BREAKING: Thurles CBS complete Premier treble to be crowned Harty Cup champions

TUS Dr. Harty Cup Final

Thurles CBS 1-13

St Flannan’s College 0-13

Thurles CBS were crowned TUS Dr Harty Cup for 2025 after coming out on the right side of a massive battle with Harty powerhouse St Flannan’s in a wet and windy Saturday afternoon in Mallow in Cork.

The winning of the game was cemented in the first half effort from the young Tipperary men. Facing into a strong breeze in the first half they worked tirelessly against the elements to outhurl their opponents and despite the 0-7 to 0-5 deficit at the break, they were always going to be confident going into the second half.

And that was how it transpired with Jack Hayes’ 38th minute goa proving to be the crucial score and the confidence booster that gave Thurles the impetus to go on and hold out against a St Flannan’s team that went down swinging.

The attacking threats on both sides were well heralded going into this game but it has to be said that the Thurles defence was immense in this victory and on a tough day for hurling in Mallow, these games are often decided by defensive solidity and it was personified by Evan Morris, Toby Corbett, and Jack Lahart at the back who all had fantastic games as part of a strong defensive effort.

An incessant drizzle before and during the game led to a sloppy opening half that would persist throughout as the ball proved elusive for the players with the slick and heavy conditions.

St Flannan’s played with the aid of a fairly strong breeze in the first period and would have been expected to make the conditions count in their favour, but it was the Tipperary school who dominated the first 20 minutes of the game, and that started when Cormac Fitzpatrick gave them the lead within a minute from a free.

St Flannan’s had a solid response to that early score when semi-final hero Harry Doherty got his team off the mark with a well struck point from play to get his team up and running in this schools final.

Despite the conditions favouring the Clare school, Thurles’ workrate and use of the ball began to reap dividends up top in the first quarter and with scoring chances set to be few and far between for them playing against the breeze, they had taken a 0-3 to 0-1 lead by the quarter-hour mark through Euan Murray and a Fitzpatrick 65.

The Thurles forwards - led by David Costigan - were ravenous for work and the Moycarkey man set the tone with three blocks in the first half while also proving his worth in the scoring stakes in the 16th minute with a brilliant run and score off the stick extending the Thurles lead.

The Clare lads were struggling with the ball, and it seemed, the occasion overall in that time and were far too ponderous in possession, particularly when deliveries into the Conor Ralph and Darragh Ball were fruitful in previous games; instead they overplayed the ball and coughed up possession on several occasions.

Robbie Ryan was causing problems for Joseph Casey anytime the ball got into the Thurles CBS captain and he drew several scorable frees, the third of which Cormac Fitzpatrick converted after 18 minutes to give the Tipp side a 0-5 to 0-1 lead. 

As the afternoon was wearing on, the breeze appeared to be increase, so Flannan’s badly needed to get into the game and get scores on the board before the interval, and in fairness to them, they did that before the half-time break, hitting six unanswered points in the final ten minutes with Harry Doherty the main man with three placed balls with Daniel Costelloe and Robert Loftus hitting brilliant scores at either end of that flurry to give Flannan’s a 0-7 to 0-5 lead. 

Thurles CBS were to avail of the wind in the second half.

Darragh McNamara replaced Darragh Ball at half-time for Flannan and he made a nice impact early in the restart and had stretched the lead to three points with two Doherty frees around a Fitzpatrick conversion to give Flannan’s a strong start to the half.

Euan Murray was coming more and more into the game and managed to manufactire a free for Fitzpatrick to convert and reduce i to two points, but a big moment game soon after when one of the first quality deliveries of the game cam from Toby Corbett and with Jack Hayes gathering the ball he ran in on goal un-oppoosed to slot low pas the onrushing Ó Coiléan in goals.

That was a big moment but Flannan’s settled down straight after with McNamara again making his presence felt, winning a free for Doherty to slot uneeeringly against the breeze to level the game. A good response from the Clare players.

