Tipperary will be watching and willing Cashel King Cormacs in the Munster final

The central authorities of the GAA may have turned their backs on the Under 21 grade, but locally it remains a treasured competition. Since its introduction hereabouts in the late fifties and early sixties it’s been a popular grade, one which rarely fails to produce the goods.

Sunday last at Golden was no exception, as Clonoulty/Rossmore and Carrick Swan went toe-to-toe in a gripping encounter. The second half especially had the attendance agog as the issue swung this way and that before finally settling in favour of the West side.

There’s something about this grade, one which always seems to deliver quality entertainment. Maybe it’s the purity of effort from lads, many of whom have just left the teenage maelstrom and are on the cusp of full adulthood. It’s something of a final fling before senior competition becomes their sole outlet.

The pity is that it’s relegated to the back end of the year when conditions are never ideal for players or spectators. First touches - the most important skill of the game in my book - were often faulty on Sunday, when conditions were dry but blustery. Still, it’s a slight quibble when we can enjoy such live hurling entertainment in late November.

Part of the thrill of this game was the sustained uncertainty. It veered this way and that, with each side enjoying their spells of dominance; you were never sure how it was going to end.

The first half typified the see-saw nature of the contest. Swans made the better start into the diagonal wind but were then rocked by Clonoulty’s opening goal.

Stephen Ferncombe sent in a cross from the right sideline, which seemed to deceive Swan’s goalie on the bounce before nestling in the corner of the net.

It was advantage Clonoulty then at 1-3 to 0-3 but Swan’s response was admirable. They reeled off the next three points to cancel that goal; Callum Lanigan landed a free before county minor starlet, Stefan Tobin, struck two beauties.

However, the second quarter belonged to Clonoulty. Swans failed to raise another flag before half-time, whereas Clonoulty hit five into the Mantlehill end. The West champions got a grip on the game, looking tight in defence and dangerous in attack. Stephen Ferncombe landed two frees and Robert Doyle landed two from play. Alex Carroll supplied the fifth, his second of the half, to send them to the break five-up, 1-8 to 0-6.

Five-up became six shortly after resuming when Ferncombe landed another free, this time from the sharpest of angles out on the right sideline. It would be the biggest margin of the day because this game still had many twists and turns to enthral the attendance.

The one guarantee with Carrick Swan is that there will be no dip in effort; true to form they weren’t going to fade out of this contest. Two minutes into the second half they got a crucial reviving goal. Darragh Dunne set it up, winning possession and laying off to Callum Lanigan, who batted first-time to the roof of the net.

It was now a rip-roaring contest, with huge effort coming from both sides; there were plenty of rucks, many heavy hits but all refereed sensibly by Ciaran Donovan. Callum Lanigan had his second point from play in the second half, a super score from the sideline, and Sean Power drove a huge one from full back to leave just the minimum between the sides.

Crucially, Clonoulty brought Robert Doyle to half back in a bid to curb Callum Lanigan, with Danny Slattery going into the attack where Aaron O’Halloran was having a fine game for Swan. It was coming down to fine margins now.

Into the final quarter and the game hit a major crescendo with three goals in about ninety seconds of frantic play. Swans struck first. Stefan Tobin won possession in front of goal but had to drift out to the right corner to find space for the shot that once again shivered the netting.

From six-down, Swans were now one-up, but the cheers had hardly abated when Clonoulty retaliated. Seamus Kennedy and Frank O’Dwyer worked the ball in from the left corner for Alex Carroll to first-time to the net. However, in ping-pong fashion Swans hit the front again when Darragh Dunne slipped one inside the right post for their third major.

It was a breathtaking end-to-end spectacle now, with the outcome on a cliff edge. Another Stephen Ferncombe free levelled the game before Stefan Tobin again edged the Swans ahead with around seven minutes to play.

At the climax Swans were left to rue a series of four or five crucial wides. Then came the match-deciding score. With four minutes of normal time remaining, Stephen Ferncombe faced up to a free from just outside the 65-metre line. No doubt he aimed for the leveller but the shot dipped short and ended in the net. Seamus Kennedy was challenging under the drop but whether or not there was a touch from either forward or defender was unclear.

Cruelly for Swans, it was the match winner. Seamus Kennedy pounced for a late point to push the lead out to three and Clonoulty’s goalmouth had to withstand a few scary scrambles before the final whistle sounded. Clonoulty’s defence, with Jamie Davern outstanding, held firm.

At the crunch, the breaks had gone Clonoulty’s way and that was the difference. Soft goals and bad wides cost Swans dearly. Credit, though, to both teams for a marvellous winter spectacle in this much-maligned grade.

Clonoulty now await the other semi-final this weekend when Holycross face Borris-Ileigh. The Mid champions are the favourites in what has become a golden underage era for the club.

In the meantime, Cashel King Cormacs travel to the TUS Gaelic Grounds on Saturday for a Munster showdown with Cork’s Watergrasshill. I notice that at least one betting outlet has the King Cormacs listed as favourites to win out the All-Ireland series, just marginally ahead of the Cork champions and Kilkenny’s Lisdowney.

I tend to look at the past record of counties to try and assess the relative strengths of their club championships. In that regard, for example, Kilkenny clubs have won six of the last ten All-Irelands at intermediate level, which suggests a very strong club championship Noreside. Cork clubs have won five of the last ten Munster titles.

In the overall roll of honour, Kiladangan’s win in 2004/05 is the only Tipperary success at national level, though Silvermines won Munster in 2012. Tipperary’s hopes now rest with a Cashel KC team that has shown great perseverance in previous games, regularly coming from behind.

They face a tough one against a Watergrasshill side managed by our own Eddie Enright. The Cork intermediate win this year against Carrigaline was a first for the club and was something of a surprise after they’d struggled in previous years.
Interestingly, they have a number of players who were part of the Imokilly divisional side, which won the Cork senior championship this year.

These include Daire O’Leary at centre back as well as Adam Murphy and Sean Desmond in attack. Defender, Kevin O’Neill, came on as a replacement in the Cork senior final. In total Watergrasshill had seven panellists with Imokilly, which would suggest quite a strong flank to the team. They had seven points to spare over Wolfe Tones of Shannon in the semi-final.

Watchers of Cashel King Cormacs are still a bit unsure about the true merit of the side. There’s quality there, for sure, but their performances have been uneven. This would be the perfect opportunity to deliver a big one. Tipperary will be watching and willing their efforts.

SEE ALSO: Two Tipperary teams will play Munster Club football finals in Mallow

Finally, Tipperary football got a boost last weekend, with Loughmore and Aherlow qualifying for senior and intermediate deciders respectively. They’ll both face Kerry opposition next weekend.