REPORT: Hardy Thurles CBS show true grit to qualify for first Croke Cup final in a decade

Masita All-Ireland PPS Hurling Croke Cup Semi-Final

Thurles CBS 0-21

Colaiste Bhaile Chlair 0-17

Thurles CBS withstood a stern challenge from Connacht runner-ups Colaiste Bhaile Chlair of Galway in the Croke Cup semi-final in Banagher on Saturday afternoon and in doing so, qualified for a first All-Ireland schools decider since 2015.

Played on a heavy autumn pitch in St Rynagh’s GAA club, the game was a scrappy and physical contest and the Galway school made life incredibly difficult for the favourites on the day, but eventually, Thurles slowly wore down their opponents in the working stakes. Their class shone late on to get the scores necessary to get a deserved win.

Colaiste Bhaile Chlair were clearly still riding the crest of a wave built up from their immense performance in the quarter-final - beating Kilkenny CBS - and they came to play from the throw-in as the first half was an evenly fought contest.

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Both sides were guilty of some awful shooting at times, particularly Thurles, who finished the first half with a whopping 12 wides coming just ahead of their opponents with eight. The sides went in at the interval 0-9 each.

However, Thurles came out a different team after the break and went on to take control of the contest as they slowly found the scores to stride away from the Galway team, especially in the final quarter where they outscored the Colaiste by 0-9 to 0-6 to take the contest by the scruff of the neck and win the day.

Cormac Fitzpatrick got some vital scores during the game and it was his converted 65 after 60 seconds that got Thurles off the mark after the commencement of the semi-final.

Thurles came into this game as firm favourites and they were full value for that title after the first quarter’s viewing, picking off some fine points from Ryne Bargary, Tiarnán Ryan, and a brace of points from Jack Hayes to put them in a strong opening position at 0-6 to 0-3 after 15 minutes.

Hayes was causing big problems for the inside back line of the Colaiste, and overall, Thurles looked that bit slicker in that period but the Galway school responded strongly to reel off four points on the trot up to the 26th minute, putting a considerable squeeze on the Thurles forwards.

Those scores all came from play and varying sources as Gearoid King, Eoin Collins (2), and Cormac Freeney all found the target to put their school ahead 0-7 to 0-6 after 26 minutes.

It has to be noted that some of the shooting from both sides was appalling at times, to say the least, with a lot of them well within range for the players in question. Especially, in Thurles' case as some poor wides added oxygen to the growing fire within the Colaiste players who could sense an opportunity to cause an upset as the half wore on.

Some of Thurles concessions were cheap in nature too from a Thurles viewpoint, as the goalkeepers at either end of the pitch made good use of the restarts, wasting no time to pick out their men after the ball had gone dead, especially wit Dylan Casserly on the Colaiste wing picking off a classy effort in the 29th minute.

Cillian Minogue and Robbie Ryan were struggling to find room in a packed Colaiste defence but they both came to the fore in the final minutes of the half, scoring their first points of the game back-to-back and with Toby Corbett and Ronan Duggan trading scores in injury time, the sides were deadlocked at 0-9 apiece.

Thurles were well warned by now that the Connacht runner-ups were never going to roll over and with that in mind, they came out all guns blazing in the second half and should really have goaled within two minutes when Jack Hayes broke in on goal and somehow blazed over the bar from close range.

Despite that miss, it was a sign of the intent from the Thurles players as they hit a further three points on the trot thereafter with Robbie Ryan, Cormac Fitzpatrick and Ryne Bargary all hitting the target with well worked scores.

Still, the Colaiste were hanging in the game with placed balls at different times stemming the Thurles tide - Eoin Collins striking over a brace of efforts either side of a Kieran Rossiter point - to leave just two points between the sides at 0-14 to 0-12 with the final quarter to come.

With all the intercounty quality on show for Thurles, they were crying out for one of their players to take control of the game and it came from familiar sources with captain Robbie Ryan, Euan Murray and Cormac Fitzpatrick the catalysts for the CBS’s push for home.

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Ryan provided two points for Fitzpatrick to convert and with Ryan and Murray picking off inspirational points of their own, Thurles pushed out into a 0-19 to 0-14 lead with 56 minutes on the clock.

Concentration would be needed from here, but the Thurles defence very nearly allowed the Colaiste to pick off a goal from the puckout of that Robbie Ryan point, the ball bouncing in behind for Cormac Freeney who mimicked Hayes’ earlier chance to blaze over the bar from close range.

That was a let off for Thurles and it would see Colaiste fail to find the scores they needed to drag back the momentum from the Harty champions, with points from Cormac Fitzpatrick and Tiarnán Ryan late on sealing the deal for the Tipperary school.

Colaiste Bhaile Chlair tried in vain to create a goal chance but with Harry Loughnane repelling a late 21-yard free from Eoin Collins, it was all over bar the shouting as Thurles CBS booked a date in the Jones’s Road venue in the coming weeks where they will face another Galway side Presentation Athenry in the final.

Scorers: Thurles CBS: Cormac Fitzpatrick (0-7, 0-3f, 0-1 65), Robbie Ryan, Jack Hayes all 0-3 each, Ryne Bargary, Tiarnán Ryan 0-2 each, Euan Murray, Cillian Minogue, Kieran Rossiter, Toby Corbett all 0-1 each.

Colaiste Bhaile Chlair: Eoin Collins (0-7, 0-5f), Cormac Feeney, Jack Kelly 0-2 each, Sean Moran 0-2f, Ronan Duggan, Gearoid King, Ben Morley, Dylan Casserly all 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); Tiarnán Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill), David Costigan (Moycarkey Borris), Cormac Fitzpatrick (Drom & Inch); Jack Hayes (Moycarkey Borris), Cillian Minogue (Thurles Sarsfields), Robbie Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill).

Subs used: James Butler (Sean Treacys) for Minogue (51); Leelan Donoghue (Thurles Sarsfields) for Corbett (57).

Colaiste Bhaile Chlair: Mark Walsh (Carnmore); Cormac Gillespie (Carnmore), Daniel Hughes (Turloughmore), Dylan O’Connor (Carnmore); Matthew Collins (Turloughmore), Sean Moran (Castlegar), Dylan Casser (Carnmore); Gearoid King (Castlegar), Ben Morley (Carnmore); Jack Kelly (Turloughmore), Eoin Collins (Carnmore), Ronan Duggan (Turloughmore); Cormac Feeney (Carnmore), Patrick O’Kane (Turloughmore), Daniel Fitzmaurice (Turloughmore).

Subs used: Ciaran Collins (Carnmore) for O’Kane (58); Éanna Flaherty (Carnmore) for Fitzmaurice (58).

Referee: Eamonn Furlong (Wexford)