Sunday’s county hurling final at the Stadium will be something of a ‘blue’ day, though hopefully the jersey colours won’t serve as a metaphor for the action. Sarsfields, in search of their thirty-fourth county crown, carry strong favouritism against one-time winners Nenagh.
The stage is set then for a novel decider, one that hopefully will redeem a championship that at times has been pedestrian. Sarsfields have been the fancy all year though the memory of their quarter-final last year with Nenagh will encourage hopes that the sides are more evenly balanced than the odds might suggest.
Twelve months ago it took extra time and a monster free by Aidan McCormack to separate the sides. It was a goal-less tie, finishing 0-20 to 0-19, in a game, as I recall, of modest enough quality. Prior to that the sides also met in a quarter-final in ’09 when once again the blue of Sarsfields downed the blue of Eire Og. On that occasion a goal separated them, 1-18 to 0-18. Pa Bourke was top scorer, hitting ten points, half a dozen from play.
Nenagh’s only significant win over Sarsfields of modern vintage came in a 2007 quarter-final. Once more the margin was just three points, 4-17 to 3-17, before the lads from Ormond bowed out to Loughmore in the semi. The only other major meeting between the sides since the turn of the century was back in 2003 when once more Sarsfields won the day in a two-point semi-final game, 3-17 to 2-18.
There’s no doubt Sarsfields are the dominant force of the moment having replaced Toomevara at the top of the pile since their breakthrough year of 2005. They’ve been operating off a rich pool of resources. If you look at the fifteen that started in the semi-final against Kilruane, John Maher stood apart as the only player not to have worn the county jersey at some level from minor upwards.
It’s an extraordinary statistic. Even four of their substitutes the last day played county minor. Other clubs can only look on with envy. Such depth of talent is surely reflected in the fact that on Sunday next for the second year in succession they also play in the county intermediate final.
Mind you Nenagh aren’t short of players who’ve worn the blue and gold either. Two thirds of their semi-final side played ‘county’ at some level though unlike Sarsfields they lack present-day Tipp seniors.
Nenagh’s greatest day was back in 1995 when they put Boherlahan to the sword. It’s twenty years ago now but there’s a link with that team in Kevin Tucker who came on briefly in the quarter-final win over Portroe a few weeks back. Kevin played county minor in 1993 which means he hits forty this year. It’s a remarkable tribute to the guy’s enthusiasm and fitness that he’s still involved.
Nenagh are perennial challengers for county honours but so often they come up just short. Already this year they lost to both Toomevara and Templederry up North though their one-point win over Drom in the semi was something of a new departure. Hopefully it suggests a new-found tenacity ahead of Sunday.
Defensively they’re anchored by the Maloney brothers and their half line in particular is strong with Hugh Maloney flanked by Barry Heffernan, a Tipp senior panelist this year, and Daire Quinn, the hero of the day a fortnight ago with that winning point. Besides they tend to play a sweeper to reinforce the rearguard so a backline that held Seamie Callanan and company will feel well capable of defending against Lar Corbett and colleagues.
At midfield there’s no doubt that Michael Heffernan is the big contributor though his partner, Conor Ryan, was a county minor last year and is well able to deliver also. In attack Tommy Heffernan is the main score threat though Andrew Coffey took an excellent goal the last day, which helped to steady the ship after they were hit by two from Drom. In general though, the goal threat from Nenagh has been limited with their progress relying more on points from distance.
Sarsfields are well stocked with potential match winners in every line. They’ve lost Michael Gleeson to emigration though the experienced Kevin O’Gorman slotted in seamlessly to the defence the last day. Like Nenagh their half line is formidable with the Maher brothers patrolling alongside David Kennedy. Mickey Cahill tends to pick up the main threat from the opposition though Nenagh haven’t a stand out character on their full line.
At midfield Stephen Cahill is an impressive and consistent contributor for Sarsfields though Billy McCarthy’s form has dipped a little recently. Then you have that attack where Pa Bourke and Aidan McCormack offer the greatest threat and Denis Maher has the potential to be a match-winner on his day though his form has suffered a little since that injury in the Mid semi-final. Then there’s Lar, forever enigmatic though always capable of enlivening any game.
It’s a fascinating line up between two similarly styled teams. The bookies lean heavily towards Sarsfields and on known form it’s difficult to argue with such odds. Sars’ know how to win county finals – Nenagh don’t. Maybe that will change on Sunday; a Nenagh win would certainly be popular. It should be close but Nenagh have still to convince us that they can deliver on the big day.
Meanwhile the All Ireland is scarcely cold when attention turns to next year with the recently made draws. Apart from the rising, 2016 will also mark the centenary of a Tipperary All Ireland win over Kilkenny. A century ago a Boherlahan selection put in a storming finish to bring home the honours. Any chance of a reprise in 2016?
The draw has dealt us a tough hand. Cork, even in Thurles, will be testing opponents in the opening bout and should we survive that examination Limerick will be waiting in the semi. Retaining Munster will be extremely difficult before we harbor any notions of heading up the motorway to Croker.
The Cork preparations are already afoot with the appointment of Kieran Kingston as manager and his heavyweight cabinet of Diarmuid O’Sullivan, Pat Hartnett and Pat Ryan. There’s no shortage of ex-players there at a time when Michael Ryan seems to be struggling to coax Tipperary equivalents on board. Kingston was a sidekick to JBM in recent years and he’s expected to bring a more animated sideline presence next year.
In Munster you could make a coherent case for any of the five contenders. Cork’s new management will surely bring freshness to the scene and that bounce could well make them awkward opponents. Waterford will be building on their considerable progress in 2015. Limerick have the fillip of that U21 win to drive them on while Clare and Davy have much to prove after a two-year siesta following their 2013 win. Tipperary’s crown will sit uneasily in this company.
Dinny Cahill’s ratification as Limerick coach had to withstand some boardroom resistance down Shannonside. It’s hardly the best introduction to a county where the opposition has lined up before you organise a single drill. Perhaps Dinny’s past experiences as manager told against him though as a training-pitch organiser he’s seen as one of the best in the business. Anyway isn’t it ironic that we’re exporting so much coaching talent (Conor Gleeson to Offaly) at a time when Michael Ryan is struggling to fill his committee?
Finally I’ve been watching the rugby world cup, if that’s not considered heresy hereabouts! Actually my sporting likes decline from hurling through gaelic football, rugby and soccer – in that order. I’ve been impressed with the TMO system operated by the rugby people and I can well imagine it becoming part of big days at Croke Park in the future. I know some people argue that it has been over-used in this world cup but it causes minimal disruption to play and, of course, ensures that crucial decisions are almost always correct. Surely any system that aids referees in getting those crucial calls right is welcome. I’m always amazed that soccer hasn’t embraced this technology because the game seems tailor-made for such intervention with matches regularly decided by a few crucial decisions.
Another rugby practice that the GAA might usefully adopt is the rule on a ball being in touch. The touch judge has only to watch the player’s feet and if they hit the whitewash the ball is out. In GAA we look for the ball being out instead of the player, which is impossible to police in hurling particularly. How much easier if the linesman had simply to watch the feet of the player in possession. Worth considering.
