Broadford played Tubber at home on Sunday in their Clare Cup fixture. A number of regular names from the Broadford panel were absent due to injury and others, most notably, due to the match falling in the middle of the Leaving Cert exams. However, Broadford pulled from its breadth of talent to mount a challenge to the visitors from North Clare.
Tubber got off to a good start with the first point of the match in less than a minute of play but this was soon responded to by Broadford’s Diarmuid Moloney. Tubber though were clearly on top of their game and scored the next two points within a minute of each other. Over the bar again for Broadford, this time from Declan Teefy and with less than five minutes gone, a score line of 0-02 to 0-03. For the next 10 minutes Tubber really piled on the pressure and kept the Broadford backs busy with a seemingly constant stream of attack. A free for John Corcoran taken from 30 metres in front of the Broadford goal dropped the ball to 30 metres in front of the Tubber goal but Broadford were unable to keep the advantage and Tubber turned the ball around and sent it back down the field in response. Broadford gained possession but a misjudged attempt to connect the ball with the hurley in order to get the ball away again and Tubber seized possession to send the ball to the back of the net for the first goal of the match. Tubber was definitely in command of the field and raised the white flag a number of times to complement their goal with Broadford only able to respond with wides from both play and at least one free from near the side line in front of the Tubber camp. With 17 minutes on the clock and score line of 0-02 to 1-08 Broadford needed to pull together. Two points for Broadford, one from Cailean Cox and the other from Diarmuid Moloney but this was not the start of a turn in Broadford’s fortunes. Tubber were unstoppable and just kept the points coming. 28 minutes gone with just one more point for Broadford and another goal for Tubber the two teams were worlds apart in terms of the score 0-05 to 2-17. A free for Diarmuid Moloney 45 metres out from the Tubber goal should have given Broadford a much needed chance but a Tubber player intercepted the ball by contentiously launching in early and blocking its short trajectory. This may have spurred Broadford on however. Diarmuid regained the ball less than a minute later from around the middle of the field and took it back up at least 20 metres before passing it across the field to Shane Taylor who took the ball further on its way before passing it back to Diarmuid who then sent it to the back of the net. This was a piece of inspiring play and with two players playing as one. A minute later and a free for Eoin O’ Brien taken from around 65 metres sent the ball just out of Declan Teefy’s reach to a metre or so in front of the Tubber goal. Tubber’s no.3 tried to reach in and flick the ball back out but Jack Dillon was close behind and prevented him turning on the spot and the goalie was almost pinned to the back of the net. With the dust rising up, down to the ground went no.3. The ball was free and Declan Teefy stormed in to send it to the back of the net. In the last few minutes of the first half Broadford had found their spirit and were fighting back. Another one over the bar from Diarmuid Moloney before the halftime whistle to put the scores at 2-07 to 2-17.
With a number of substitutions, the second half started much better for Broadford and Diarmuid Moloney scored the first point to narrow Tubber’s lead to nine points. Another piece of great play followed with Darren Chaplin securing the ball from 65 meters and ducking n’ diving his way down the field storming through Tubber’s backs and making his way to somewhere between the 20 and 13 metre lines. A hand pass to Stiofain McMahon, the ball caught, two steps taken and then the ball was pucked from a difficult angle to the back of the net. A point in response from Tubber but with the The Angelus sounding from Broadford’s Church, two more over the bar for Broadford before the toll of the last bell; one from play for Diarmuid O’Brien after a long pass from Stephen Gunning and the other from a free taken by Darren Chaplin. That gap had closed further with the score now at 3-10 to 2-18. The next seven minutes of play and the ball went back and forth with two wides for each side but Tubber managing to also send two over the bar and then a goal 12 minutes in to the second half. Cailean Cox made a fine attempt to put one over the bar from the 65 metres but the ball hit the left-hand post and bounced back in to play. Broadford rallied again with a succession of three points from Darren Chaplin, Jack Dillon and Stiofain McMahon. This flow was interrupted by a point for Tubber but with eight points between them, Broadford were not going to let go. A point from play for Shane Taylor followed by a goal from Darren Chaplin scored from a free after he was downed from a foul between the 13 and 20 metre lines narrowed the gap futher. Broadford had clawed back a respectable score (4-14 to 3-21). With play intensifying and a further two points for each team Tubber knew that just a few more minutes might have been all Broadford needed to turn the final result around. With shouts from on and off the pitch for the ref to blow up the game, the whistle sounded and left Tubber with a victory narrower than might have been envisaged earlier in the game. Final score 4-16 to 3-23.
