Loughmore's experience and composure decisive in outcome

By Shane Brophy

There aren’t many times when a game plays out almost entirely how it was predicted in the build-up, but the 2025 County Senior Hurling Final was one of those.

Loughmore/Castleiney were worthy favourites to complete back-to-back titles for the first time, but a strong challenge from Nenagh Eire Og was expected, and it duly came.

However, when it comes to the last fifteen minutes of games, there are few better than the now back-to-back champions at the moment to hold their composure and find a way to win.

After Nenagh had erased a concerning six-point deficit early in the second half, with the help of a gift of a goal as Mikey Heffernan’s free from inside his own half went all the way to the net with Loughmore goalkeeper Aidan McGrath getting his measurements wrong in trying to let the ball go wide.

It was a case of a soft Nenagh goal cancelling out a similar one Loughmore had been gifted a few minutes earlier when a John McGrath free was dropped into his own net by the luckless Dermot McTiernan. Nenagh could argue Liam McGrath was in the square, despite not making a play at the ball but Loughmore had an early first half goal taken away for a square ball which looked to be a harsh call, so the decisions balanced themselves out.

With the game in the melting pot, 1-15 apiece on 41 minutes, it was game on but this is when experience and composure come into play and Loughmore have that in spades. One other thing they have compared to other years is a squad, with five subs introduced into the fray. They also had to cope with key man-marker Lorcan Egan having to rise from a hospital bed to man-mark Jake Morris, and while the Tipp star did his bit with five points from play, he wasn’t given the sniff of a goal which would have been huge for Nenagh to gain the upper hand.

One of those subs, Liam Treacy scored a point and won a free and when Liam McGrath, another pre-match injury doubt, scored a 48th minute goal, it was hard to see Loughmore not holding out from here despite being only three points clear.

This is also when the great Noel McGrath comes into his own. This latest success sees McGrath win his tenth county senior medal (5 in hurling & 5 in football, his cousin Ciaran has 11) and when you see him retreat into a defensive role in the closing stages, there are few better at reading the play with the ball falling into his hand like a magnet as Nenagh pushed for a goal which they needed, despite keeping the scoreboard ticking over with points.

In losing a fifth final in a row going back to 2006, another by a close margin, it is a case of what might have been for Nenagh Eire Og. It’s a game they could have won but overall they just didn’t do quite enough on the day.

They were given a timely boost before the start with Mikey Heffernan deemed fit to play following a shoulder injury picked up in the quarter final a month ago.

It was surprising he was handed the free-taking duties after such a spell out, considering Sam O’Farrell was an able deputy in the semi-final. Heffernan was superb with 1-8, four points coming from play, but one wonders did the shoulder injury come against him in the second half when he missed three placed balls and also mis-hitting an easy 21-yard free from which Loughmore went up the other end to stretch their lead to five on 54 minutes.

It's in games as tight as these that the fine margins are dissected, despite Loughmore/Castleiney having more missed chances, 12 wides to six, with John McGrath also missing a couple he would usually get, plus dropping short, including the one spilled by Dermot McTiernan.

It was a tough day for goalkeepers, maybe not helped by the floodlights which are harder to play under in dusk conditions as they were in the second half, but McTiernan has made key saves to get Nenagh to this stage.

Overall, Nenagh got a lot right. Conor Hennessy kept John McGrath scoreless from play, but one of the few times he broke from his shackles was the burst through the middle which led to Liam McGrath’s decisive goal. That’s all it takes.

Barry Heffernan was powerful again at the heart of the defence with Paddy Murphy also performing well, as did Mason Cawley at wing-back. Captain Conor Ryan kept close tabs on Noel McGrath who wasn’t a huge influence on the game until late on when he went into a closer role, in baseball parlance.

Up front, Jake Morris and Mikey Heffernan did what they usually do, while they got a huge performance from Josh Keller who wouldn’t have been far off man of the match, showing why Tipperary manager Liam Cahill has put two years of development into the 23-year-old and the potential he has an athletic runner in the middle third, who can also get a score.

They would have hoped to have gotten more from Sam O’Farrell but it was just one of those games where the ball didn’t find its way to him often, and maybe it something the management will look to going forward to get him into a midfield or half-back role where he can impact the game to the same extent Noel McGrath does, and be their talisman for the future.

The disappointment etched on the faces of the Nenagh players, mentors, and officials was hard to miss, as their wait for a second county title goes on. They aren’t very far away, but it’s the same case every year, but they have taken a big step forward this year, fitter, stronger, and more consistent. Their age profile is still good with Billy O’Brien making a welcome appearance late on, and with Conor McCarthy back to full fitness, their panel should be stronger next year.

That won’t count for much this week as it is Loughmore/Castleiney’s year in the county once more, but isn’t over yet as they are more than capable of making their mark on Munster and hopefully beyond.