1972–73 All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship

1972–73 All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
Dates	1 October 1972 – 24 June 1973
Teams	33
Champions	Nemo Rangers (1st title); Billy Morgan (captain)
Runners-up	St. Vincent's; Jimmy Keaveney (captain)
Tournament statistics
Matches played	34
Goals scored	98 (2.88 per match)
Points scored	517 (15.21 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Jimmy Keaveney (2-26)
Provincial Champions
Munster	Nemo Rangers
Leinster	St Vincent's
Ulster	Clan na Gael
Connacht	Fr. Griffin's
← 1971–72 (Previous)	(Next) 1974–75 →

The 1972–73 All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship was the third staging of the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1970-71. The championship ran from 1 October 1972 to 24 June 1973.

Bellaghy entered the championship as the defending champions, however, they were beaten by Ardboe O'Donovan Rossa in the Ulster quarter-finals.^[1]^[2]

The All-Ireland final, the first to go to a replay, was played on 24 June 1973 at Semple Stadium in Thurles, between Nemo Rangers and St Vincent's, in what was their first ever championship meeting. Nemo Rangers won the match by 4-06 to 0-10 to claim their first ever All-Ireland title.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Jimmy Keaveney was the top scorer with 2-26.

Connacht Senior Club Football Championship

Connacht first round

14 January 1973 First round	Fr Griffin's	1-07 - 2-03	Curry	Pearse Stadium
	G Mahony 0-5, J Flaherty 1-0, D Flynn 0-1, M Newell 0-1.		T Colleary 1-0, A Colleary 1-0, M Durcan 0-1, M Brennan 0-1, O Henry 0-1.

Connacht semi-finals

21 January 1973 Semi-final	Ballaghaderreen	0-08 - 1-03	Ballinamore Seán O'Heslin's	Fr O'Hara Park
	J Morley 0-6, G Coleman 0-1, S Kilbride 0-1.		D Gannon 1-1, F Duignan 0-1, T Gallagher 0-1.

28 January 1973 Semi-final	Roscommon Gaels	1-06 - 2-06	Fr Griffin's	Dr Hyde Park
	T Donnellan 1-0, M McNamara 0-3, B Penny 0-1, T Keaveney 0-1, T Hunt 0-1.		G Mahony 1-3, M Nolan 0-1, L Salmon 0-1, MJ Keane 0-1.

Connacht final

11 February 1973 Final	Fr Griffin's	1-08 - 0-06	Ballaghaderreen	Pearse Stadium
	G Mahony 0-5, M Nolan 1-1, D Flynn 0-1, D O'Shea 0-1.		J Morley 0-4, M Dooney 0-1, J Duffy 0-1.

Leinster Senior Club Football Championship

Leinster first round

19 November 1972 First round	Clonguish	1-08 - 2-07	The Downs	Bertie Allen Park
	S Allen 1-0, P Burke 0-3, T Hopkins 0-2, T McCormack 0-2, J Flynn 0-1.		T Cleary 1-3, S Conroy 1-0, D Smyth 0-2, M Carley 0-1, L Eggerton 0-1.

19 November 1972 First round	Carbury	3-10 - 2-05	Emo	Weavers Fields
	K Kelly 3-2, K Connolly 0-4, P Mangan 0-1, M McKeever 0-1, T Moore 0-1, M Moore 0-1.		B Lawlor 2-1, T Browne 0-2, C O'Connor 0-1, C O'Connor 0-1.

19 November 1972 First round	St. Mary's	3-07 - 2-06	Seneschalstown	St. Mary's Park
	B Landy 2-5, T McDonald 1-0, A Courtney 0-1, M McDonald 0-1.		S Carter 1-3, T McDonagh 0-2, O Geraghty 0-1, F Heskin 0-1.

19 November 1973 First round

Baltinglass

1-07 - 1-04

Tinryland

Aughrim County Ground

Leinster quarter-finals

3 December 1972 Quarter-final	Baltinglass	3-03 - 1-08	Ballyhogue	Pearse Park
	L Norton 1-0, J Cullen 1-0, S Cunningham 1-0, P Burke 0-2, J Wall 0-1.

3 December 1972 Quarter-final	Carbury	3-10 - 0-05	Clann na Gael	St. Conleth's Park
	K Connolly 1-5, T Moore 2-1, P Tyrrell 0-2, M McKeever 0-1, J Farrell 0-1.

3 December 1972 Quarter-final	The Downs	1-11 - 1-09	Ferbane	Cusack Park
	T Cleary 0-5, T Carr 0-4, B Smyth 1-0, D Smyth 0-1, J Henry 0-1.		T McTague 0-8, S Lowry 1-0, L Grogan 0-1.

3 December 1972 Quarter-final	St. Mary's	0-08 - 0-06	St. Vincent's	St. Mary's Park
	J Keaveney 0-4, PJ Reid 0-2, B Mullins 0-1, P Doyle 0-1.		T McDonald 0-2, M McDonald 0-2, B Landy 0-1, J Maguire 0-1.