Broadford did not get off to as good a start as they might have liked and their backs were busy defending from a strong opposing side that played well consistently. Broadford showed bouts of great skill and teamwork to close the wide gap that Tubber established in the first half but in the end the gap was too wide to reverse completely.
Tubber got off to a good start with the first point of the match in less than a minute of play but this was soon responded to by Broadford’s Diarmuid Moloney. Tubber though were clearly on top of their game and scored the next two points within a minute of each other. Over the bar again for Broadford, this time from Declan Teefy and with less than five minutes gone, a score line of 0-02 to 0-03. For the next 10 minutes Tubber really piled on the pressure and kept the Broadford backs busy with a seemingly constant stream of attack. A free for John Corcoran taken from 30 metres in front of the Broadford goal dropped the ball to 30 metres in front of the Tubber goal but Broadford were unable to keep the advantage and Tubber turned the ball around and sent it back down the field in response. Broadford gained possession but a misjudged attempt to connect the ball with the hurley in order to get the ball away again and Tubber seized possession to send the ball to the back of the net for the first goal of the match. Tubber was definitely in command of the field and raised the white flag a number of times to complement their goal with Broadford only able to respond with wides from both play and at least one free from near the side line in front of the Tubber camp. With 17 minutes on the clock and score line of 0-02 to 1-08 Broadford needed to pull together. Two points for Broadford, one from Cailean Cox and the other from Diarmuid Moloney but this was not the start of a turn in Broadford’s fortunes. Tubber were unstoppable and just kept the points coming. 28 minutes gone with just one more point for Broadford and another goal for Tubber the two teams were worlds apart in terms of the score 0-05 to 2-17. A free for Diarmuid Moloney 45 metres out from the Tubber goal should have given Broadford a much needed chance but a Tubber player intercepted the ball by contentiously launching in early and blocking its short trajectory. This may have spurred Broadford on however. Diarmuid regained the ball less than a minute later from around the middle of the field and took it back up at least 20 metres before passing it across the field to Shane Taylor who took the ball further on its way before passing it back to Diarmuid who then sent it to the back of the net. This was a piece of inspiring play and with two players playing as one. A minute later and a free for Eoin O’ Brien taken from around 65 metres sent the ball just out of Declan Teefy’s reach to a metre or so in front of the Tubber goal. Tubber’s no.3 tried to reach in and flick the ball back out but Jack Dillon was close behind and prevented him turning on the spot and the goalie was almost pinned to the back of the net. With the dust rising up, down to the ground went no.3. The ball was free and Declan Teefy stormed in to send it to the back of the net. In the last few minutes of the first half Broadford had found their spirit and were fighting back. Another one over the bar from Diarmuid Moloney before the halftime whistle to put the scores at 2-07 to 2-17.
With a number of substitutions, the second half started much better for Broadford and Diarmuid Moloney scored the first point to narrow Tubber’s lead to nine points. Another piece of great play followed with Darren Chaplin securing the ball from 65 meters and ducking n’ diving his way down the field storming through Tubber’s backs and making his way to somewhere between the 20 and 13 metre lines. A hand pass to Stiofain McMahon, the ball caught, two steps taken and then the ball was pucked from a difficult angle to the back of the net. A point in response from Tubber but with the The Angelus sounding from Broadford’s Church, two more over the bar for Broadford before the toll of the last bell; one from play for Diarmuid O’Brien after a long pass from Stephen Gunning and the other from a free taken by Darren Chaplin. That gap had closed further with the score now at 3-10 to 2-18. The next seven minutes of play and the ball went back and forth with two wides for each side but Tubber managing to also send two over the bar and then a goal 12 minutes in to the second half. Cailean Cox made a fine attempt to put one over the bar from the 65 metres but the ball hit the left-hand post and bounced back in to play. Broadford rallied again with a succession of three points from Darren Chaplin, Jack Dillon and Stiofain McMahon. This flow was interrupted by a point for Tubber but with eight points between them, Broadford were not going to let go. A point from play for Shane Taylor followed by a goal from Darren Chaplin scored from a free after he was downed from a foul between the 13 and 20 metre lines narrowed the gap futher. Broadford had clawed back a respectable score (4-14 to 3-21). With play intensifying and a further two points for each team Tubber knew that just a few more minutes might have been all Broadford needed to turn the final result around. With shouts from on and off the pitch for the ref to blow up the game, the whistle sounded and left Tubber with a victory narrower than might have been envisaged earlier in the game. Final score 4-16 to 3-23.
Broadford did not get off to as good a start as they might have liked and their backs were busy defending from a strong opposing side that played well consistently. Broadford showed bouts of great skill and teamwork to close the wide gap that Tubber established in the first half but in the end the gap was too wide to reverse completely.