Upperchurch/Drombane have been the story of Tipperary county senior hurling championship so far

They say, whoever they are, that the worst place to lose in a championship is at the semi-final stage. There’s an empty, anti-climactic feel about going out at the penultimate game. You’ve done the hard work, travelled a long road, and then on the cusp of making the big day you slip up and you’re just an irrelevant footnote to the championship story.
Mind you, losing a final is no picnic either, but at least you’ve got to the big stage and been part of the glamour of the day. You finished the second best in the competition and you console yourself with notions of going one better next time. But there’s a hollowness to losing a semi-final.
It’s a fate the four teams will earnestly hope to avoid this Sunday in the hurling semis at the Stadium. The winners strut on to the biggest day in our local hurling calendar; the losers slink away immersed in the world of what ifs.
The highlight story from championship 22 thus far is undoubtedly Upperchurch/Drombane. They’re certainly taking their cues from the Loughmore handbook this year, out-Loughmore-ing Loughmore, you might say, with their one-point victory in the football on Sunday last. The double is still on - for another week at least.
It really is an extraordinary story. When Loughmore do something similar it’s taken as just part of their DNA to chase both codes and chase them relentlessly. They’re well practised at the job, been doing it for years, and it’s not a massive surprise when now and then it comes off.
For Upperchurch, though, this is new territory. They’ve never been here before, never won a mid title in either code, and yet here they are on the brink of qualifying for both county finals.
Famed for its scenic hill walk, these are dizzy times for Upperchurch and Drombane. Famed also for Jim O’ the Mill and his unique hostelry that draws punters from far and wide. There’s a rich romance about the journey they’re on at the moment. They’ll definitely enjoy neutral encouragement in their efforts.
As a team they seem to really relish life outside the divisional boundary. Within the mid they’re a constant force, even taking the likes of Thurles Sarsfields to the brink on occasion, but never quite able to deliver a title. However, released from the dynamic of local rivalry they seem to thrive. It will be a shame if they come out empty-handed from this season.
Winning can be self-perpetuating, it’s driven by momentum and Upperchurch are on a definite roll at the moment. They know how to win and that was amply illustrated in recent games where they finished so strongly against JK Brackens in the hurling quarter-final and outstayed Loughmore on Sunday in a nail-biting finish to the football.
For me it’s the evenness of the team that’s driving their success. They’ve nobody on the county hurling panel, no stand-apart names that are recognisable. Instead, it’s a coherent unit that’s feeding the effort. You could say they are much greater than the sum of their parts.
That’s not to diminish the quality of their hurling. They can play and play very effectively. In the quarter-final all their starting forwards got on the scorecard. Paudie Greene is central to that unit as both free-taker and dangerman near goal – his early strike against Brackens the last day was crucial in such a tight game. The Ryans, Shanahans, Jack Butler and company are no slouchers either.
Back in defence they’re compact and tight, Gavin Ryan a strong influence at centre back in front of Matt Ryan and Ciaran Shortt in goal – it would be strange to see an Upperchurch side without a Shortt on duty.
Their game with Kilruane MacDonaghs on Sunday is listed by the bookies as an evens bet. It’s a novel pairing and that sense of not having past evidence feeds into the perception that there’s an unknown aspect about it. Neither side would have been tipped pre-season to reach this juncture.

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I’ve found the north side difficult to read in recent years. They show promise but just as often they disappoint. They have more recognisable names than Upperchurch. Niall O’Meara plays centre back, which I’ve always found strange, though perhaps the absence of Craig Morgan in the defence makes it more understandable this time.
In attack the likes of Jerome Cahill, Kian O’Kelly and Cian Darcy will be known to followers of Tipperary teams, as will Seamus Hennessy, who tends to have a more limited role now but can be very effective when introduced, as we saw in the quarter-final. Willie Cleary is their free taker and a useful contributor otherwise.
I think the bookies have this one pitched just right; it is a fifty-fifty type game with too many unknowns to convince people either way. Its sheer novelty makes it intriguing.
The other semi won’t lack for intrigue either. In many ways it’s the heavyweight draw between the championship favourites for some time back, Kiladangan, and the form team in Drom/Inch. For many it’s the game that will throw-up the eventual winner.
Kiladangan are listed by the bookies at odds of 4/7, with Drom available at 7/4. Being winners as recently as 2020 probably weighs heavily in that perception of Kiladangan. They have the same players who made the big breakthrough two years ago and with others such as Sarsfields and Borris-Ileigh out of the way it’s easy to see why the Puckane club would be tipped to win again.
However, their form thus far wouldn’t convince you. They were notably underwhelming against Clonoulty in the quarter-final and overall, they’ve got to this stage without hitting the standard of two years back.
I suspect there are a few reasons for that. Willie Connors is back after a long lay-off from injury and, as often happens, hasn’t yet hit the same pitch as 2020.
Billy Seymour hasn’t pushed on from the great hopes that surrounded him during their winning year either. Dan O’Meara tends to come in as a sub this year. Sean Hayes was substituted the last day and after a major conflab with Darragh Egan was reintroduced.
It paints a picture of a side not quite at ease with itself, though there are still major strengths in the team. Barry Hogan won back the county jersey during the year and his defence has a spine as strong as any in James Quigley and Alan Flynn. David Sweeney is a key player too in this zone and Tadhg Gallagher is in peak form at midfield. Paul Flynn has the potential to hurt a defence also. So, you balance the negatives against the positives and you form a final image of a team not quite at previous levels but still formidable.
For their part Drom and Inch are the form side of the championship so far. Since their surprising loss to Brackens in the mid final they’ve built steady momentum and are the fancy of many to win out this year.
Hard to imagine that it’s eleven years since their only county win back in 2011. Only a handful of the starting fifteen from over a decade ago are still on duty, principally Seamus Callanan, David Collins, Johnny Ryan and David Butler. Their record speaks of endurance. Otherwise, it’s quite a turnover but they’ve re-built a very cohesive side with an injection of new blood.
Eoin Collins is a very capable shot-stopper and quite a striker too, with those long-range frees as well as the odd penalty should the chance arise. Podge Campion is seen as a strong centre back while his brother John at midfield is hailed as a really bright prospect with county potential.
Seamie Callanan is in many ways the long-serving spiritual leader of the group. He had a relatively subdued quarter-final but in earlier games his input was major. They’ll need a big one from him again.
Johnny Ryan, the man of the match in the final of 2011, is still contributing, as is David Collins. Tommy Nolan can look really dangerous near goal at times but they’ll probably hope for more consistent delivery from his undoubted potential.
There’s no doubt this is the highlight fixture from the two semis. If one was to judge solely on the form shown over the past few months then the prediction for the final would be Drom versus Upperchurch – and what a mouth-watering prospect that would be.
However, there is also the view that Kiladangan have more aces in the pack than anyone if they can manage to play their best hand. I guess it’s all down to the form on the day and the myriad little vagaries that can decide big games.
One’s earnest hope is that whatever the outcomes we will have two rollicking good contests to whet the appetite for the final. It hasn’t been a great championship but it still has time to redeem itself. Let’s hope it does.