Mullinahone shrug off bad form to beat Templederry in relegation semi final

FBD Insurance Senior Hurling Championship Relegation Semi-Final

Mullinahone 0-24

Templederry Kenyons 2-14

2022 could have been so much more for Templederry. The North club entered the year on the crest of a wave, energised by the momentum of winning the Séamus Ó Riain Cup and probably feeling pretty optimistic about their prospects in the top tier of the Tipperary senior hurling championship. But then everything unravelled.

A string of defeats in the group stages sent them plummeting towards the relegation play-offs and now, following this latest loss to Mullinahone, Templederry find themselves staring right down at the trapdoor.

They may well have one big performance in them, but they didn’t produce it last Saturday in Templemore. Instead, they tried in vain to subdue a visibly hungry Mullinahone outfit, a team which almost seemed insulted by the fact that they were even contesting a relegation semi-final in the first place.

In truth, Templederry could have won this game. An opportunistic Seán Ryan goal just 35 seconds into the second-half could have proven decisive, but instead Mullinahone summoned enough spirit and composure to claw back the deficit, before powering ahead with conviction in the closing stages.

It is now just over 22 years since Eoin Kelly made his Tipperary senior hurling debut as a fresh-faced teenage sharpshooter. He would go on to become a legend in the blue and gold, making 63 championship appearances and registering 21-369.

There are no statistics available to reveal how much the 40-year-old forward has scored in a Mullinahone shirt, but it might well be double his inter-county tally. Kelly was indispensable to Mullinahone’s cause yet again last Saturday, finishing with fourteen points and ensuring that any hint of Templederry indiscipline was severely punished.

But he wasn’t their only attacking asset. Mikey O’Shea was also a constant threat. His first point, in the eighth minute, was an act of sheer determination. Later, he would swing over a beauty from the wing, edging his side back to within one.

Within minutes however, Templederry had struck the net, Seán Ryan supplying Eanna Murray with the neatest of passes before the centre-forward delicately dinked the ball over Alan Walsh in the Mullinahone goal.

The North side entered the dressing room with a two-point advantage, leading 1-10 to 0-11. Seconds after the restart, they had extended the gap to five, after Ryan ghosted into a vacuum behind the Mullinahone cover and bounced his effort into the far corner.

They should have pushed on, but things transpired very differently. It is difficult to identify what exactly Templederry did wrong in the second-half, and far easier to point to what Mullinahone did right.

In essence, they held their nerve, refusing to capitulate and gradually closing the gap with a selection of superbly-taken points.

By the time Kelly had levelled the game courtesy of a free on 42 minutes, Mullinahone were firmly on top. Seán Ryan would briefly restore Templederry’s advantage with a placed-ball of his own, but as the final fifteen minutes began to elapse, the South side found an extra gear.

They assumed command of the middle third, their every attack bolstered by the presence of centre-back Conor Whelan, who was imperious throughout.

Their dependence on Kelly frees could, on another day, have warranted criticism, but in this case, it won them the game. He slotted another three in the latter stages, propelling Mullinahone to victory and preserving their top-tier status for another year while Templederry must face off against Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill to avoid their senior experience lasting for just one year.

Mullinahone: Alan Walsh; Kevin Walzer, Paul Curran, Dara O’Brien, Colin Shelly (0-1), Conor Whelan (0-1), Conor O’Brien, Seán Curran, Enda Keane (0-2), Martin Kehoe, Michael Dunne (0-2), Mikey O’Shea (0-3), Eoin Kelly (0-14, 11f), Jack Shelly (0-1), Eoin O’Dwyer.

Subs: Eanna Ryan for Walzer (47); Alan Curran for Kehoe (54 inj); Kevin Bolger for O’Dwyer (58).

Templederry Kenyons: Tim McCutcheon; Liam McCutcheon, Christy Coughlan, Tadhg McLoughlin, Michael Hayes (0-1), Tommy Stapleton, Brian Stapleton, Darragh Carey (0-1), Colm Murray (0-1), Gearóid Ryan (0-2), Éanna Murray (1-0), Seán Ryan (1-8, 0-4f, 0-1 6), Padraic O’Leary, Matthew Hogan (0-1), Mikie Ryan.

Subs: Odhran Murphy for O’Leary (45); Michael Ryan for É Murray (60+3).

Referee: Seán Everard (Moyne-Templetuohy)