Brackens pile more Mid final woe on Moycarkey

GAA: Centenary Agri Mid Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Final

JK Brackens 1-22

Moycarkey/Borris 2-18

Report: Michael Dundon in Boherlahan

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Shane Doyle (JK Brackens).

SCORERS - JK Brackens: Shane Doyle 0-11 (7 frees, 1 s-cut); Andrew Ormond 1-3; Ned Delaney 0-3; Conor Cadell, Lyndon Fairbrother, Ned Walshe, Jamie Ormond, Eanna McBride 0-1 each.

Moycarkey/Borris: Kieran Morris 0-10 frees; David Costigan 1-1; Jack Hayes 1-0; Kieran Cummins, Bill Flanagan 0-2 each; Rory Darmody, Kevin Hayes, Killian Cantwell 0-1 each.

Moycrkey-Borris’ bid to end a 43-year famine in Mid Tipperary senior hurling fell agonisingly short on Sunday when JK Brackens put in a strong finish to claim the title for the second time in three years.

For the greater part it was a low-key, though closely contested final, but it finished in a welter of excitement, two injury time points tipping the balance in favour of the Templemore/Clonmore lads, much to the delight of their large following in the packed venue.

These sides had never met in a Mid final, and both had impressive mid-week semi-final wins over Thurles Sarsfields (Moycarkey) and Holycross/Ballycahill (JK Brackens) but with the wisdom of hindsight, Moycarkey had also played a quarter-final against Drom & Inch the previous weekend, and it did appear that three games in a week took its toll at the finish.

Lyndon Fairbrother was a non-starter for JK Brackens because of an injury but he did come on in the second half and contributed a valuable point.

Moycarkey lost defender Peter Melbourne after twenty minutes and then county panellist Kieran Cummins for those tense closing minutes, losses which greatly hampered their bid to bridge the gap stretching back to 1982.

Brackens opened well and were 0-4 to 0-2 ahead when David Costigan set up Jack Hayes for a Moycarkey goal. Andrew Ormond was a constant threat to Moycarkey for whom Cummins was having a big influence. Shane Doyle’s points taking from play and frees was crucial to the eventual winners with Kieran Morris equally effective for Moycarkey.

JK Brackens got an important break after 28 minutes when Ned Walsh’s effort for a point was batted out by Moycarkey goalie Rhys Shelly only to his Tipperary team-mate Andrew Ormond was in the right spot to fire home a Brackens goal for a 1-8 to 1-6 lead.

Moycarkey dealt with the setback effectively and at half-time the sides were level 1-9 each with all to play for.

The contest was finely balanced though lacking in championship intensity but two minutes into the second half, after Andrew Ormond had pointed for Brackens, David Costigan netted for Moycarkey following a well-executed move.

Brackens surged back with three Shane Doyle points to a Kieran Morris effort for Moycarkey to tie the game at 1-13 to 2-10 after forty minutes.

Moycarkey then had a good spell, three Morris points opening a decent lead and with ten minutes to go they still held that advantage, 2-16 to 1-16, but the closing period saw Brackens in the ascendancy. Points from Doyle, Ormond, and Eanna McBride gained them parity before another Doyle point nudged them ahead.

Gripping stuff now as Brackens’ goalie Jack Kennedy denied Tom Hayes a goal. A Kieran Morris pointed free levelled for Moycarkey on the hour (1-20 to 2-17). Lyndon Fairbrother and Killian Cantwell traded points, but the match winner came from JK Brackens defender Ned Delaney who whipped over his third point to seal the issue for his side.

Afterwards Paddy Cadell, JK Brackens captain accepted the Johnny Leahy Cup from Mid Board chairperson Martin Burke, on behalf of his team-mates, much to the delight of their large following.

The skipper played a key role in the tense closing stages at the heart of their defence but Shane Doyle’s contribution from play and frees, eleven points, three from play, was immense and earned him the Man of the Match accolade.

Andrew Ormond had a big game for the winners also with Ned Delaney, Cathal Scully, Jamie Ormond, and Eanna McBride others to greatly influence the outcome and set the Templemore boys up nicely for their opening game in the county championship against Lorrha next weekend.

Moycarkey/Borris were greatly disappointed and justifiably so, but three championship games in a week was too much for this developing team.

They will be hoping to get back on track against Roscrea in the upcoming county championship first round and should see this defeat as a setback but no more.

Kieran Morris was impeccable from frees, landing ten, with Bill Flanagan, and Joe Egan also working well in attack. Kieran Cummins was a key figure in the first half while in a solid rearguard Eoghan Hayes was rock-solid with goalkeeper Rhys Shelly’s deliveries loading pressure on to the J K Brackens defence.

Full marks to the Boherlahan-Dualla club who had the grounds in pristine condition for the game with an abundance of stewards on hand to regulate traffic.

TEAMS - JK Brackens: Jack Kennedy (6); Luke Ormond (6), Cathal Scully (7), Sean Walsh (6); Eanna McBride (7), Paddy Cadell (7), Ned Delaney (7); Conor Cadell (6), Jordan Moloney (6); Shane Doyle (9), James Corcoran (6), Jamie Ormond (7); Ned Walshe (6), Andrew Ormond (8), Stevie Cahill (6).

Subs: Lyndon Fairbrother (6) for Cahill (40); Ciaran O’Shea (6) for Walshe (52).

Moycarkey/Borris: Rhys Shelly (6); Kevin Hayes (7), Peter Melbourne (6), Tom Ryan (6); Tom Hayes (6), Eoghan Hayes (7), Kyle Shelly (6); Kieran Cummins (7), Rory Darmody (6); Joe Maher (6), Joe Egan (7), David Costigan (7); Jack Hayes (6), Kieran Morris (7), Bill Flanagan (7).

Subs: Sean Hayes (6) for Melbourne (20 inj); Max Hackett (6) for Maher (40); Jack Fallon (6) for Darmody (44); Killian Cantwell (7) for K Shelly (52); Niall Heffernan (6) for Cummins (56 inj).

Referee: John Dooley (Thurles Gaels).