Loughmore/Castleiney manager Frankie McGrath

What goes around come around - Frankie

By Shane Brophy

If there was a way that Loughmore/Castleiney were going to break their final duck of recent times this was going to be it. It wasn’t quite a repeat of what Kiladangan did to them in the county hurling final of 2020, but it wasn’t far off it as John McGrath’s injury time goal was the winning of this football final for Loughmore.

“We keep preaching to the lads that the game goes on for 62, 63 minutes or whatever, and a little bit of what goes around comes around as well,” admitted manager Frankie McGrath.

“Commercials have been fantastic champions and were going for three in a row. And again, it proves just how hard it is not just winning a title, but in their case creating a little bit of history.

“But we were a little bit adamant if they were going to do it that we were going to make them earn it.

“Fair play to our own lads, their fitness levels stood up. We had to go to the bench for a few lads, but our lads fully deserved the win at this stage.”

The winning goal was a real family affair as Liam McGrath (who didn’t play in last years finals) and Brian McGrath (only sent on late because of a broken thumb) turned over Michael Murphy, from where Ciaran McGrath fed the ball to Liam, who could have pointed himself but saw cousin John on his outside who did the rest.

“It’s a good job he did, it repaid a little bit of the airfare we paid to get him home,” Frankie joked of Liam seeing the pass to John.

“But we’ll also be replaying the video of the game and Liam will feature prominently in it,” he added.

“These are real Tipperary football people here today and we put on a spectacle. This is what we do, we come out and compete. Sometimes the winning isn’t everything. It is important and the lads love to win, but the performance is massive.

“There is a lot of doom and gloom around the place again and it’s unfortunate the way it is but a day like today, regardless of who wins, two teams going out there hammer and tongs and the crowd loved it.”

Once again, Loughmore had to do it the hard way, conceding 1-2 in the opening five minutes but from there they stayed with Clonmel before making their move just in time.

“The horse that runs off and goes twenty lengths ahead, how often does he win the race?” quipped the Loughmore manager.

“People are slowly beginning to realise the demands of switching from one code to the other. It’s something we try not to dwell on too much, but you do end up playing a little bit of catch-up alright and we have proven we can do it that way as well. It’s not keeping us awake at night, but we are just enjoying the trip.”

It means Loughmore are guaranteed an eighteenth weekend in a row in action, after next Sunday’s hurling final replay, with the footballs needed at training next week in preparation for a Munster quarter final against Clare champions Eire Og Ennis.

“Today was the sixteenth weekend so the supporters will be making a trip to the Credit Union shortly, I don’t know how they will survive Christmas as all their few bob will be spent before it comes around at all,” said a relaxed Frankie."