‘Ne’er cast a clout till May be out’ is a well known ancient English proverb. It warns against the treachery of the month of May and the danger of casting off winter clothes too soon. Beware the unexpected cold snap.
Well, for some of our local clubs May has brought a chilly end to their hurling season. Toomevara is out before the May month has expired. They lost to Kildangan on Sunday in the North division, an outcome which brings down the curtain on their 2016 championship season.
How the mighty have fallen! For a decade and a half, or thereabouts, they were the undisputed monarchs of Tipperary hurling. Between 1992 and 2008 they won eleven out of seventeen county titles on offer. The only blemish is the absence of an All Ireland and in that regard they were unlucky; some years the path can be smoother than others.
I was reminded of their fate while reading Joe Brolly’s obituary of Derry football in Sunday’s ‘Indo’. “Toomevara senior hurling team passed away peacefully on Sunday May 29 following a long illness …” I don’t know for sure if they went peacefully but it has definitely been a long drawn-out demise. Their last North win was in 2011, three years after their last county.
I suspect being ‘out’ before the end of May is probably unfamiliar territory for them and no doubt it raises issues about a structure which sees hurlers redundant before we even reach high summer. J.K. Bracken’s too can moth-ball the hurleys in May following a thrashing from Moycarkey/Borris at the weekend. For other weekend losers like Silvermines (minus Jason Forde) and Moneygall there is nothing but the unwelcome prospect of relegation to keep them coming to the field. I suppose it’s all a consequence of our over-populated senior grade where you simply can’t have everyone hurling into August/ September and beyond.
Anyway for Toome’ it’s the downside of a cycle and I’ve no doubt, given their tradition, they’ll come again. The one aspect I couldn’t understand this year was the arrival of ‘Sparrow’ O’Loughlin as coach. These guys usually opt for up-and-coming teams rather than one on the way down.
In the case of Upperchurch in Mid Tipperary their hurling season sits on the edge too following defeat to Drom/Inch in their delayed county round last Friday evening. Nothing bar a first-ever Mid title will keep them in the hunt now and that campaign kicks off with a tricky opener against Loughmore/Castleiney.
Those of us who went to Templemore for this game on Friday evening got good value from a fascinating clash. It was a must-win tie for both in their county group and the high stakes ensured a really gripping collision.
Waterford’s Sean Prendergast has returned to the Ragg this year and following a wobbly start – they could only draw with Bracken’s in April – they’ve now got their season firmly back on track. They needed to be in good form for this game because Upperchurch are formidable opponents.
It was level at half time, 0-9 apiece. The sweepers dominated, particularly James Woodlock who swept up an amount of ball for Drom on his own ‘forty’. Callanan was isolated in attack but looked dangerous. It strikes me that he has a much more complete game now. The high fetching is one aspect but he’s very effective too chasing the diagonal ball out to the wing. He’s fast, amazingly nimble on his feet for a big man, and can he score? James Barry couldn’t handle him on Friday.
On the stroke of half time Callanan made one great fetch before cracking the ball off the base of the post. It was a let-off for the ‘Church for whom Paul Ryan hit some excellent frees in the opening half and Pat Shortt had Eamon Buckley in trouble at the other end. One great aerial fetch by the shorter one stood out in that half. Sadly, the ‘Church full forward had to limp off before half time with what looked like a hamstring problem.
In the second half Drom struggled to pull away from their neighbours. They went four-up but were reeled in once again, substitute Paudie Greene having a major impact. Unfortunately Paul Ryan missed a few crucial frees, which would have kept them in tow, and then a few stand-out inputs from Drom tilted the game their way.
First a few classy points from Johnny Ryan were big scores and then the game’s only goal really decided it. David Butler made the initial break but when his shot was parried, substitute, Jamie Bergin, whipped it in from the right corner. Callanan came close to a spectacular individual goal when soloing in from the right wing before being crowded out by a hard-working ‘Church defence. Later he won a ‘penalty’ when four-up and decided to take the point. It was a sensible option given the tightness of this game though one part of me wanted him to go for it as rehearsal for the county.
In the end Drom had a slightly flattering six to spare but this was hard won. I love the honesty of Upperchurch who’ve been unlucky in recent years and could well find themselves out of the reckoning early this year again. They deserve better. A financial style hurling rating agency would surely place them among the top five or six teams in the championship but once again they’re unlikely to make the last twelve for the Dan Breen. That said, their Mid game with Loughmore will be interesting.
For Drom it’s an important step as they shape up to another tilt at the Mid and county. With Callanan in this form anything is possible.
Meanwhile the aftermath of our Munster win over Cork has seen much more focus on the rebels than on Tipperary. Cork is either in crisis or in transition depending on your source. It’s exactly how you’d want it with the glare of publicity taken off Tipperary. We tend to get carried away in this county with a win – any win – so keeping the spotlight elsewhere is welcome. The general consensus within Tipperary sees it as a job done, a necessary win secured, but having little other significance in the longer term.
The focus will now switch to the Limerick game and the possible line out for that challenge. Jason Forde missed his club’s match at the weekend, so hopefully it’s not a long term problem. Incidentally John O’Keeffe, who was on the bench for the Cork game, suffered a bad ankle injury at the weekend against Golden in a Crosco Cup game in the West. Monitoring these injuries now in the weeks ahead will be an anxious occupation for Mick Ryan and company.
Elsewhere that Westmeath U21 win over Kilkenny was the talk of the hurling world all week. When Eddie Brennan was put in charge of this outfit it was seen as an indicator of how seriously Kilkenny was approaching its underage set-up. To be out of the minor and U21 races now before May has run its course was certainly not part of the blueprint. All this happened on a week when word spread that Richie Hogan will miss the early stages of the championship due to a hand break sustained in club action.
Brennan’s tweet after the game made the news too. It’s amazing the effect that capitalisation can have on a simple comment such as ‘heart and REAL desire won out’. By any reading it comes across as a jab at his own players whose desire was something less than real. Don’t expect Cody to promote any of these players too soon.
Of course the final whistle was barely sounded in Mullingar when you had others lauding Westmeath’s hurlers as the Leicester of the U21 championship. I swear I’ll puke if I hear this Leicester analogy being used any more. Ciaran Carey started the trend back in the spring when he described his Kerry hurlers as Leicester in the making. He won’t like being reminded of that now.
People can so easily get carried away.
