PREVIEW: Nenagh CBS faces big obstacle against Ardscoil Rís in Harty Cup Final

All the slogs in the tough winter conditions and boggy sods - and the odd few 4G surfaces - have all been worth it for Nenagh CBS and Ardscoil Rís as the two schools prepare for a novel Dr. Harty Cup Final in Ennis this Saturday.

These schools have never faced off in the premier Munster schools final and this game will be a departure for both of them in that regard, but they both share huge momentum from their respective campaigns to date, with 100 percent records being carried in the camps leading into this eagerly awaited decider.

Incredibly, Nenagh CBS have only faced Cork opposition in this year’s competition having been drawn in a two-team group with Charleville CBS and Hamilton High School of Bandon before they beat CBC Cork in the quarter-final along with their heart-stopping semi-final game and rematch with Charleville CBS.

That is unusual, to say the least, but going back through the history of the competition from a Nenagh CBS viewpoint, beating Cork schools in this competition has never been easily accomplished, and that will provide huge belief.

In fairness, with the way Nenagh came back from the death late on in the semi-final two weekends ago, you couldn't but see the positive attitude of the players on the field.

A late Darragh McCarthy free to put them ahead was waved wide incorrectly in injury time, and even when Charleville hit the front from a free in injury time, they managed to dig it out and they will give this game the very same treatment and more with a first Harty Cup crown in sight.

What a year in general it has been for the school too, with their Dean Ryan Cup success late in 2023 providing huge belief to the hurlers and with plenty of those on show who were part of that first-ever win at that grade, the belief is certainly infectious judging by the late comeback in Cappamore.

In Darragh McCarthy, they have a young player who continues to turn heads with his performances, as he has brought his savage form from the 2023 championship with Toomevara with him through the winter, and he is someone that the Nenagh selectors have hanged their hat on this campaign, to good effect.

It is far from a one-man team though, with Eoin Doughan providing ample assistance to McCarthy in the scoring sector, and he is one of the Dean Ryan contingent who is tearing it up at Harty level despite being only 16 years old at the turn of the year.

Players like Danny Quinn, Aodhan O'Connor, and Ciaran Foley have performed well too in a lot of the games to date, and the return of Mason Cawley before the knockout stages provided a big boost to a young Nenagh team that needed a little more physical presence up top, with the Nenagh Ormond rugby player providing that in spades in the tough winter games he has played in.

There has been plenty of positional experimentation with the squad as the year has progressed and the Nenagh CBS management seems to have finally settled on Cian Connolly at full-back who has impressed in the last two games, while Jake Hackett has been impressive at six.

Add to that the significant impacts off the bench from the likes of Austin Duff and Darragh Treacy, Nenagh will feel they have the right formula concocted now and are in a place where they can truly believe heading into this game.
However, in Ardscoil Rís, they face a team that is star-studded and just as decorated to boot.

They have minor All-Ireland winners littered across their starting team, with Clonlara's Diarmuid Stritch leading the way for the school in their narrow and hard-fought win over Thurles CBS.

Thrown into that mix are Michael Collins, Matthew O’Halloran, Marc O’Brien, and Eoin Begley who were all part of the Banner squad that won the Minor All-Ireland in 2023 and with a grand total of nine Clare men having started against Thurles CBS in the semi-final, they will have a home advantage of a sort with the game fixed for Cusack Park in Ennis.

The aforementioned Stritch is a player Nenagh will have to tag in this game, as he caused so much trouble to Thurles, particularly in the first half two weekends ago, and the North Tipp school will want to get into the game faster than their Tipperary counterparts to have a chance here.

Jamie Moylan at centre-back was allowed to sit for most of the Thurles game and Nenagh will need to avoid him at all costs, while Cian Connolly will have his hands full with Marc O'Brien at full forward. They are a team that are very well coached and the fact that they beat a Thurles CBS team packed with ability will be enough of an indicator of the task that Nenagh CBS have on their hands heading into the game.

The Limerick school certainly have a size advantage taking everyone into account, and they have depth off the bench to go with it, so Nenagh will be happy enough that this game will be on a surface that the ball can move on.

It will be interesting to see where Donach O’Donnell and co position Darragh McCarthy as he has been hovering around midfield in the last few games, but he is still a massive goal threat and he is an inside forward by nature and has the instinct and ability to do damage inside if given the proper service.

You would imagine though that they will be pragmatic in their approach and will want to stay in the game for as long as possible, as their start against Charleville - if repeated here - would surely be fatal.

There’s no getting around it, Nenagh CBS are the underdogs in this game but if they can get into their top form in this game, they are well capable of landing a knockout blow to an impressive Ardscoil Rís team who are on a mission of their own, with a large cohort still hurting from the semi-final knockout to Cashel Community School last year.