'We will give the best possible account of ourselves' - Dunphy and Upperchurch target Munster glory

Upperchurch Drombane stand on the brink of history this Saturday evening when they face O’Callaghan’s Mills of Clare in the Munster Club Senior Hurling Championship final at TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. 

READ NEXT: Tipp legends give telling accounts of All-Ireland wins and careers in intimate interview

For manager Liam Dunphy, a Roscrea native, and coach James McGrath from Toomevara, the adventure has already gone far beyond anything they imagined when they returned to the club.

Speaking ahead of the final, Dunphy admits that a provincial decider was nowhere in their thoughts when they rejoined the setup last year. The aim then was simple. Restore Upperchurch to senior status and rebuild momentum after a difficult period.

“It absolutely was not on the radar,” Dunphy said. “Our aim, and what we had said to the club, was that we would do our very best to get the lads back up. We got close last year, did not get to where we wanted to go, and we went into a new season after that disappointment.

"It is hard to get off to the same momentum again. We took a totally different approach. But we are where we are now, and we want to win this one. We are the only club left in Tipperary in the Munster Championship, and it is our aim to give the best possible account of ourselves on Saturday evening in Limerick.”

Dunphy’s return to the role came quickly after his previous stint, prompted by the club hierarchy and driven by a strong bond that developed between management and parish.

In his first stint, he helped Upperchurch Drombane to a senior county semi-final appearance in 2022, where they lost narrowly to eventual champions Kilruane MacDonaghs, and after they left, it opened a big hole to be filled.

“At the time, myself and James McGrath were the two lads from outside helping out,” he said. “I would say we have made friends for life in Upperchurch and maybe vice versa.

"We do this for the love of the game, the love of hurling more than anything else. The former chairman came and asked if we would come back to give a hand.

"It was a pretty automatic decision. You get lots of phone calls in the GAA but this was an easy one to say yes to. It was disappointing not to get over the line last year but thank God we got to where we wanted to this year.”

The margins have been tight throughout this campaign. A fortunate goal in the group stages helped keep Upperchurch alive, but their performances have grown steadily, culminating in an impressive display against Ballinhassig in the Munster semi-final.

“Since we have got into the bigger pitches, we have tended to play better,” Dunphy said. “A couple of our best performances have been in Semple Stadium. Hopefully, the Gaelic Grounds, which is a similar wide-open pitch, will suit us again.

"We want to bring our own brand of hurling, implement our game plan on the Clare lads, set the tone and lead from the front. We know we are underdogs but we want to finish with the result we are looking for on Saturday evening.”

Their opponents, O’Callaghan’s Mills, come in with strong form and a belief that they too have unfinished business after dropping to the second tier in Clare.

“I know a bit about them and always did,” Dunphy said. “They went down and pretty much automatically came back up. They got back a few players they were missing.

"They have a full outfit this year. They were missing some key players this time last year. They had a reasonably comfortable county final, they came back well against Abbeydorney, and they put in a really good performance against Tallow.

"They finished strong. They are a good team, and we know what they will bring.”

READ NEXT: BIG NEWS! Nearly €300k boost for Tipperary as Munster GAA confirms 2025 club grants

Upperchurch Drombane have already rewritten their story over the past two seasons. On Saturday, they will attempt to add the most memorable chapter of all.