Tipperary U15 hurlers impress in Arrabawn Cup but fall short in final to strong Galway team

2025 Arrabawn Cup U15 Hurling Final

Tipperary 3-8

Galway 4-12

The final took place at 4pm with Galway pulling away late on with two goals from substitute Tadhg Concannon, finally putting the final result beyond the brave Tipperary effort.

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With the game deadlocked at 2-11 to 3-8 with five minutes remaining, it was the young Tribesmen who finished strongly to score an unanswered 2-1 to take ultimate victory over Tipperary, with very little to choose between the sides for the most part.

Initially, it was Galway who raced into a 0-4 to 0-1 from the throw-in, playing against the breeze, albeit with a huge improvement in conditions from the semi-final two hours previous.

Tipp, though, had equalised the game at 0-5 apiece by the 23rd minute, with Ciaran Gantley, KJ Dunne (2), Oisin Pearl, and Sam Collins all finding the target, but Galway struck for a late goal in the half when Eoghan Mannion burst through on goal and finished to the far corner.

Mannion picked off a 65 in between two Tipperary scores from KJ Dunne and James Ryan to see the Premier trail by 1-6 to 0-7 at half-time.

With the aid of the breeze, Galway started the second half quickly with points from the impressive shooting of Eoghan Mannion and Kayn Boyle pushing them out into a four-point lead. Still, Ciaran Gantley and James O’Dwyer gave Tipp a major boost a few minutes later, striking two quickfire goals within 60 seconds of one another that put the Premier 2-7 to 1-8 up.

A very quick start to the half from Tipperary.

The goals kept coming to the enjoyment of the onlookers in Boherlahan, with Culan Leen responding with a rasping shot a minute later, before KJ Dunne showed pace and killer instinct to run in on goal and strike the ball of a Galway defender and into the back of the net.

However, Galway did make use of the breeze and had taken a slender 2-12 to 3-8 lead by the 45th minute, and with Tipperary looking for the equaliser late on, Galway struck for two late, late goals through substitute Tadhg Concannon who finished well on both occasions to take the game away from the Premier team.

Tipperary: Jack Galvin (Ballylooby Castlegrace); Conor Tobin (Mullinahone), Sean Gribbon (Clonoulty Rossmore), Jo Jo Magee (Cahir); Craig McKenna (Portroe), Darragh Quinlan (Ballylooby Castlegrace), Ben Fitzgerald (Cashel King Cormacs); Darragh Healy (Newport), James Ryan (Newport, 0-2); Bobby McLoughlin (Boherlahan Dualla), KJ Dunne (Toomevara, 1-3, 0-1f), Ciaran Gantley (Cappawhite, 1-1); Sam Collins (Ballina, 0-1), Oisin Pearl (Lattin Cullen, 0-1), James O’Dwyer (Kiladangan, 0-1).

Subs used: Paul Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill) for Collins (30); Ronan O’Mahoney (Newport) for Fitzgerald (41); Oisin Hogan (Burgess) for McKenna (48).

Galway: Darragh O’Hea (Craughwell); Patrick McGrath (Oranmore Maree), Daithi Linnane (Turloughmore), Patrick Curley (Kilconieron); James Nevin (Abbeyknockmoy), Conor Lynskey (Liam Mellows), Kyle Cahill (Ballygar); Ultan Leen (Craughwell), Brendan McGuane (Beagh, 0-1); Kayn Boyle (Kilnadeema Leitrim, 0-2), Tom McAdam (Carnmore), Cathal Larkin (Tynagh Abbey/Duniry); Culan Leen (Craughwell, 1-0), Sean Deely (Clarinbridge, 0-1), Eoghan Mannion (Ballygar, 1-8, 0-5f, 0-1 65).

Subs used: Sean Dempsey (Kilconieron) for Nevin (31); Joe Lawless (Tynagh Abbey/Duniry) for Larkin (44); Tadgh Concannon (Killimordaly, 2-0) for McAdam (44).

Referee: Cian Ryan (Éire Óg Annacarty)

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