We’ve developed a style of play that I think is pleasing on the eye.”
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