Tipperary SHC final: Loughmore Castleiney 2-22 Nenagh Éire Óg 1-22
Daft Punk’s ‘One More Time’ rang out at the final whistle as Loughmore-Castleiney secured their sixth Dan Breen Cup in fending off Nenagh Éire Óg for their first successful Tipperary SHC title defence.
Both sides coughed up freakish goals to long-range frees, but it was Liam McGrath who struck the killer blow in the 48th minute in front of 6,073 fans at Semple Stadium.
The back-to-back winning captain added Man of the Match to his list of honours after a 1-3 tally, while John McGrath scored 1-5 from frees. Given that both cousins were withdrawn due to injuries last weekend, 2-8 was an incredible contribution.
The defeat marked Nenagh’s sixth successive defeat in the county decider since their 1995 breakthrough.
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Having missed their semi-final with a shoulder injury, Nenagh’s top scorer Mikey Heffernan was passed fit to start his fifth county final. He would end with 1-8 to his name.
Jake Morris added five points from play in his duel with Lorcan Egan, who was a doubt right up to the throw-in.
“We didn’t know until we were doing the warm-up today whether Lorcan was going to be able to play,” manager Éamonn Kelly revealed.
“Lorcan gave two or three days in hospital this week with a gastro bug and lost five kilos. I could do with losing that, not him!
“To see him out on the field, he just wanted to be there. I thought he had a great game.”
A Munster semi-final against Clare’s Éire Óg awaits next month, but they have time to celebrate this triumph first.
“There’s a lot of great Loughmore teams gone in the past. We said to be the best of the best would be special,” Kelly added.
“The start of the year was difficult. We had five weddings to contend with up to June, and with five weddings, there’s five stag parties. It was nearly a week on and a week off, like a FÁS course there for a while. But the lads have made a massive effort all year.”
After a video tribute to county football manager Philly Ryan on the big screen at Semple Stadium before the throw-in, a tit-for-tat start ensued with the sides level six times.
In the third minute, Loughmore had the ball in the net from Aidan McGrath’s wind-assisted free. Conor Doyle had already blown the whistle for a square ball, although McGrath’s protest appeared to be vindicated on replay.
Loughmore had six wides in that spell but soon tidied up their shooting for four points on the spin, headlined by a sublime Noel McGrath effort. Ciarán McCormack’s sideline cut sent the holders in 0-13 to 0-10 ahead.
John McGrath had missed his first free of the half and mis-hit the second only for Dermot McTiernan to drop the sliotar over the line. This time, the replay showed a Loughmore forward inside the square before the ball arrived.
They pressed on for a 1-15 to 0-12 lead. Within four minutes, Nenagh were level. Substitute Tommy Heffernan made an immediate impact, laying on a goal chance for Philip Hickey, who fired over, before landing an outrageous point of his own.
When Aidan McGrath misjudged the bounce of Mikey Heffernan’s long-range free as it squeezed inside the post, the sides were level; 1-15 apiece.
John McGrath created the decisive score when conjuring up a wonderful handpass for Liam, whose shot had too much for McTiernan to stop. 2-17 to 1-17.
They reached the hour mark with a six-point lead, with four McGraths – Noel, John, Liam, and Tomás – plus Ed Meagher finding the target. Nenagh clawed it back to three, but rued a couple of placed-ball misses.
LOUGHMORE-CASTLEINEY: A McGrath; W Eviston, B McGrath (0-1), E Meagher (0-1); J Ryan, L Egan, E O’Connell; N McGrath (0-2), C Connolly (0-2); Ed Connolly (0-1), T McGrath (0-3), C McCormack (0-3; 1sl); L McGrath (1-3), J McGrath (1-5f), Ciarán McGrath.
Subs: L Treacy (0-1) for C McGrath (h-t); T Maher for E Connolly (43 mins, inj); D McCahey for O’Connell (43); P McCahey for McCormack (51); P O’Connell for L McGrath (60+2, inj).
NENAGH ÉIRE ÓG: D McTiernan; J Donelan-Houlihan, C Hennessy, M Carey; P Murphy, B Heffernan, M Cawley (0-2); C Ryan, J Mackey (0-1); J Keller (0-2), J Morris (0-5), S O’Farrell (0-1); M Heffernan (1-8; 1-3f, 1′65), P Hickey (0-2), B West.
Subs: T Heffernan (0-1) for West (32 mins); A Carey for Mackey (47); C McCarthy for M Carey (54); B O’Brien for Hickey (56).
