Procession of defeats poses questions about standard of club hurling in Tipperary
Heavy defeat for Loughmore/Castleiney in Munster semi-final
Tipperary’s dismal record in Munster club hurling continued on Sunday last with Loughmore’s heavy fall to Ballygunner. A pre-interval blitz by the Waterford champions was the decisive spell in a disappointing encounter.
Elsewhere, there was better news with another strong finish from Cashel KC against Abbeydorney.
Our senior club record is bothersome. A quick glance at the last ten seasons alone shows that Tipperary teams played twelve games in Munster, lost nine and won just three. Borris-Ileigh’s win in 2019 was a glorious exception but otherwise it’s been a procession of defeats.
Our average losing margin in that period is over seven points. Factored into that figure are a few particularly heavy hits, such as Clonoulty’s 18-point pummelling by Na Piarsaigh in 2018 and Kilruane MacDonaghs’ 17-point pasting by Ballygunner in 2022.
It’s not a pretty picture. Sunday’s game was effectively over at half-time, when Loughmore trailed by ten points. It was tight enough early on. A battling performance by the Tipperary champions kept them in tow to a Pauric Mahony-led Ballygunner. After 26 minutes there was only a point dividing the sides (0-8 to 0-9); then the dam burst.
In the next seven or eight minutes Ballygunner pinned this game emphatically, hitting an unanswered 1-6. It was power-play by the Waterford champions, moving, combining and scoring in slick waves that left Loughmore floundering. Pauric Mahony, Dessie Hutchinson and Peter Hogan were all part of the points-parade and then to cap it all there was an injury-time goal.
Kevin Mahony finished the goal from a Patrick Fitzgerald cross. Aidan McGrath might have done better in his attempt to cut out the cross. Earlier the goalie got blocked down by Dessie Hutchinson and was fortunate to see the Waterford forward fire into the side netting.
It was a brilliant blitz by the Waterford men, which effectively killed this contest. That’s what great teams do. You think you’re going great, feeling all cosy and confident, and then they unleash the counter punches and you’re floored.
There was no way back for Loughmore against a team of Ballygunner’s resources. True to character the Tipperary champions kept trying. John Meagher came on and made an impact but Ballygunner’s economy kept the scoreboard ticking away with points. The lead stretched out to fifteen, with utter humiliation threatened.
Thankfully there was some damage limitation. Stephen O’Keeffe was called into action to deny Liam McGrath, Ed Connolly and John McGrath in turn before Loughmore eventually got their goal near the end.
It came off a Ciaran McCormack ‘65’, which may have taken a deflection. Liam Treacy had the final point of the game but there was no doubting that this was a drubbing for the Tipp champions. It was the club’s worst-ever defeat in Munster or All-Ireland club action.
No complaints then from Tipperary this time, unlike 2021. Ballygunner might (should?) have been reduced to fourteen men in the first half when Ed Meagher went down following a jab from Peter Hogan. However, the official took the easy option of two yellow cards. Against that you’d have to admit that Loughmore got their share of softish frees, which certainly irritated the Waterford contingent.
There were suggestions afterwards that Noel and Brian McGrath were suffering from some bug in the lead-up to the game. Any illness can be energy-sapping but in fairness they were making no excuses in the aftermath of this result.
They now face a quick recovery to be ready for a trip to Cusack Park, Ennis, this Sunday for a football date with the local Eire Og side.
Their hurling defeat will reignite the debate about our club standard. We have a well-graded, competitive championship but our winners consistently struggle to match those from other counties. The issue is more emphasised, I suppose, when you meet a team of Ballygunner’s calibre but let’s remember we’ve also lost to the likes of Clonlara, Cratloe and Ballyea in the recent past; none of the above has won an All-Ireland.
Elsewhere, in the Munster intermediate hurling championship Cashel KC kept the flag flying after another battling success away to Abbeydorney. A winning push in the final quarter got the Tipperary champions over the line for a win that in the end looked more comfortable than it felt for much of the game.
What a freakish opening there was to the match; Charlie Haughey’s GUBU acronym from 1982 comes to mind. The players were wrongly positioned for the throw-in and Oisin O’Donoghue broke away to post an instant point over the head of his own goalie. Johnny Walsh looked suitably bewildered by it all.
Poor Oisin won’t live that one down for some time; all the fine scores he’s got during this campaign will be long forgotten while this one will still be thrown at him in jest.
Mind you, the commentary team on Clubber deserve some slagging too: it wasn’t until David McGrath shot a Cashel point at the other end that they woke up.
Anyway, after that strange start it developed into a rugged battle, with the Kerry senior champions going toe-to-toe with Tipperary’s intermediates. Scores were pricey early on, with few takers before the first major break fell to Abbeydorney. Oisin Maunsell lofted a high one into the Cashel area where Michael O’Leary, Kerry’s best player, connected overhead for a fine finish to the net.
Bragging rights then to Abbeydorney before Cashel had levelled up by break time. The cancelling goal from the King Cormacs was a thing of beauty. Working the ball out from defence, they set in train an ensemble move that ended with Conor O’Dwyer’s drive into attack and the lay-off to Ross Bonnar, who finished superbly.
The Kerry champs had played with wind advantage but were left to rue a string of bad wides, which would ultimately prove very costly. Half time saw the sides level on 1-6 apiece.
However, there was no immediate swing Cashel’s way on resuming. In fact, by the three-quarter stage the Kerry men were edging it before Cashel got their second goal. Oisin O’Donoghue (all is forgiven) was on the end of an attacking move to finish clinically.
It was the decisive score, the one that turned the game Cashel’s way. In the lead now, they just drove on for another emphatic finish. It was an encore in keeping with previous games.
Ger Browne came in as an impact substitute, hitting 1-1 to drive home advantage. Another replacement, Adrian Cummins, pitched in also with a brace of points. O’Leary and Maunsell continued to threaten at the other end but without major reward; eventually Cashel came away eight-point winners.
It was more comfortable at the end than other days. The King Cormacs have done well in Munster with a final date now against Watergrasshill on November 30. They’ve developed a pattern in their recent games, going behind and coming strongly in the final quarter. They certainly don’t make it easy on the fans.
Cork clubs have a strong record in this championship, winning five of the last ten titles, though Kilkenny teams have been the dominant force at All-Ireland level.
One suspects that Watergrasshill will be a step-up for Cashel in the final. Still, it’s one to look forward to as it revives memories Rockside of their 1991 Munster senior win over Midleton.
In the meantime, the King Cormacs face Cork side Kilmurry in the Munster junior football championship at New Inn this Saturday.
Finally, Moyle Rovers’ junior ambitions faltered on Saturday last when coming off second best to Russell Rovers down in Cork. Three goals for the Corkonians appear to have been the decisive blows – goals win matches and all that malarkey. Still, it’s been a good year for the South side who hopefully can establish a strong footing at intermediate level in 2025.