Tipperary hurling championship is high on drama but is it low on quality?

The Tipperary hurling championship is taking shape with many risers and fallers already. The big story from the weekend action is the downing of county champions Kilruane MacDonaghs by newly promoted Roscrea who surely will take great pride from getting a big win at senior level. 

Last year both teams won their respective titles in Tipperary and while the result may surprise many, the reality is that Kilruane have lost a couple of key players through injury as well as emigration and just aren’t operating at the level they were last year.

In that group, Toomevara are in pole position. They have put two good wins back-to-back now in the championship and they overcame Moycarkey in a close encounter on Friday night last. 

The Greyhounds revival under Ken Dunne shows that they are pushing hard on the training ground to get back to the heights of old. Darragh McCarthy stepped into centre stage for them at the weekend and if they can top their group it will set them up nicely for a good run in the knockout championship proper.

Drom Inch are continuing their revival under Paul Collins and Brian Boyle. They are top of Group 1 on four points and beat Mullinahone at the weekend to add to their first round win over Nenagh where Tommy Nolan and Seamus Callanan hit top form. Both forwards are key to their aim this season and it is so far so good for them.

Mullinahone are on two points in that group alongside Nenagh while JK Brackens haven’t got going and are really feeling the loss of Paddy Cadell who is recuperating after a serious knee injury. The sooner they have him back sharp, the quicker they will find a new vein of form.

 In Group 4 it was Brendan Maher who was the name everyone was talking about leaving Nenagh on Sunday last as the hurling icon once more saved the day for Borris Ileigh. He will be remembered as a hurling legend in much the same way as Jimmy Finn and Bobby Ryan which says it all really.

His team were playing real knockout stuff against Kiladangan and found themselves struggling until Brendan stepped up to fire home a season-saving goal right at the death. In that group too that evening Sarsfields got the better of Clonoulty who were overly reliant on placed balls from Cathal Bourke for scores.

Jack Ryan picked up an injury and they will be hoping he is back fit soon as he is a key player for them. The Cathedral town side are probably slight favourites for the county in what is a wide open field. That group will be intriguing the next day as Borris will need a result and Kiladangan will need to beat Clonoulty Rossmore. 

The west side have the safety net of a preliminary quarter final, as do Thurles Sarsfields, by virtue of winning their respective divisional finals. Group 3 is wide open as well and I left it til last as there was a lot of controversy in Boherlahan when Holycross Ballycahill found themselves two down approaching full time against Loughmore.

They were only one down in actuality, but the scoreboard stated two and apparently despite querying the scoreline with an official the play rolled on where they were forced to go for a goal when in reality a point going over the bar would have seized a draw, and put them in a really good position going into round three.

The reality is such things just shouldn’t happen at senior level and the game should have been stopped until the error was rectified but in a high tension game, with drama late on, that is easier said than done. 

It is something that needs to be looked at to ensure the Tipperary hurling championship doesn’t become a farce. One feels for Holycross, who hurled really well against Loughmore, and it remains to be seen now how the year pans out for them.   

Elsewhere in that group Upperchurch beat Templederry in a close game at Thurles, the tension levels never reached fever pitch in the game as Templederry couldn’t get the goal they needed to make it a close ending.

Late on it was Upperchurch who got the key score and while Templederry got an added time goal as well, it was just too little too late. As it stands Loughmore are on four points and the other three are all in with a shout the next day when Holycross play Templederry and Loughmore take on Upperchurch.

The Premier Intermediate championship is wide open and Lorrha look like real contenders with the veteran Bonnar Maher, like Brendan Maher for his club, still the main man. The McIntyres and the Fogartys are strong players too. Lorrha beat a Killenaule side who arrived with a strong challenge.

Despite the result they will still be in with a great shout for this competition which boasts Gortnahoe, Burgess and Cashel King Cormacs amongst the favourites. In the Intermediate championship Cappawhite and Borrisokane are on top points and both will be pushing hard for honours this year.

Overall in Tipperary excitement levels are high in the championship but currently there are no outstanding teams in any competitions. Ballyhale dominate Kilkenny, Ballygunner dominate Waterford while Patrickswell and Na Pairsaigh have done the same in Limerick.

The quality is fair enough in Tipperary but is not at the top level in comparison to top teams in other counties. No All-Ireland club championship winner since 1987 is testament to that.

The excitement is top notch but few enough new real contenders have emerged so far for places on next year’s county team. Brendan Maher, Bonner Maher, Seamus Callanan and Cathal Barrett have all been there and done that and all were to the fore last weekend. 

Brendan kept Borris Ileigh in the championship, Bonner was key to Lorrha’s win while Barrett hit 1-5 from the half forward line for Holycross. Seamie is still hitting a goal a game and a few points too per game.

At this stage it would be good to see some new stars emerging and the best may be the Stakelums for Thurles Sarsfields, Keith Ryan for Upperchurch and Darragh McCarthy for Toomevara going on the weekend games.

The high scoring, open nature of games now mean that 27 or 28 points are hit on a regular basis in club games yet rather than making the games more exciting, it has become almost too easy to score with a golf like ball that sails from the corner back position over the bar at the far end. Hurling is changing perhaps, but is it for the better?