SENIOR: Nenagh Éire Óg hoping to stop champions Loughmore creating further history

FBD Senior Hurling Championship Final - Preview

Loughmore Castleiney vs Nenagh Éire Óg, Sunday, October 26 in FBD Semple Stadium @ 3:45pm

When it comes to final appearances, the contrast in fortunes between this year’s finalists couldn’t be more stark when you look through the annals of Tipperary senior hurling finals.

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The modern incarnation of Loughmore Castleiney is one of pure efficiency when the big day comes around, and while they have had some losses in big finals, they have tended to respond to that disappointment by going one step further when the pressure and expectation come.

Since their breakout decade in the 1980s in the smaller ball code, Loughmore Castleiney have been dining at the top table with decent regularity, with their current crop the undoubted ‘golden generation’ for the club and to its name, the small club has amassed five senior hurling titles with four other appearances in finals ending in defeat.

On the other hand, Nenagh Éire Óg have regularly been the bridesmaid and never the bride. To say that the hurling mad town has only welcomed Dan Breen into their boundaries once in its history is almost scarcely believable for those who wouldn’t be versed in Tipperary club hurling.

Since the 90s, it has been heartbreak after heartbreak for Éire Óg with their maiden success in 1995 nestled in the middle of no fewer than six county final defeats, with their most recent coming against Clonoulty Rossmore in 2018.

It is fair to say that in most of those lost finals, Éire Óg have gone into the games as firm favourites but always tended to underperform, so this weekend’s edition will be a whole lot different in terms of mindset for the North Tipperary club.

There are reasons for Nenagh Éire Óg to have real confidence going in here, not least because of the rare chink in the recently robust Loughmore Castleiney armour being exposed in last weekend’s football semi-final against Kilsheelan Kilcash.

Victories in tight games have been the modus operandi of Loughmore Castleiney, who always seem to manage their players and load expertly when it comes to competing on two fronts come the business end of championships, but the wear and tear seems to be taking its toll based on the late loss in Cashel on Saturday.

The withdrawal of John and Liam McGrath in that game would have set alarm bells ringing amongst Loughmore Castleiney supporters, with the likes of Noel and Ciaran McGrath again going to the well in that game, depleting the potential reserves going into this weekend.

More than that, the team as a whole seemed to flag when the pressure came, as uncharacteristic mistakes were plentiful in the final ten minutes, as the pressure amplified and there is no doubt that Hugh Maloney will be visceral in his message that the fitness and hard work shown this year must be on show; and more importantly, to its highest level to date.

The fitness of Mikey Heffernan will be a huge factor in Nenagh’s chances. In Jake Morris at half-mast with ongoing niggles persisting, they can’t solely rely on him to take the fight, so Heffernan’s presence will be a key factor, even allowing for the impressive display from Ben West in the Drom & Inch dismissal.

With their Junior As out of the county series now, they will also have further options with the likes of Conor McCarthy, Filip McIntyre, and Billy O’Brien, who all could be called upon, adding to the depth as the game goes on.

It is hard to say where this one will go. All key statistics and indicators would point toward Loughmore Castleiney having the final winning nous and experience to trump a Nenagh team who have done the necessary this year, but have yet to put in their best performance, but certainly have shown glimpses of it.

The closer the game gets, the more I think Nenagh Éire Óg may just be able to rise to the occasion, and the want from all involved on the pitch, on the sidelines, and in the stands will give immense motivation to get the collective over the line and heal years of hurt in finals.

However, this Loughmore Castleiney team just knows how to get the job done, and after what I expect will be a huge battle, they might just edge a very narrow victory to create history and complete their first-ever senior hurling back-to-back success.

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