HARTY CUP REWIND: Doughan senior lined out for Nenagh CBS in their last final against Flannan's!

DR HARTY CUP FINAL 1990 

St FLANNAN'S 0-10

NENAGH CBS 0-3

The brave efforts of Nenagh CBS to capture their first ever Harty Cup title ended in disappointment in the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick, on Sunday last, when the Nenagh boys were completely outgunned by a stronger and more experienced St Flannans side.

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The biggest hindrance for Nenagh on the day seemed to be their inability to rid themselves of the big match nerves, as they never settled at any point in the game and became grossly intimidated by the intensity of the occasion.

In retrospect, I don’t think it would be taking from Flannans’ victory one bit if I were to say that they didn’t come up against the true worth of their Nenagh opponents on Sunday last. The truth of the matter was that Nenagh never got into this game at all; rather, they wilted under the tremendous pressure that always accompanies an appearance in a Harty Cup final.

For Flannans this was just another in a long line of final appearances, but for Nenagh it was an historic first, and rather than settling down to play the brand of hurling they are well capable of, they buckled when the push came.

It has to be said, however, that this was a poor reflection on the Nenagh side, who were, on the day, far from being at their best. Sunday’s game might tend to suggest to a neutral observer that the Flannans squad would have to admit that they came up against a different side on Sunday from the one which had produced herculean performances against Ard Scoil Rís, Abbey CBS and Shannon.

Nenagh were missing the cutting edge which saw them excel in their semi-final performance and they appeared to be overawed by the physical strength and pace of their opponents.

Nenagh experienced a similar problem in the centre of their defence, where their usual stalwart, Brian Gaynor, had a very off-form, poor showing. Flannans captain, James O’Connor, wreaked havoc in the Nenagh defence from the outset, finishing with seven points in all, six of which were from play.

Five or six players attempted to mark O’Connor during the game, but they met with little success, as they did with Meaney in the middle of the field. Together with Andrew Whelan, O’Connor and his St. Joseph’s club team-mate led their side by example.

Nenagh’s inability to cope with their opponents was also reflected in their poor use of possession. They struggled to string passes together and were often guilty of striking hopeful balls into crowded areas.

Their first attack came when Mark Langton won possession and drove forward, but this was a rare occurrence. Nenagh spent most of their time trying to counter attacks rather than being able to mount a few of their own.

Indeed, it wasn’t until well into the second half that Nenagh managed to put even a little bit of respectability into the final scoreline. After the turnaround, Nenagh rang the changes again. This time Ronan Hogan came on for Mark Langton, Denis Hogan moved to full-forward, Brian Flannery went onto the wing, and Mark Sheahan moved back into his original position at centre-back.

These moves were not allowed to prove beneficial, however, for with only five minutes played in the second half, it was O’Connor who again popped up to point from play.

Even at this early stage, with over 25 minutes to go, spectators were wondering how much the final margin would be, rather than whether Nenagh would be able to make a comeback, because the simple truth was that they were never going to be able to get their game together on this occasion.

O’Connor pointed again in the 11th minute and, although it took fourteen minutes for Flannans to score their next point through Andrew Whelan, they still remained firmly in control of the game.

The Nenagh defence tried hard in the second half, with Conroy, Troy, Corry and Connolly being particularly impressive, but up front the signs were not so positive, with Nenagh having only two shots on goal in this time, both of which were wide of the posts.

It was only in the final ten minutes of the game that the Nenagh boys really got their game together and played something like the brand of hurling of which we know they are capable. John Doughan was very unlucky not to have a goal in the 23rd minute when Scanlan, in the Flannans net, pulled off a brilliant save from point-blank range.

With eight minutes to go, Chris Madden was brought on and Nenagh goaled out of the blue when the ball was floated into the square, but again excellent point-taking from Flannans ensured there was no dramatic finish.

Nenagh can take consolation from the fact that this was their first ever appearance in a Harty Cup final and, with many of the players still under age, they will surely benefit from the experience. For the moment, however, the crestfallen Nenagh side must accept defeat and look to the future.

SCORERS: NENAGH CBS: Mark Sheahan 0-2, John Doughan 0-1 (free).

ST FLANNAN’S: Jamesie O’Connor (0-7, 0-1 free), Andrew Whelan 0-3.

NENAGH CBS: Chris Madden (Portroe); Sean Kelly (Kiladangan), Derek Conroy (Nenagh Éire Óg), Eamon Troy (Moneygall); Con Howard (Nenagh Éire Óg), Brian Gaynor (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Brian Connolly (Nenagh Éire Óg); Mark Sheahan (Nenagh Éire Óg), Eddie Tucker (Nenagh Éire Óg); Denis Hogan (Portroe), Brian Flannery (Kiladangan), John Doughan (Moneygall); Eoin Daly (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Fergal Hynes (Nenagh Éire Óg), Mark Langton (Nenagh Éire Óg).

ST FLANNAN’S: B. Scanlan, K. Quinn, F. Callanan, P. Biggot, T. Corbett, A. Murphy, D. McCarthy, M. Meaney, D. Tobin, G. Quinlan, J. O’Connor (capt.), T. McEnery, J. Healy, A. O’Connor.

REFEREE: Terrence Murray (Limerick)

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