Harty Cup final the latest in ongoing saga of underage clashes between Tipp and Clare

Tipperary and Clare have been the dominant forces in the underage hurling landscape in the last four to five years.

And the proof is very much there to support that notion.

Both counties have put huge work into underage structures and development squads in recent years and it has more than reaped benefits on the field of play, on both sides of the Shannon.

The last three Munster and All-Ireland titles have been won by the counties with Tipperary winning the double in 2022 and 2024 while the Banner claimed Munster honours in 2023 and went on to clinch just their second All-Ireland title at the grade later that summer.

So, it is no coincidence whatsoever that the last four winners of the coveted Harty Cup have been from these counties too. 

St. Flannan’s College and St. Joseph’s Tulla claimed the titles in 2020 and 2022 respectively, before the Tipperary schools went on to claim their own glory in the past two seasons with Cashel Community School and Nenagh CBS lifting the coveted school’s hurling trophy for the very first time.

Along with the winners, the overall make-up of the finallists in that same timeframe is extremely intriguing too.

The beaten finalists in 2022 and 2024 were Ardscoil Rís and with a huge Clare representation in their ranks in those losses, it is a de facto Clare academy in a lot of ways.

The Limerick school had six players from the Banner play in 2022, with an even bigger representation following in the 2024 loss to Nenagh CBS with ten players (half of the 20 players that saw game time).

In essence, there has been a significant monopoly on the players who have had success in schools and juvenile level in Munster and that continues this weekend at pace; especially when you add in the U19B Munster schools final between Clonmel High School and Scarriff Community School.

The spread of players is notable too, especially in the context of Clare’s resurgence as a hurling force in recent years.

The Banner County has won 24 Harty titles in its history, but St. Joseph’s Tulla’s maiden Harty Cup victory in 2022 represented just their third school to lift the accolade, with St. Flannan’s claiming 22 of the victories that came mostly through its success as a go-to boarding school that harboured hurling talent from across the country.

That boarding tradition ended in 2005 and so, all of the success in the time since has come from nurtured homegrown talent.

With all that said and done, the rivalry between the players in the last half-decade has produced some incredible contests, with teams across underage intercounty and school competitions registering success over the other throughout. 

What that should mean is that this Saturday’s contest will be a memorable one and will surely continue the recent rich tradition of competition between the counties.