Tasty-looking double bill of county hurling finals in prospect in Tipperary

Above: Captains, Aidan O’Connell of Golden/Kilfeacle (left) and Boherlahan/Dualla’s Seamus Leahy will be hoping to get both hands on the cup following Sunday’s FBD Insurance County Intermediate Hurling Championship final at FBD Semple Stadium. Picture: Eamonn McGee

Senior and intermediate hurling honours in Tipperary will be decided in a very appetising double bill at FBD Semple Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Thurles Sarsfields and Kiladangan will meet in the county senior final at 4pm, while the curtain raiser at 1.45 is the intermediate decider between Golden/Kilfeacle and Boherlahan/Dualla.

Sarsfields go into the senior final as slight favourites. They stand apart as the club with the most county titles, 36, which is 15 clear of Toomevara, who are second in the honours list. The Thurles club are searching for their first crown in six years, and since they last lifted the Dan Breen Cup in 2017, Sunday’s opponents Kiladangan won their only title, in 2020.

After a relatively slow start to the campaign, Sarsfields seem to be peaking at just the right time, as evidenced by their convincing seven-point defeat of Loughmore/Castleiney in the semi-final.

They are managed by Padraic Maher, the three-time All-Ireland senior winner and six-time All-Star, who brings a wealth of experience to the role and who has settled very comfortably into the manager’s hot seat following his injury-enforced retirement early last year.

Sarsfields’ last appearance in the final was in 2021, when they were beaten by Loughmore after a replay in what was Padraic Maher’s final appearance in the famous blue jersey.

His brother and former Tipperary team mate Ronan anchors the Sarsfields defence and his expected joust with Billy Seymour, Kildangan’s standout performer during the campaign, is one to whet the appetite.

Sarsfields have plenty of firepower in their ranks, with players of the calibre of Aidan McCormack, Stephen Cahill, Darragh Stakelum and Tipperary senior player Conor Stakelum all capable of shooting the scores they’ll need to keep a feisty Kildangan outfit at bay.

The north team, who were runners-up in last year’s final against Kilruane MacDonaghs, are determined to ensure that their sole success at this level three years ago wasn’t a flash in the pan.

They have played in five county finals since 2016, with just one title to their name, and that’s a record they will be aiming to put right.

They had an impressive nine points win over Toomevara in the semi-final, and their massive haul of 2-30 in that game won’t have gone unnoticed in Thurles. With the experience gained in recent years, they’ll feel that the time is right to claim county honours for the second time.

They can call on county goalkeeper Barry Hogan, a solid presence between the posts. Joe Gallagher has taken to his new role at centre back like a duck to water while Alan Flynn, Fergal Hayes, Bryan McLoughney and Andy Loughnane have also been in good form.

All six forwards and both midfielders made impressions on the scoreboard in the semi-final and they’ll need a similar return from Paul Flynn, Billy Seymour, Tadhg Gallagher and company if they’re to beat Sarsfields.

Intermediate Final

Meanwhile, the clash of Golden/Kilfeacle and Boherlahan/Dualla in the intermediate final is no less intriguing. Golden’s participation in the decider follows a Lazarus-like comeback, when they came back from the brink of relegation, following defeat in both of their opening games, to reach the knockout stages after edging out Ballingarry by virtue of scoring more than the south team during the group stages.

Since then they’ve built up a head of steam, beating Kilsheelan/Kilcash in the semi-final a fortnight ago, although their opponents had the misfortune to have county senior Mark Kehoe sent off at the end of the first half.

Nevertheless, there was much to admire about the Golden performance on a day when Jack Leamy scored 1-7, including a goal from a penalty. He had willing accomplices in attack in the shape of Tom Byrnes and Jack Bergin while Ben Currivan, Seanie O’Halloran, Cian Ryan and Aidan O’Connell also played their part.

Golden’s coach, former Tipperary senior captain Conor Gleeson, stepped down from any involvement with the panel once a final against his native Boherlahan was confirmed. Another former Tipperary captain, Tommy Dunne, has subsequently filled the vacancy.

Boherlahan were put to the pin of their collar to defeat Moneygall after extra-time in the semi-final, with Ger O’Dwyer’s goal from a long range free worth its weight in gold in their 1-12 to 0-12 win.

The mid team are hoping that the extra 30 minutes they were forced to play at the penultimate stage will stand them in good stead for what is sure to be another stiff test on Sunday.

They will be looking to players such as Tomás Ryan, Seamus Leahy, James Kirby, Dylan Fogarty and goalkeeper Darragh Lacey to help get them over the line in what will probably be a close encounter.