Mouth watering finals in store in Tipperary senior and intermediate hurling championships

The stage is set for what should be a fitting finale to the senior hurling championship after Sarsfields and Kiladangan delivered decisive outcomes in the weekend semi-finals.

Sarsfields remain the bookies’ favourite but semi-final evidence would suggest that the margins will be tight come throw-in on Sunday week.

Much was expected of the Sarsfields/Loughmore semi-final but it delivered little enough. Loughmore in particular disappointed. Someone remarked afterwards that they looked a jaded team and I wouldn’t disagree with that assessment.

I’m not over-keen on chasing statistics but sometimes they offer a neat summary of events. For example, Loughmore scored a mere two points from first half play against Sarsfields’ six; the corresponding second half figures were four versus ten. The more expansive game was coming from Sarsfields, whereas Loughmore relied heavily on John McGrath frees to keep them in tow.

And who would have predicted that Noel McGrath’s opening point would be the only score from play that either he or John would contribute over the span of the match. The word rare comes to mind.

And yet Loughmore led by a point at the end of a subdued, score-shy first half. Sarsfields have been profligate on occasions during this championship and that wastefulness threatened again on Saturday when they shot four wides in the opening minutes. However, they soon steadied, with Darragh Stakelum bothering Brian McGrath. The Sarsfields’ forward hit four first half points and added two more on the turnover.

Loughmore stayed on their tails for the first half and when Ciaran McCormack angled a well-struck shot past Paddy McCormack, it set up an interval lead of one point. It was a score line that gave a slightly skewed impression of that opening half.

There was nothing skewed about the second half, though, as Sarsfields’ supremacy manifested itself in a steady stream of points from multiple sources. By the three-quarter stage they were well in command and when substitute, Paddy Creedon, set up Aidan McCormack for their goal it was game over.

Loughmore had a consolation goal deep in added time when John McGrath rifled a penalty past Paddy McCormack. In the end it was a seven-up win, sweet but not intoxicating - and certainly not flattering of the winners, who took this one comprehensively.

The verdict was even more conclusive in the Kiladangan/Toomevara affair. The favourites from Puckane got away early and were subsequently never reined in by Toome’. The game was in the early stages when a neat little dinked pass from Declan McGrath sent Paul Flynn through for the opening goal. After the first quarter they were six-up and the lead remained in that comfort zone for the rest of the contest.

Darragh McCarthy was Toomevara’s brightest spark, causing problems for James Quigley and company in the Kiladangan defence. The corner forward wobbled on a few early frees but subsequently regained his composure and hit eleven points in total, five of those from open play. He’s an exciting prospect.

It was Kiladangan, however, who dominated this exchange. Billy Seymour led the charge, imperious from play and frees, hitting eleven points in total, six from play. It’s reminiscent of 2020; he’s a major reason Kiladangan are back in the final.
The interval lead was six points and Toomevara were always kept at arm’s length in the second half. The game lacked tightness but wasn’t short of incident and scores.

The teams swapped goals early after resuming, Bryan McLoughney finishing for Kiladangan and Mark McCarthy replying for Toomevara with an old-style overhead pull. But all the while Kiladangan had that greater fluency of points with Tadhg Gallagher, Paul Flynn, Dan O’Meara, Bryan McLoughney and Sean Hayes all in on the act with well-hit scores.

Eleven minutes into the second half Kiladangan lost their goalie, Barry Hogan, to a red card. He’d been booked in the first half, harshly I thought, after he reacted to a jostle from a forward following a free award. Either both or none should have seen yellow. Now a so-called off the ball involvement brought a second card and with it, dismissal.

Not too many teams, though, have an ex-goalie like Darragh Egan sitting on the bench to answer the call. He had one fine save after his introduction and sauntered out to land a huge free from well inside his own half.

The reduction in numbers brought no noticeable advantage to Toome’. If anything, it steeled the resolve of Kiladangan who saw out the game very comfortably, despite another Mark McCarthy goal.

It has been a year of progress for Toomevara, who became real contenders if not quite up to the pitch of final challengers.

The fixture list released on Sunday evening put the intermediate final between Boherlahan and Golden as supporting act to the senior showpiece. Normally you’d expect the premier intermediate final to be curtain-raiser but Sarsfields’ dual involvement dictated events, with that premier decider listed for Saturday.

It’s a boost for the intermediate teams, who become part of the big day with all the attendant focus and fanfare. Boherlahan got there following an absolute mud-wrestle with Moneygall, while Golden pulled off quite a surprise with their win over Kilsheelan, who had Mark Kehoe dismissed in the first half.

Conditions for the Boherlahan/Moneygall game on Saturday at Templetuohy were atrocious. Continuous rain turned the pitch into a skating rink. It was not a day for crisp, pacey hurling but more a battle of wills in the mud.

A 0-6 to 0-3 interval lead for Moneygall summed up conditions better than any words. I remember thinking that a goal is going to be a huge item in these circumstances and two second half incidents signposted the fate of this game.

Affter resuming, Moneygall’s Joe Fogarty had a gilt-edged goal chance but was denied by an excellent Darragh Lacey save. A goal there would have put Moneygall six-up, a lead that would have been very difficult to claw back in these conditions.

Then at the other end, with around ten minutes left to play, Gerard O’Dwyer lofted a huge free into the Moneygall area. Not sure who made contact but the ball flew from the clash of hurleys into the net for a vital score for Boherlahan. It gave the mid side the lead for the first time, though Moneygall would eventually send the game to extra time with a late equaliser from Bob Kenny.

It was now one of those games where big hearts were going to trump everything else, and in that department Boherlahan stood tall. Somehow, they mustered renewed reserves of energy in the first half of extra time, attacking in waves and hitting four unanswered points from Seamie Leahy, James Kirby, Tossy Ryan (free) and Dylan Fogarty. It was a tour de force that Moneygall couldn’t handle.

Dylan Fogarty hit three points from wing back, a massive contribution in a low-scoring grapple like this. James Kirby also hit three but it was the collective will of the side in the most testing conditions that won the day.

On the other side then, Golden/Kilfeacle are the story of this intermediate championship, coming from the brink of relegation to now preparing for a county final. It’s resurrection GAA style. With all the local connections - and some past history - it’s a clash that will attract widespread interest.

So much to look forward to.

Finally, the sympathy of the column goes to Cashel KC and the Moloney family on the sad passing of Timmy at such a young age. A county minor and Under 21 in the early nineties, he was a sweet striker of the sliotar. May he rest in peace.