KILLINAN END - Hurling finals have a tradition of replays

There is little enough in County finals that Thurles Sarsfields, with their long history on Dan Breen day, have not experienced. The headline stats would show long periods of sustained success as well as times when they toiled in vain. Replays too feature along this meandering road, with both good and not so good outcomes. Mullinahone’s sole title was on the second day against Sars, while ten years earlier Toomevara’s landmark win of 1992 bridging a 32-year gap to the world of riches to the Greyhounds, was again a replay against the Blues.

Loughmore-Castleiney have managed to build up quite the tradition of replays too – or draws at least. It might be forgotten that last year’s final when Kiladangan picked their pockets with a late wonder-goal was won in extra-time. Many wondered why extra-time was not on the cards this year again but by Sunday afternoon few will complain. Some 33 years ago when Tipperary hurling was enjoying a renewed surge of enthusiasm, Loughmore lined out in the County Final for the second time since they had entered Senior ranks in 1981.

In Loughmore’s maiden year in the top tier, a powerful force was emerging from a familiar source. Borris-Ileigh had threatened during the 1970s jousting with Roscrea and Kilruane. For a particular generation the clubs will forever be linked and take people back to sunny days in Nenagh, and Thurles too. The 1980s was Borris-Ileigh’s time, not that Roscrea or particularly Kilruane exactly went away. Both of these clubs won their last – or latest – County Senior titles in that decade.

Roscrea’s came in 1980 as Kilruane stood on the brink of immortality and Roger Ryan pulled a rabbit from the hat to stop the four-in-a-row. Kilruane would wait until St Patrick’s Day 1986 to achieve that status. What a way to bookend an extraordinary era. Though they were so good that even as Borris-Ileigh themselves won a County title and All-Ireland title in 1986/87, Kilruane remained North champions both years.

But by the time Loughmore-Castleiney faced into their second County Senior final Borris-Ileigh were just about the biggest challenge you could face. Replete with players who had worn Blue and Gold, they had beaten Loughmore five years earlier in a final unusual in that it was not played in Thurles. Borris beat a combination team of Killenaule-Mullinahone in the quarter-final – how those two clubs have progressed since.

The semi-final was not a handy one with no less than the champions of the previous year and the following year, Moycarkey-Borris, to be beaten. Moycarkey were also Munster champions. By those standards, Loughmore were outsiders in the final but gave almost as good as they got at Leahy Park, Cashel – a venue called into use as Semple Stadium was under renovation with an eye on the Centenary All-Ireland hurling final the following year. They were going for the double that day too and fell just three points short though it would be disingenuous in the extreme to overplay that margin. Borris were deserved winners by any measure.

Five years on when the teams had a rematch Borris-Ileigh had enhanced further an already glowing reputation. Loughmore had significantly more experience to call upon too. In 1986 they were Mid champions and a disastrous semi-final first-half against the All-Ireland champions, Kilruane, after which they were eleven points and a man down, served only to show the character that seems to be in their DNA. The margin was reduced to three points in the end and honour restored.

Nothing becomes a team like linear progression with any sense of inconsistency and jitteriness removed. Loughmore hit this target with ease. Mid titles followed in 1987 and ’88 and Cappawhite were taken to the wire in the ’87 County final, though this time it was Loughmore who let the early lead slip.

By the time they lined out with Borris-Ileigh in 1988 they were as prepared for the occasion as they could. The final and its replay were distinguished more for the tightness of the contest rather than exciting open hurling. It was most certainly a final which Borris-Ileigh allowed to slip away maybe in the way that Loughmore had the advantage late in the game against Sarsfields and let it slip. Also similar, it might be said, to the manner in which Clonmel Commercials were not overtaken by Loughmore for the first time until injury-time in the football final.

In that 1988 replay Loughmore produced the last goal and point of the game to edge it out by two points. It would hardly be a County final involving Loughmore if there wasn’t late drama. In their last final win, against Nenagh in 2013, they were playing from behind for three quarters of the game and won by one. The final outcome at the weekend is anyone’s guess but plenty of twists and turns looks a safe bet.