Leinster semi-finals

18 March 1973 Semi-final	The Downs	3-08 - 2-07	Carbury	O'Connor Park
	J McKay 1-2, D Smyth 1-2, M Carley 1-1, J Henry 0-1, T Carr 0-1, T Cleary 0-1.		K Connolly 1-2, K Kelly 1-0, M Moore 0-2, P Ryrrell 0-2, P Mangan 0-1.

25 March 1973 Semi-final	St. Vincent's	2-16 - 0-09	Baltinglass	St. Conleth's Park
	J Keaveney 0-8, D Redmond 1-1, G Keavey 1-1, B Doyle 0-4, T Hanahoe 0-2.		P Burke 0-7, W Wall 0-2.

Leinster final

15 April 1973 Final	St. Vincent's	6-10 - 2-05	The Downs	Páirc Tailteann
	D Foley 2-3, J Keaveney 2-2, C Leaney 1-1, D Redmond 0-4, R Doyle 1-0.		L Egerton 2-0, D Smith 0-2, J Henry 0-1, D Murtagh 0-1, M Carley 0-1.

Munster Senior Club Football Championship

Munster first round

4 March 1973 First round	Kilsheelan	1-05 - 0-11	Doonbeg	Kilsheelan GAA Grounds
	J Kehoe 0-5, L Murphy 1-0.		J Griffin 0-4, F Griffin 0-3, P O'Grady 0-2, M Killeen 0-1, E O'Neill 0-1.

4 March 1973 First round	Stradbally	1-05 - 1-11	Nemo Rangers	Walsh Park
	S Ahern 0-5, R Ahern 1-0.		B Cogan 0-4, S Coughlan 1-0, J Barrett 0-3, C Murphy 0-2, L Good 0-1, K Collins 0-1.

Munster semi-finals

25 March 1973 Semi-final	Nemo Rangers	2-09 - 2-07	Kenmare	Cork Athletic Grounds
	S Coughlan 1-2, B Cogan 1-0, C Murphy 0-3, D Philpott 0-2, G Noonan 0-1, L Good 0-1.		P Finnegan 1-5, N Sullivan 1-0, F Sullivan 0-1, J O'Neill 0-1.

1 April 1973 Semi-final	Doonbeg	0-10 - 1-04	Claughaun	Michael Tubridy Memorial Park
	F Griffin 0-5, M Kileen 0-2, P O'Grady 0-1, E O'Neill 0-1, P Cotter 0-1.		G McGrath 1-0, M Tynan 0-2, M Graham 0-1, E Cregan 0-1.

Munster final

23 April 1973 Final	Nemo Rangers	3-09 - 0-05	Doonbeg	Fitzgerald Park
	D Cogan 2-1, K Collins 0-5, J Barrett 1-1, L Good 0-1, S Coughlan 0-1.		S Griffin 0-4, J Griffin 0-1.

Ulster Senior Club Football Championship

Ulster first round

1 October 1972 First round

Glasgow

2-03 - 4-12

Clan na Gael

Glasgow

1 October 1972 First round	St Eunan's	0-10 - 0-10	Bellaghy	O'Donnell Park
	J Winston 0-6, L Byrne 0-2, S Ferriter 0-1, M Sweeeny 0-1.		T Quinn 0-3, F O'Loane 0-2, K Cassidy 0-2, T Diamond 0-1, S O'Neill 0-1, L Diamond 0-1.

8 October 1972 First round replay	Bellaghy	3-10 - 1-13	St Eunan's	Rossa Park
	F O'Loane 1-3, S O'Neill 1-1, L Diamond 1-1, K Cassidy 0-2, B Cassidy 0-1, T Quinn 0-1, H McGoldrick 0-1.		J Winston 0-10, M Sweeney 1-0, J Gallagher 0-1, S Ferriter 0-1, P McGowan 0-1.

Ulster quarter-finals

8 October 1972 Quarter-final	Crosserlough	5-09 - 0-04	Tempo Maguires	Breffni Park
	H Sheridan 2-0, P Cahill 1-3, T Rehill 0-3, T Brady 0-1, P Boyle 0-1.		S McCusker 0-1, T McPhillips 0-1, D Campbell 0-1, A Campbell 0-1.

8 October 1972 Quarter-final

Clan na Gael

2-08 - 2-05

St John's

Lurgan Grounds

8 October 1972 Quarter-final	Castleblayney Faughs	2-09 - 0-12	Russell Gaelic Union, Downpatrick	St Mary's Park
	P McEnerney 2-2, T Loughman 0-2, G Fitzpatrick 0-2, B McDonald 0-1, E Tavey 0-1, D Mulligan 0-1.		P Smith 0-4, P Kelly 0-4, T King 0-3, B Moore 0-1.

