Nenagh CBS win second Harty Cup

GAA: TUS Munster Post Primary Schools Senior ‘A’ Hurling – Dr Harty Cup Final

St Joseph’s CBS, Nenagh0-20

St Flannan’s College, Ennis0-18

Report: Shane Brophy

at Zimmer Biomet Pairc Chiosog, Ennis

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Eoghan Doughan (Nenagh CBS)

SCORERS – Nenagh CBS: Eoghan Doughan 0-12 (8 frees); Austin Duff, Patrick Hackett, Joe O’Dwyer 0-2 each; Dara O’Dwyer, Patrick O’Dwyer 0-1 each.

St. Flannan’s College: Harry Doherty 0-8 (5 frees, 1 ’65); Darragh MacNamara 0-3; Thomas O’Connor 0-2; Eoin O’Connor, Graham Ball, Isaac Hassett, Patrick Finneran, Colm Daly 0-1 each.

Nenagh CBS won their second ever Harty Cup, and second in three years, after edging St Flannan’s College, Ennis in the final played in front of 6,909 spectators on Saturday afternoon.

Captain Eoghan Doughan, who was the only starting survivor from the 2024 success led the team superbly with a man of the match performance, with four of his twelve points coming from play.

Nenagh were forced into one change from the semi-final victory with Hugh Healy coming in for Billy O’Brien who sustained a ruptured Achilles in training midweek and will miss the rest of the year.

And it was the “home” team Flannan’s who made the brighter start with Darragh McNamara and Thomas O’Connor pointing inside two minutes with Nenagh starting centre back Dara O’Dwyer getting Nenagh off the mark after four minutes.

A Harry Doherty point for Flannan’s was cancelled out by a first converted free from Nenagh skipper Eoghan Doughan before a super Patrick Ryan point brought the sides level.

Flannan’s dominated possession in the early stages and started to make it count with MacNamara, Isaac Hassett, O’Connor, and two Harry Doherty frees seeing them into a 0-8 to 0-3 lead after sixteen minutes.

Under pressure, Nenagh responded with Doughan moving to full forward and after Austin Duff pointed from play, Doughan converted two frees, and after a Graham Ball response from Flannan’s, the skipper landed two fine points from play to reduce the arrears to one after 23 minutes.

After an Eoin O’Connor response for Ennis, Doughan landed a long range free before Patrick Hackett brought the sides level with Doughan’s third from play giving them their first lead of the game in first half added time before a Harry Doherty free sent the sides in level at the break, 0-11 apiece.

The second half was equally close with Nenagh taking the initiative this time with Doughan (2 frees), and a Joe O’Dwyer point easing them into a 0-14 to 0-12 lead Darragh MacNamara scoring his third for Flannan’s.

Doherty scored from play but missed a very scoreable free which proved costly with Doughan following with his fourth from play for Nenagh. The industrious Austin Duff doubled his tally but points from Patrick Finneran, a Doherty 65 & free, and a long range Colm Daly point edged St Flannan’s back in front on 48 minutes.

The momentum was with the 22 times champions but Nenagh’s resolve was strong with Joe O’Dwyer levelling before he won a free which Doughan converted to retake the lead.

A second Hackett point and a twelfth Doughan point opened a three point lead for Nenagh going into three minutes of added time where Flannan’s searched for a goal but all they managed was a Harry Doherty free as the final whistle sounded with Nenagh celebrating joining the elite of the prestigious schools competition as multi winners.

TEAMS: St Joseph’s CBS, Nenagh: Paddy McCormack (Moneygall); Diarmuid Fogarty (Kiladangan), Shane Cleary (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Cormac Kennedy (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Emmett Jones (Nenagh Eire Og), Dara O’Dwyer (Kiladangan), Johnny Grace (Burgess); Hugo Healy (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Austin Duff (Toomevara); Patrick Ryan (Borris-Ileigh), Eoghan Doughan (Moneygall, Capt), Paul Cahalan (Burgess); Eanna Tucker (Nenagh Eire Og), Patrick Hackett (Toomevara), Joe O’Dwyer (Burgess).

Subs: Tom Boland for O’Dwyer (26-HT blood); Tom Boland for Tucker (HT); Rian McGrath (Kiladangan) for Cahalan (44); KJ Dunne (Toomevara) for Healy (48); Charlie Kennedy (Kilruane MacDonaghs) for O’Dwyer (60+1); Daniel McKelvey (Silvermines) for Hackett (60+4).

St Flannan’s College, Ennis: Leon Talty; Darragh Ball, Sean MacNamara, Darragh Murrihy; James Cullinan (J-Capt), Conor Hill, Colm Daly; Graham Ball, Isaac Hassett; Harry Doherty (J-Capt), Patrick Finneran, Rory Ralph; Eoin O’Connor, Thomas O’Connor, Darragh MacNamara.

Subs: John Barry for D Ball (26-27 blood); John Barry for Hassett (38); Jason Keane Hayes for Finneran (45); Ben Talty for Ralph (53 inj); David Loftus for O’Connor (55).

Referee: Thomas Walsh (Waterford)