LONG READ: Visas booked for last four of Tipperary senior hurling championship

As we head into October the hurling championship is down to the final four. Quarter-finals of modest quality last weekend went mostly according to favouritism. Drom/Inch’s extra-time goal-fest while toppling Moycarkey/Borris was the exception.

Even allowing for the echoey atmosphere of sparsely-populated Semple Stadium, the quarter-finals overall offered disappointing entertainment. Sustained uncertainty is a key element in any gripping contest and that quality was sadly lacking in three of the weekend’s bouts.

That will hardly bother Loughmore, Holycross and Nenagh Eire Og, who powered ahead of their opponents to book visas for the semis next weekend. Drom too will be mightily pleased with their showing. They stayed in the contest when they might have gone adrift and then found the goal touch when it mattered; Callanan was the spearhead.

Unexpectedly, it was the highlight game of the weekend. Drom went in as 8/5 outsiders against 4/7 favourites Moycarkey. The odds seemed reasonable when Jack Hayes hit an instant goal for Moycarkey and Eddie Brennan’s side went in five-up at the interval. This was going according to expectation.

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However, all changed, changed utterly, in a four-minute spell midway through the second half. Seamie Callanan cut in past defenders in the left corner and sent one whizzing past Rhys Shelly’s ear. In reaction the goalie had a pop at Callanan and was lucky to only get a yellow.

Within minutes Moycarkey hit the post and in the follow-up Drom’s Robbie Long was fouled. It wasn’t a late tackle, the clearance came after the foul, but strangely the free was awarded from where the ball landed on the 45-metre line. It allowed goalie, Eoin Collins, to drop one into the Moycarkey square where Cormac Fitzpatrick whipped the breaking ball to the net.

Stunned, Moycarkey took another blow seconds later when substitute, David Butler, steered another ground shot past Shelly. The would-be All-Star goalie was leaking goals alarmingly.

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The game was turned on its head now, but credit Moycarkey with a remarkable recovery from that three-goal blast. David Costigan and Cormac Fitzpatrick swapped points but then Moycarkey reeled off six on the spin to tie up the game.

It was now down to a hectic finish. Robbie Long and another Seamie Callanan free pushed Drom back into a two-point lead before Moycarkey got a close range free with the game in injury-time. The sideline instructed Kieran Morris to tap over in the hope of a follow-up equalising chance. It was a wise decision, because from the puckout Jack Fallon hit the leveller from outfield to send the match to extra time.

Goals, glorious goals! You point for pleasure but you goal for glory. Early in extra-time David Collins fed David Butler for the substitute’s second major of the day. And then Callanan hit the score of the championship. A deft back-flick by David Butler put Callanan away. He was brought down by Mark Conroy but, from the ground he somehow flicked one-handed past Shelly into the roof of the net. This was stunning fare, with Drom now firmly in control, ahead by seven at half- time in extra time.

A flagging Moycarkey had no response this time. Instead Drom rattled in two more goals in the second half of added time, both from substitutes, Jack Lillis and Jamie Bergin. It finished 7-23 to 1-28, a baker’s dozen gap after an extraordinary game. Drom had 12 different scorers over the span of the match.

It was the game that lit up the weekend for sure. Seamus Callanan was the individual hero, rolling back the years and finishing on a score of 2-11, 2-3 from play. His second goal was special but one of the points was incredible too as he soloed from well inside his own half before splitting the posts. As they say, class is permanent.

Moycarkey looked shellshocked. The loss of their regular full back, Peter Melbourne, to injury earlier in the campaign didn’t help their defensive structure, as they were hit for seven on this occasion. Still, they’ll wonder how a game that seemed well within their grasp early on went so spectacularly astray. By the end they looked leggy and drained. Drom’s bench had a significant impact too.

The other Sunday game had a lot less to enthuse about. Nenagh were strong favourites and in truth they always looked the likely winners against a disappointing Kilruane MacDonaghs’ effort.

It was tight enough in the first half. Thomas Cleary’s goal kept Kilruane in touch but Nenagh were chipping away with the points. Michael Heffernan, as ever, was a prominent contributor. Jake Morris hit three on the spin near the interval but their lead was the minimum at half-time.

Kilruane lost Jerome Cahill before the break and decided to send Niall O’Meara into attack for the second half. It was a move that didn’t work. O’Meara hit one great point but as an attacking half back would probably have contributed much more.
The game was flat with lots of space available. Michael Heffernan – the victim of a hit that should have earned a red card - continued to lead the Nenagh scoring, as they held a four/five-point advantage. Barry Heffernan had the freedom of Semple Stadium to clear as he wished. It was all very routine and unexciting.

There was a brief flurry when Kieran Cahill goaled for Kilruane in the 54th minute. It brought the lead back to a single point but then Ben West was fouled for a Nenagh penalty, which Jake Morris dispatched with force, wrongfooting the goalie in the process. That was it; the end margin was six.

From an Eire Og perspective it was job done on a day of modest demands. Kilruane were poor. This was a disappointing follow-up to their victory over Kiladangan. Aaron Morgan was one of the few to show form. One for Liam Cahill to view, perhaps.

The Saturday menu at the Stadium might have looked appetising in advance, but in the event it was flavourless. By a strange coincidence the scoreboard at half-time in each game read 3-11 to 0-11. Goals mattered yet again and at nine-up the leaders were well in control, a control that didn’t waver in the second halves.

Holycross looked slicker and more assured than Cashel KC. Their movement, support play and linking was on a different level. Robbie Ryan, having one of his best days of the year, hit two of their first half goals; in between those, Eoin Craddock finished the third. Darragh Woods dominated the point-scoring from play and frees.

In the third quarter Eoghan Connolly was red-carded for a frontal tackle on David Fogarty. It seemed technically correct but very severe in the circumstances. Michael Kennedy is our foremost referee at the moment and appears to operate a stricter standard than his colleagues. Remember, he sent off four in the recent Toomevara/Kiladangan match.

Anyway, the dismissal of Eoghan Connolly ended any slim hopes Cashel may have had. Soon after Joe Caesar had Holycross’ third goal and the gap was fifteen points when Cashel managed late consolation goals from Ronan Connolly and Cathal Quinn. The end gap was twelve in what was a chastening experience for the King Cormacs.

In the remaining game Toomevara, like Cashel, were well below requirements against Loughmore. The Mid side laid solid foundations in the opening half with their three goals from Ed Connolly, Tomas McGrath and John McGrath, which laid the basis for their win. Defensively Toome’ looked very exposed.

The only hiccup for the winners came in injury-time at the end when they conceded late goals to Seamus O’Farrell and Jack Delaney. The end margin of five points flattered the losers. Champions Loughmore still look the part as we head towards the penultimate games.

And so, after three disappointing quarter-finals we look forward with more hope to the semi-final pairings: Holycross v. Loughmore and Nenagh Eire Og versus Drom/Inch.