Newport put on dazzling show to capture County Minor A hurling title

There’s always something exciting about a club making a significant breakthrough by winning a county title for the first time ever in a grade. It means the players have gone to a place where none of their forebears ever trod. It’s historic, their names forever linked to the achievement.

Last week Newport’s minor hurlers did just that. After the frustration of losing last year’s final – then Under 17 – to Durlas Og, they finally crossed the line – and did it in vigorous fashion against St. Mary’s. This was an eye-catching performance by the new county champions.

For neutral spectators it may have lacked the tension of a tight contest but there was always the excellence of the Newport lads to admire. They put on a dazzling show, racking up 4-19 and winning by 16 points. They could even afford the luxury of spilling 2-2 to the Southsiders in the final moments. One is tempted to use that hackneyed phrase “consolation scores” but there really was no consolation for Mary’s in this thumping.

It was all over early. A physically imposing Newport side dominated in all sectors. They brought a ravenous hunger to the contest, swarm tackling opponents and turning over ball as if their lives depended on it. But it wasn’t just fire and thunder alone; there was method in their hurling, linking cleverly and working quality scores.

By the end of the opening quarter, it was 1-7 to 0-1. The goal was a thing of beauty. Man of the match, Charlie Tobin, started the move outfield before linking with Ollie Roche. The full forward then handpassed across goal to James Ryan, who volleyed first time to the net. By half-time the gap was out to 13 points and there was never going to be a way back for St. Mary’s.

It got worse for the South champions when senior star, Harry Lawlor, cried off at half time. Newport continued on their merry way with further goals from Charlie Tobin, Harry Noone and Cormac Shanahan. After 52 minutes the lead was a massive 24 points. This was mismatch territory in the extreme.

There was some minor relief for Mary’s in the final moments. Newport’s goalie dropped a Dara Maher lob over his line for the first goal and a Ben Fuller ‘65’ went all the way to the net for the second. It added minor cosmetics to the scoreboard but could never camouflage the extent of this rout.

Inevitably, a win like this hasn’t materialised out of nothing. There is a backstory of underage prominence leading to this point and signposting the way of more to follow. They appear to have significant numbers in all underage grades, winning North titles and the occasional county one. These include a county Under 15 A win in 2024 and an Under 13 success last year.

Sometimes a club can be blessed with a particular team but it’s when you have a succession of them then the pay-off can be especially lucrative. Newport certainly appear to be a club on the rise.

It’s no surprise that they had three players with the county minors this year. Colm Ryan played corner back for James Woodlock all season and his quality was recognised by being chosen on the minor team of the year. Oisin Kennedy was a prominent wing back with the county minors and Ollie Roche got game time in different matches, contributing 1-7 over the season.

Interestingly, Conor O’Mahony, one of the club’s finest-ever, is heavily involved in their underage programme; his nephew Ronan played wing back last week.

At adult level, Newport compete at the intermediate grade, where they made the preliminary quarter-finals this year before losing out to Skeeheenarinky following a penalty shootout. They also lost the North final to Portroe. It will be interesting to see how these teenagers progress up the ranks in future years. Watch this space.

For St. Mary’s it was a crushing defeat. Hopes were high after they toppled Euan Murray and Thurles Sarsfields in the semi-final but I suspect this was just one of those nightmarish occasions where they left their best form at home and everything caved in on the day. It happens.

They can certainly thank Nathan Wynne in goal for preventing even further destruction with a few quality saves. Enda Condon looked one of their best in defence while Conor Landers looked the part in attack. Ben Fuller, who saw game time with the county minors this year, top-scored on 1-4.

It was a disappointing few days for Clonmel, with Commercials losing out to Loughmore in the football final, so the Premier Intermediate win by St. Mary’s was timely. They now prepare for a Munster campaign, with Ballincollig lined up for a quarter-final on November 1. The pressure is on to try and emulate Upperchurch’s heroics last year.

It has been a hectic few months on the club scene nationwide. So much for those who continue to oppose the split season and talk as if the GAA closes up shop once the football All-Ireland is played off. Last weekend alone we had an unbelievable scatter of county finals on show and covered by the various media forums.

This is when the “real” GAA up and down the country has its place in the sun, both literally and metaphorically. Without inter-county distraction the full focus is on the local team whether they’re playing senior or junior B. Parish and club loyalty runs deep. People take pride in the local side, seeing it as reflecting their identity and sense of belonging. The social value of the GAA is immeasurable and the split season nurtures it in a way that was never possible previously.

Anyway, end of sermon. With all the major hurling championships now completed it’s time to do a brief review of what we witnessed. The senior produced an unexpected final, which was a letdown on the day. That won’t bother Sarsfields, who closed out a nine-year wait since their last win in 2017.

On the championship overall, the group games were tight and competitive, though a question lingers as to the quality. You can have thrilling games between closely matched teams but that doesn’t necessarily imply a high standard. I guess Sarsfields’ fate in the Munster series will tell us more. Their past record isn’t good and you’ll get favourable odds on that changing in 2026. The Sars’ will face either Glen Rovers of Cork or Inagh-Kilnamona from Clare at an away venue in the Munster semi-final on November 15.

The Premier Intermediate produced an unexpected final too with all the pre-championship favourites falling away. It’s St. Mary’s year, winning division and county, though they have a hard act to follow now in Upperchurch.

The Intermediate also had its element of surprise and it produced the most thrilling decider of the lot. Ballingarry must still be wondering how they lost but Arravale Rovers showed some serious mettle to stay the course. Johnny Ryan left us with what was probably the highlight moment of all the games.

The Junior A grade saw Fethard make a major breakthrough in yet another novel final pairing. Interestingly, there wasn’t a North team in any of the four championship finals. I wonder when did that last happen.

Finally, with all the major club championships now over I guess the respective county management teams have been busy assembling panels and laying the groundwork for winter training programmes. It’s an exhaustive – even exhausting – process.

After his years of minor involvement, James Woodlock should have a handle on available talent for the Under 20s. He’ll be keeping a sharp eye, though, on how players have progressed since minor days.

It will be trickier for Eoin Kelly with the 2027 minors. He’s new to the job and will have a lot of slog-work to do in order to assemble the best available talent. The underage development squads and past participants in tournaments like the Tony Forristal Cup will be an obvious port of call. Still, minor is a significant step-up as it’s the first recognised inter-county grade.

Lastly, it’s a busy time for Liam Cahill who has the toughest challenge of all in preparing for 2027. He has to digest the discouraging evidence of 2026 and come up with something new. On past evidence he’ll cast the net wide in his search for material. Many will be called but few will be chosen. Then there’s the issue of who departs. So far there have been no retirements announced.

Has the club championship thrown up anything new for the senior manager? In reality he’ll have been watching what’s coming through minor and especially Under 20 for his new recruits. It’s rare for anybody outside those cohorts to emerge.

We wish all managers the best in their endeavours.