Nenagh CBS to face Croke Cup kingpins in massive opportunity to reach Croke Park final

Nenagh CBS face St Kieran's College in the Croke Cup semi-final on Saturday

Nenagh CBS will travel to Rathdowney this coming Saturday as they look to add to their Harty Cup crown from last month in the Croke Cup semi-final against strong Kilkenny opposition.

Lying in wait are Croke Cup kingpins St Kieran’s College, who are once again in the latter stages of the All-Ireland Senior A Schools Hurling competition, and both schools will make the short journey to Laois with confidence after winning provincial titles in February.

St Kieran’s will come into the game battle-hardened as they had to dig deep to overcome St Raphael’s of Galway in the quarter-final two weeks ago, while Nenagh progressed straight into a semi-final due to the quirks of this year’s draw falling in their favour.

As always, Kieran's have plenty of talent in their ranks, with Kilkenny senior panellist David Barcoe leading from centre back, while there are several familiar names that Tipperary supporters will recognise from the minor and U20 games against the Premier in recent years.

Bill McDermott scored a goal against Tipperary in the 2024 minor final, and he lines out at wing-back, while Jake Mullen - younger brother of senior star Adrian - lines out at centre forward and has been impressive to date. Conor Holohan also featured in that losing final, scoring three points from play, and with full forward unit Gearoid O'Shea in flying form, they have the ammo to do damage.

Donach O’Donnell’s players have had brilliant success in the last two years, and that winning habit is addictive so there will be massive motivation for the North Tipperary school to add a second Croke Cup title to the trophy cabinet. The game throws in on Saturday, March 7 at 12 noon.