5 November 1972 Quarter-final	Bellaghy	1-05 - 1-07	Ardboe O'Donovan Rossa	Rossa Park
	B Cassidy 1-0, K Cassidy 0-2, T O'Loane 0-2, H McGoldrick 0-1.		F McGuigan 0-7, P Devlin 1-0.

Ulster semi-finals

5 November 1972 Semi-final	Clan na Gael	1-05 - 1-05	Castleblayney Faughs	Páirc Esler
	B Murphy 1-0, J Smyth 0-2, S Lavery 0-1, J McKenna 0-1, N O'Hagan 0-1.		E Tavey 1-2,G Fitzpatrick 0-1, McKenna 0-1, M Moore 0-1.

19 November 1972 Semi-final replay	Clan na Gael	5-02 - 0-06	Castleblayney Faughs	Páirc Esler
	C McKinstry 1-0, S Laverty 1-0, T McCaughey 1-0, J McKenna 0-1, S Donaghy 0-1.		G Fitzpatrick 0-3, B McDonald 0-1, D Brereton 0-1, N O'Hagan 0-1.

19 November 1972 Semi-final

Crosserlough

2-08 - 1-07
Declared void

Ardboe O'Donovan Rossa

St Tiernach's Park

Ulster final

31 December 1972 Final	Clan na Gael	0-08 - 1-03	Ardboe O'Donovan Rossa	St. Mary's Park
	J Smith 0-3, S O'Hagan 0-2, J McKenna 0-2, P McGennis 0-1.		J Greene 1-0 (og), K Teague 0-2, S Coyne 0-1.

All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship

All-Ireland semi-finals

29 April 1973 Semi-final	Fr Griffin's	0-09 - 0-17	Nemo Rangers	Pearse Stadium
	G Mahoney 0-8, D Flynn 0-1.		J Barrett 0-6, K Collins 0-4, S Coughlan 0-2, F Cogan 0-2, B Cogan 0-2, B Murphy 0-1.

28 April 1973 Semi-final	St. Vincent's	2-08 - 0-07	Clan na Gael	Croke Park
	C Leaney 1-1, B Mullins 1-0, B Doyle 0-2, J Keaveney 0-2, T Hanahoe 0-1, P Hallinan 0-1, B Pocock 0-1.		M O'Neill 0-6, N O'Hagan 0-1.

All-Ireland final

4 June 1973 Final	Nemo Rangers	2-11 - 2-11	St. Vincent's	O'Moore Park
	J Barrett 1-2, K Collins 0-4, L Good 1-0, C Murphy 0-2, S Coughlan 0-2, F Cogan 0-1.		D Foley 1-2, J Keaveney 0-5, C Leaney 1-0, B Doyle 0-2, T Hanahoe 0-1, D Redmond 0-1.	Referee: M Spain (Offaly)

24 June 1973 Final replay	Nemo Rangers	4-06 - 0-10	St. Vincent's	Semple Stadium
	J Barrett 1-1, B Cogan 1-0, S Coughlan 1-0, L Good 1-0, K Collins 0-3, C Murphy 0-1, D Barrett 0-1.		J Keaveney 0-5, PJ Reid 0-3, T Hanahoe 0-2.	Referee: M Spain (Offaly)

Championship statistics

Top scorers

Rank	Player	Club	Tally	Total	Matches	Average
1	Jimmy Keaveney	St Vincent's	2-26	32	6	5.40
1	Gerry Mahony	Fr Griffin's	1-21	24	4	6.00
3	Jimmy Barrett	Nemo Rangers	3-13	22	6	3.66

Miscellaneous

St Vincent's won the Leinster Club Championship for the first time in their history. They were also the first team from Dublin to win the provincial title.
Clan na Gael won the Ulster Club Championship for the first time in their history. They were also the first team from Armagh to win the provincial title.
The Central Council was spared some embarrassment when the All-Ireland final ended in a draw as there was no trophy available to be presented.

References

^ "Glory Days for the 'Wee Blues'". The Irish News. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
^ "Bruised but unbowed Bellaghy emerge from a tragic history". Irish Times. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
^ O'Sullivan, Jim (23 February 2008). "Geary enjoying doing things the Nemo way". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
^ "'Our greatest moment' - Billy and Frank, 50 years on from All-Ireland glory with Cork". The 42. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
^ "Four previous winners contest AIB Club finals". Hogan Stand. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2024.

[1] "Glory Days for the 'Wee Blues'". The Irish News. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2024.

[2] "Bruised but unbowed Bellaghy emerge from a tragic history". Irish Times. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2024.

[3] O'Sullivan, Jim (23 February 2008). "Geary enjoying doing things the Nemo way". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 21 June 2020.

[4] "'Our greatest moment' - Billy and Frank, 50 years on from All-Ireland glory with Cork". The 42. 17 September 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.

[5] "Four previous winners contest AIB Club finals". Hogan Stand. 11 March 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2024.

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