The big one is in the bag after heroes of Cashel Community School make history

Cashel has a new dynasty of kings. The class of 2023 has gone where none went before – Harty heroes and kings of Munster after a mighty tussle with Thurles CBS.

They say that good things come to those who wait and it has certainly been a long wait for the Harty trophy to return to west Tipperary. The Abbey win of 1959 was a lifetime ago so Harty medallists are as rare as hens’ teeth in the region.

Now a new batch of holders has emerged not only in Cashel but in surrounding parishes like Fethard, Golden, Knockavilla and Boherlahan. The collective feelgood factor that this generates in the region is not to be scoffed at - nor the promotional value for hurling to be understated. This is big.

The game itself won’t be recalled as the prettiest of hurling spectacles but that will hardly bother Cashel. The result is what counts and Eanna Ormond’s late winner has made history. It’s really the stuff of dreams.

The first half was very tentative. For whatever reason there was a lot of effort but little flow to the match. Both attacks were being neutralised so we got to half-time with a 0-5 to 0-4 score line. Only three points from play in that period further underlined the compressed nature of the game.

I guess that’s the play pattern that Cashel would have wished for. Flicking through the match programme, I was struck by the contrasting pathways the teams had taken to the final. Apart from their quarter-final with St Colman’s, the CBS had blown everyone else out of the water. Their average winning margin was just over thirteen points. They were racking up big totals in most games.

By contrast, Cashel’s average margin was two points. Three points was the biggest gap in any game and they had two one-pointers.

Given the Thurles firepower then, an open shootout would have suited their play, whereas Cashel needed to keep this one very tight and subdued. And the experience of tight finishes was a definite plus on the Cashel side when this game came down to a cliff-edge ending.

The play improved somewhat in the second half and there were pockets of quality hurling, though it still remained predominantly an arm wrestle. Midway through the period Cashel went three-up after fine scores from Oisín O’Donoghue and Adam Daly but Thurles quickly responded through Bill Flanagan, Tommy Maher (free) and Robbie Stapleton. It was level heading into the final five minutes.

Cashel, however, one sensed, were winning the physical battle and their campaign had taught them how to navigate these tight endings. David McGrath put them a point up before another huge free from Tommy Maher levelled matters entering added time.

Then came Eanna Ormond’s coup de grace. He’d worked tigerishly throughout and now somehow found the wriggle room to avoid the hook and get away his shot for the precious winner. I doubt if he’ll ever again hit a more famous point.

Despite their supremacy Cashel lived dangerously in the final quarter. Missed chances from play and frees prevented them from putting the game safe and left the rest of us with jangling nerves. It was all part of the late drama that kept tension high.

Ger O’Dwyer won the man of the match gong and I don’t think anyone would question that decision. He was colossal at the heart of the Cashel defence, fetching from the air, covering the breaks, breaking out with ball in hand and raking huge clearances that utterly frustrated Thurles.

Unfortunately, at the moment he’s without a club as his attempted transfer, together with his brother, Brian Óg, from Rosegreen to Boherlahan is once again facing an objection. Rosegreen’s objection to the initial transfer request last year was understandable but, like Kickhams in recent years, there comes a point in these disputes where you need to back off and let the authorities decide. Otherwise, all you achieve is deeper division and bitterness, none of which benefits your club.

While Ger was the pillar post in that defence on Sunday, Jack Quinlan was another solid anchor and the other four took inspiration from them in front of an untroubled Tommy Breen in goal. The fact that Thurles managed a mere four points from play over the entire game is testament to the togetherness of the defensive unit.

Elsewhere, Cashel had worker bees all over the park. Shane Buckley and Oisín O’Donoghue put in huge shifts and nobody covered more ground than Adam Daly. Ronan Connolly had some mixed luck with the frees but otherwise contributed soundly to the success as did Ben Currivan, Eanna Ormond, David McGrath and Fabian Ryan.

In fact it was the collective here that won out more than individuals. All year the team has shown a hardy resilience, a hard-nosed ability to face the odds and grind out wins in the toughest of situations. That takes character and these lads have shown it in abundance.

For the CBS it must be a bitter disappointment. Their free-scoring machine of previous games suddenly met a gear change and wasn’t able to respond. I suspect they over-reacted with some of the second half substitutions. Seeing the big scorers from previous games called ashore before the final quarter must have been a great boost for the Cashel defence and, in truth, did nothing to bolster the efforts of the CBS.

I thought Tommy Maher was excellent for Thurles at midfield, with centre back, Jim Ryan, not far behind. Their defence in general kept a very tight rein on the Cashel attack with Eoin Horgan in goal, like his counterpart at the other end, having nothing too hot to handle. The problems were in attack where Cashel closed off all avenues.

So, the Cashel class of 2023 has made history. Wherever the Harty Cup is mentioned in future their names will be recalled. The All-Ireland series awaits but the big one is in the bag.

I’m particularly thrilled for manager Brendan Ryan, who has laboured long with little luck in this cause. The refusal by the GAA Management Committee to play their B All-Ireland final against St Brendan’s of Birr because of Covid was shameful then and even more shameful now in hindsight. Brendan’s steady hand has been a big part of this Cashel CS success story. Nobody more deserves this moment in the sun.

Elsewhere Liam Cahill got his national league run off to a successful start with a rout of Laois at the Stadium on Saturday. Free-flowing and fluent from the off, the visitors were swept aside with minimal fuss. An end margin of twenty points was quite a contrast to last year’s gap of four at O’Moore Park.

It’s not one that will have taught the manager anything that a challenge match or a stiff training stint wouldn’t reveal. That’s not the management’s fault when you have an outclassed opposition, but it is sensible to keep things in context.

On the plus side the early-season vibe from the camp continues to be most positive. The side looks fit and anxious to impress, with keen competition for places. Besides, they’re playing a smart style of hurling, mixing long and short with plenty of running off the ball creating openings.

The margin was ten points at half-time, Seamus Kennedy’s goal supplemented by a free-flow of points led by Gearoid O’Connor, who made a notable impression. Bonner Maher too was impressive as a worker/supplier of openings for others; his touch looked really sharp.

The pattern mostly continued in the second half, though at a slower pace. We’d have liked more goals and eventually it took substitute Jake Morris to grab our second. Cathal Barrett hit one of the most applauded flags of the night. The injury to Conor Stakelum was a negative, so hopefully the news is upbeat on that front.

This Sunday will be a different task entirely at Nowlan Park. Our latter-day league record against the Cats is abysmal. We last beat them at Nowlan Park in a 2008 semi-final. We’ve been there on seven occasions since and lost every time. Incidentally, 2008 was our last league win; Seamie Callanan was the only member of the present panel involved.

Our historic league record against Kilkenny is much better. We’ve played 73 times, sharing 33 wins apiece with 7 draws. Last year, of course, was one of the few bright moments for Colm Bonnar and his management when we sneaked a late win at the Stadium.

Last Saturday probably told Liam Cahill nothing he didn’t already know. I suspect this Sunday will be more instructive.

P.S. The Laois match last Saturday was a free-flowing, running game with endless handpassing – sorry, hand throws. Referee, Johnny Murphy, made no attempt to police the handpass, so one assumes that’s the instruction from Croke Park this season. No surprise really when county conventions vote as if everything is hunky dory.

As in all ballots you get what you deserve, so this blight on hurling is here to stay.