PREVIEW: Nenagh CBS one game away from first Harty Cup final appearance since 2012

TUS Dr Harty Cup Munster PPS U19A Hurling Semi-Final

Nenagh CBS vs Charleville CBS, Saturday, January 20th in Cappamore @ 2 pm

Nenagh CBS are just one game away from their first Dr Harty Cup final appearance since 2012, as they get ready with great confidence to face Charleville CBS in Cappamore in Saturday’s second semi-final in Cappamore.

It is unusual to have such a linear form line of teams getting to this stage of the competition, particularly two teams who came from the same three-team group, but here we are and we can expect a similarly close contest.

As mentioned, these teams faced off in the opening round of Group D back in October on what was a putrid day for hurling in Meelick, with Nenagh eeking out a narrow win in the game late on.

Nenagh managed to come away from that game with a 1-12 to 1-8 win by the time the final whistle sounded, but there was just a single point between the sides going into additional time, but the Tipperary school stuck their heels in and a brilliantly fired an injury time goal from Danny Quinn sealed the win in what proved a decisive win for Nenagh to top the group.

At the start of the year, even the most fervent of Nenagh CBS followers couldn’t have predicted the ease at which the north Tipp school have progressed to this stage, and the unique manner of which is noteworthy too in that, should Donach O’Donnell’s side progress to the final, they will have done so by beating Cork teams in all their games to get there!

Credit has to go to the players of course who have performed very well in all their matches and the Dean Ryan Cup success seems to have pushed the older players in terms of confidence, and that was evident in the facile quarter-final win over CBC Cork last week.

Knowing you have beaten an opponent earlier in the competition is surely a psychological advantage for Nenagh, and with the likes of Darragh McCarthy, Eoin Doughan, Ciaran Foley, and Danny Quinn hurling well, they have a very solid base and have some good impact from the bench also if things are going pear-shaped.

For their lot, Charleville will be full of retribution in this game and will be desperate to exact a form of revenge on Nenagh. They will feel they were unlucky to come out on the wrong side of the group encounter in October, and since then they have hurled well, securing their place in the knockout stages by easing past Árdscoil Uí Urmaltaigh Bandon before producing a top performance to de-throne reigning champions Cashel CS by a single point in the preliminary quarter-final back in November.

It is hard to believe that this is the Cork school’s first year back at A level in six years, and the win over near rivals and Harty Cup regulars Midleton CBS in the quarter-final proper was a huge result for them and it will have them in a good headspace going into this game.

Chris Dunne, Eoin O’Mahoney, and Gareth Gleeson, are in terrific form for the Cork side, and throwing the impressive long-range free-taking of goalie Kieran Murphy into the mix, they will have plenty of avenues to cause Nenagh hassle.

There is so much at stake for both schools who have had lengthy waits to get to another final - Charleville last appearing in the decider in 2011 - and it should add a huge element of drama in what will be a relentless contest if the group game is to go by.