HARTY CUP PREVIEW: Nenagh CBS looking to continue recent hurling success this Wednesday

TUS DR HARTY CUP MUNSTER PPS HURLING QUARTER-FINAL

Nenagh CBS vs Christian Brothers College, Cork

Wednesday, January 10th in Bansha @ 1 pm

Nenagh CBS will be hoping to continue the feel-good factor in the school this Wednesday as they face a tough challenge against Christian Brothers College, Cork in the TUS Dr Harty Cup quarter-final.

The history-making victory over St Flannans in the Dean Ryan Cup (U17) Munster final means that there will be no shortage of belief or confidence in the spillover of players between the grades.

For the first time in a long time, it has been a fairly painless and straightforward progression to this stage of the competition for the North Tipperary school, who were drawn in a three-team group in this year’s packed format and after getting over a great deal of rustiness in their opening round win over Charleville CBS in Meelick on an awful day for hurling back in October, they followed it up with an emphatic second-round win over another Cork opponent in Ardscoil Ui Urmoltaigh in Banteer a few weeks later to secure top spot in their group and also managed to avoid a preliminary quarter-final which has them at this stage currently.

In Tipperary senior panelist Darragh McCarthy (Toomevara) they have a talismanic and dangerous forward operating at a high level after a terrific 2023 in which he stood out for his club in the Tipperary club championship, but they also have good players surrounding him, several which would have starred in the Dean Ryan Cup campaign.

Eoin Doughan (Moneygall) was the star man in that U17 team, along with fellow clubman Andy Hoolan who captained the side and they have been regulars in the Harty Cup campaign and are hurling well.

Along with the aforementioned McCarthy up top, the likes of Aodhan O’Connor (Nenagh Éire Óg), Danny Quinn (Silvermines), Michael Ryan (Burgess) and Ciaran Foley (Borrisokane), there is plenty of experience sprinkled across the pitch and this team are well capable of catching fire at any point in a game if they get into a groove.

In contrast to Nenagh, their opponents CBC Cork are far more hardened having played four games this campaign, all of which were incredibly tight games which had varying results for the young Rebels.

A turbulent group campaign where they defeated Scoil Na Tríonóide Naofa, Doon in their first game by three points, was followed by defeat to Midleton CBS and an incredible contest against Rice College, Ennis in their final group game which ended in a thrilling draw which seen CBC go through to the preliminary quarter-final.

Cork opposition faced them in that knockout game and, on a horrible day in Mallow, they dugout an attritional win against St Colmans Fermoy to nook their spot in the knockout stage proper.

They are led by Conor McCarthy at centre back but there biggest scoring threat without a doubt is Diarmuid Wall at full forward whose scoring feats have been key in their progression.

There will be no room for Nenagh to be undercooked here as CBC have proven their mettle, which is why this could go right down to the final puck of the game.