That Jack Hayes goal had injected new vigour into Thurles though and Cillian Minogue - with nearly his first two possessions - fired over two quick points in the 40th minute and with two Cormac Fitzpatrick frees converted after fouls on Euan Murray in the next five minutes, 

Flannan’s were now in trouble as they trailed 1-12 to 0-10 with ten minutes to go.

The cause wasn’t helped in that period from a Flannan’s perspective with Doherty and James Hegarty missing frees to get the scoreboard moving, but they did reduce the arrears when Dara Kennedy was taken out by Keith Loughnane for Doherty to convert. Three points in it.

It was a similar passage of play ensued when Marco Cleary found space in behind to run at goal; again Thurles fouling through Killian Cantwell and with Doherty again converting, it was back to three points with plenty of time remaining for Flannan’s to come back. 1-12 to 0-12 with with three minutes of normal time remaining.

Great credit to Flannan’s, they continued to look for the scores to bring them back into the game and they were making Thurles sweat when they reduced the gap to two points heading into three minutes of injury time, Doherty again converting.

An amazing moment came two minutes into that added time as Thurles began to retreat. Killian Cantwell was replaced on the stroke of 60 minutes but when fellow half-back Ryne Bargary went down with cramp, he had to come back on and what an impact it was as he received the next Harry Loughnane puck-out to score a major from range. 

Surely the insurance score for the Tipperary school.

Marco Cleary very nearly managed to manufacture the goal chance Flannan’s needed late on after taking on several defenders to get a strike away close to goal, but the Thurles bodies in the square blocked the effort.

Referee Johnny Murphy blew the full-time whistle soon after as the crest-fallen Flannan’s players sunk to their knees, as it was Thurles who claimed their ninth title and in doing so, made it three Harty Cup titles in a row for Tipperary schools.

Scorers: Thurles CBS: Cormac Fitzpatrick (0-7, 0-6f, 0-1 65), Jack Hayes 1-0, Cillian Minogue 0-2, Euan Murray, Robbie Ryan, Killian Cantwell, David Costigan all 0-1 each.

St Flannan's: Harry Doherty (0-10, 0-9f), James Hegarty 0-1 65, Daniel Costelloe, Robert Loftus 0-1 each.

Thurles CBS: Harry Loughnane (Roscrea); Toby Corbett (Upperchurch Drombane) Evan Morris (Holycross Ballycahill), Jack Lahart (Holycross Ballycahill); Killian Cantwell (Moycarkey Borris), Keith Loughnane (Thurles Sarsfields), Ryne Bargary (Boherlahan Dualla); Euan Murray (Durlas Óg), Kieran Rossiter (Durlas Óg); Tiarnan Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill), David Costigan (Moycarkey Borris), Cormac Fitzpatrick (Drom & Inch); Jack Hayes (Moycarkey Borris), Cillian Minogue (Durlas Óg), Robbie Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill).

Subs used: James Butler (Sean Treacys) for T Ryan (51); Darragh Hickey (Emeralds) for Cantwell (59); Killian Cantwell for Bargary (61).

St Flannan’s: Micheal Ó Coileáin (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield); Conor Daly (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield), Joseph Casey (Kilmaley), Seán McNamara (Clooney Quin); James Cullinan (Ruan), James Hegarty (Inagh Kilnamona), Robert Loftus (Éire Óg Ennis); Daniel Costelloe (Ballyea), Dara Kennedy (Ballyea); Ronan Kilroy (Banner), Darragh Ball (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield), Harry Doherty (Clarecastle); Graham Ball (St Joseph’s Doora Barefield), Conor Ralph (Clarecastle), Marco Cleary (Éire Óg Ennis).

Subs used: Darragh McNamara (Clooney Quin) for G Ball (HT); Conor Hill (Ballyea) for Cullinan (43); Paul O’Connell (Clarecastle) for D Ball (52); Neil Hegarty (Inagh Kilnamona) for Kennedy (56).

Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick)