Nenagh Éire Óg saunter into decider with surprising ease over an abject Drom & Inch

FBD Insurance Senior Hurling Championship semi-final

Nenagh Eire Og 1-20

Drom & Inch 1-12

By Michael Dundon

Nobody predicted such a one-sided encounter as a rampant Nenagh Éire Óg outplayed Drom & Inch to a surprising degree in the FBD Insurance County Senior Hurling semi-final at Semple Stadium on Sunday, in an encounter that fell well below expectations due mainly to the below-par display by the Mid lads.

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News filtered through before the start that Nenagh stalwart Mikey Heffernan was ruled out through injury, and for a contest that pundits found difficult to predict, that seemed to tip the scales in Drom’s favour. Such a prediction could not have been further off the mark.

From the word go, Nenagh were in control, their mastery never seriously contested by a Drom & Inch side that never reached the level of more recent outings, and well before referee Michael Kennedy’s final whistle, spectators were leaving the stadium.

Explaining what happened Drom is not easy. In previous games they had been slow to get going but came storming into the exchanges in the latter stages.

This time there was no rally, no surge, as they bowed disappointingly tamely out of the championship. They will be greatly disappointed at losing, but much more so by the manner in which they lost, a late goal putting a better face on the result.

Nenagh were fortunate that, in the absence of Mikey Heffernan, their free-taker and team leader, they could turn to county man Sam O’Farrell, who was spot on in his shooting, accounting for nine of the Nenagh points from placed balls.

To top that, the introduction of Ben West to replace Heffernan reaped a rich dividend, West scoring 1-3 from play before departing the scene late on with the place in the final safely in the bag.

West had two points on the board and had another effort strike the woodwork as Nenagh established a 0-5 to 0-3 lead coming to the end of the first quarter.

Six unanswered points, three from O’Farrell frees, had them cruising at 0-10 to 0-3 after twenty-three minutes, and when the break came their advantage was 0-12 to 0-5, four Séamus Callanan pointed frees and another point from play from Podge Campion the Drom response. One Drom point from play in the first half tells its own story.

Two half-time substitutions reflected the discontent in the Drom camp, but things did not improve on the changeover, and the game was really put beyond their reach after forty minutes when Ben West benefited from Jake Morris’ good work to shoot past Eoin Collins in the Drom goal for a 1-15 to 0-6 lead.

Drom needed a goal to rally them. Séamus Callanan had a go from a close-in free, but it was parried. Points from John Campion and Séamus Callanan followed, but Nenagh’s Tommy Heffernan signalled his entry to the fray with two points in as many minutes. At the fifty-minute mark Nenagh were 1-17 to 0-9 ahead and untroubled.

The goal Drom craved finally came from sub Paudie Kinane two minutes from the end, too late to be of any consequence.

Nenagh’s only County Senior title was won in 1995, and their hopes of bridging a thirty-year gap are well-founded, though holders Loughmore Castleiney will start favourites. A win over Sarsfields was their most significant result in the group stages, but once into knockout competition they upped their game.

They like the spacious Semple Stadium arena and will be hoping to exploit the room there in the final. Mikey Heffernan’s availability for the decider will be keenly monitored, but the semi-final showed they have quality on the bench to call upon.

Ben West’s 1-3 from play was a huge contribution and should ensure him a starting place in the final. Barry Heffernan was imperious at the heart of their defence, his reading of the game and use of possession impeccable.

Mason Cawley was also impressive at wing-back in a defence that closed down the threat posed by former county star Séamus Callanan. Josh Keller’s work in attack was noteworthy, with Jake Morris and Tommy Heffernan’s contributions also crucial to their cause.

It was a hugely disappointing display by Drom & Inch, probably their worst of the campaign. They never got going, and there was none of the conviction or intensity of more recent outings. There will be some head-scratching in its wake to determine what went wrong.

Eoin Collins was confident and capable in goal all through, with Podge Campion, Fintan Purcell, and Robbie Long doing their utmost to get things moving. They made little impression up front, veteran Johnny Ryan their best attacker when introduced. An early injury to David Collins took its toll on him and reduced their attacking options.

Scorers: Nenagh Éire Óg: Sam O'Farrell 0-9f, Ben West 1-3, Jake Morris, Tommy Heffernan 0-2 each, Mason Cawley, Barry Heffernan, Philip Hickey, James Mackey all 0-1 each.

Drom & Inch: Seamus Callanan 0-6f), Johnny Ryan (0-3, 0-1f), Paudie Kinane 1-0, Podge Campion, John Campion, Fintan Purcell 0-1 each.

Nenagh Éire Óg: Dermot McTiernan; Conor Hennessy, Mark Carey, Jake Donnellan Houlihan; Paddy Murphy, Barry Heffernan, Mason Cawley; Conor Ryan, James Mackey; Josh Keller, Jake Morris, Sam O’Farrell; Ben West, Philip Hickey, Adam Carey.

Subs used: Tommy Heffernan for A Carey (36); Adam Healy for West (53); Adam Gratton for Donnelan Houlihan (60); Sean Phelan for Mackey (60).

Drom & Inch: Eoin Collins; Robbie Long, Fintan Purcell, Kevin Hassett; Mark Conroy, Podge Campion, Michael Campion; Lorcan Campion, Cormac Cahill; Eoghan Kennedy, David Collins, John Campion; Seamus Callanan, John Ryan, Cormac Fitzpatrick.

Subs used: David Butler for J Ryan (HT); Johnny Ryan for C Cahill (HT); Paudie Kinane for M Campion (40); Jamie Bergin for Fitzpatrick (60); Jack Lillis for Conroy (60).

Referee: Michael Kennedy (Newcastle)