Big prize on offer for winners of Tipperary Premier Intermediate Hurling final

Carrick Swan will be hoping to make amends for their defeat in last year’s decider when they face Upperchurch/Drombane in Sunday’s FBD Insurance County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship final.

The game goes ahead at 12.30 on Sunday at FBD Semple Stadium, as the curtain-raiser to the county senior final between Loughmore/Castleiney and Drom/Inch at 3.45.

Swan lost out to Cashel King Cormacs in the 2024 final on a 2-17 to 0-19 scoreline.

They had dominated for 40 minutes, but a fortunate goal on the 40-minute mark from a long-range free by county star Eoghan Connolly completely changed the course of the game.

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That score gave Cashel the impetus to go on and take control, and claim victory.

Twelve months later they are back in the final, determined to reclaim their senior status.

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The Carrick-on-Suir team is liberally sprinkled with talent and backboned by players such as brothers Gavin and Aaron O’Halloran, who were panellists on Tipperary’s All-Ireland-winning senior team.

Aaron O’Halloran was also on the Tipperary Under 20 team that won this year’s All-Ireland crown, while Callum Lanigan and Stefan Tobin were on the extended panel.

Swan beat Boherlahan/Dualla by 2-18 to 0-21 in the county semi-final, thanks in no small part to goals from Aaron Dunne that were scored immediately before and after half-time.

Gavin O’Halloran and Stefan Tobin were their main driving forces while Scott Hogan, Dean Waters, Aaron Dunne, Aaron O’Halloran and free-taker Calum Lanigan also made significant contributions.

Swan have been in highly impressive form throughout the season.

They rewrote the history books during the summer by retaining their Clonmel Oil South Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship title with a convincing win over Killenaule in the final, their superiority more pronounced than the five-points winning margin (1-17 to 0-15) would suggest.

It was the first time since the 1980s that they won back-to-back titles and they are the club with the most senior hurling titles (26) in the division.

Victory on Sunday would be the icing on the cake for a club that has such a proud and distinguished tradition.

Upperchurch/Drombane are standing in their way of a return to the senior ranks.

“The Church” were trailing by two points with just five minutes remaining of their semi-final clash against Gortnahoe/Glengoole. But they pulled the game out of the fire with a spirited late surge that yielded three points.

Throughout the championship they have grown in strength and confidence, as evidenced by their late sprint against Gortnahoe/Glengoole, when those late scores from Paudie Greene, Luke Shanahan’s free and man of the match Paddy Phelan got them across the line by 0-20 to 0-19.

Phelan scored six points from play, a return that makes Swan only too well aware that he will need some watching on Sunday.

Others including Keith Ryan, Luke Shanahan, Paudie Greene, Paul Shanahan and goalkeeper Ciaran Shortt also played influential roles in the win.

With Upperchurch bidding to return to the county’s top tier of club hurling after a two-year absence, the final promises to be a cracking contest.