Borris-Ileigh edge past Nenagh in North Final epic
GAA: Munster Solar North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Final
Borris-Ileigh 2-29
Nenagh Eire Og 3-25
(After Extra Time)
Report: Shane Brophy at MacDonagh Park, Nenagh
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Eddie Ryan (Borris-Ileigh)
SCORERS – Borris-Ileigh: Eddie Ryan 1-11 (0-8 frees, 0-1 ’65); James Devaney 0-7; Jerry Kelly 0-6 (2 s-cuts); Paddy McCormack 1-0; Jack Bevans 0-2; Colm Boyle, Sean McCormack, Conor Kenny 0-1 each.
Nenagh Eire Og: Sam O’Farrell 0-11 (10 frees); Jake Morris 2-2 (1-0 pen, 1-0 free); Josh Keller 0-3; Ben West 1-0; Jake Donelan-Houlihan, Emmet Jones 0-2 each; Tommy Heffernan, Paddy Murphy, Mason Cawley, Conor Ryan, Jamie Cotterill 0-1 each.
Last Sunday was the 120th North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship, and there were hardly many better since it was first played for in 1901 as Borris-Ileigh and Nenagh Eire Og played themselves to a standstill in searing heat before Borris ended up with the Frank McGrath Cup at the final whistle.
For almost two-hours, these two rivals went toe-to-toe, the lead swaying over and back and just when it felt like one team was getting the upper hand, it was wrestled back.
The lead changed hands on eleven occasions with Eddie Ryan’s 80th minute free proving to be the winner, albeit it controversial as Conor Ryan was penalised for throwing the ball, the only such offence in the game, with Nenagh also claiming the midfielder was fouled beforehand.
It provided a dramatic end to the game when man of the match Ryan thought he had won it three minutes earlier when he ran onto a pass from Paddy McCormack, and not content with a lead point, he saw the space to run into before side-stepping Paddy Murphy and firing to the net.
Three points in front, that looked to be that but from the puckout, Dermot McTiernan’s wind-assisted delivery landed inside the Borris fourteen yard line, caught by Tommy Heffernan who was fouled in the process of shooting with a penalty awarded. Around half an hour after standing over a 21-yard free which needed to be converted to send the game to extra time, Jake Morris stepped up again and clinically despatched to the net, with a penalty shootout then looking a distinct possibility.
Nenagh will rue the manner of the winning Borris-Ileigh point but their wides count of sixteen, over the eighty-plus minutes, to nine for their opponents was one of the key reasons in determining the outcome. Three of the misses came from placed balls from Sam O’Farrell whereas Eddie Ryan missed just one.
Borris also got big scoring contributions from key players, any of whom who could have been man of the match which ultimately went to Eddie Ryan who top-scored with 1-11 from thirteen shots, with his late goal edging it in his sides favour.
Until then, Jerry Kelly looked like taking accolade with six points, four from play and also converted two sideline cuts while James Devaney was back to his best with seven from play from full-forward.
Nenagh’s scoring load was spread around greater with Sam O’Farrell top-scoring with 0-11 while Jake Morris added 2-2, two points from play but won a number of duels in a terrific battle with his former Tipperary colleague Dan McCormack.
If Nenagh had gotten over the line, Josh Keller was superb all through, bringing huge work-rate and directness, only getting on the scoresheet in added time where he scored three with the crossbar denying him a goal in the first period.
Conor Hennessy nailed down Paddy McCormack pretty well while Jake Donelan-Houlihan also impressed, as did Paddy Murphy and Emmett Jones off the bench.
The Game
Eire Og had the benefit of the strong wind in the first half and they weren’t subtle in their approach, going long and direct, and after the sides shared the first four points, Nenagh struck for their first goal in the seventh minute, a long puckout right down the middle which broke to Ben West who finished clinically.
It was an early success through that process but one that didn’t have much success thereafter with the Borris defence doing well on the breaks with Colm Boyle to the fore.
Borris were playing well into the elements, James Devaney on target from play twice inside ten minutes with Jerry Kelly and Sean McCormack also finding the range.
Nenagh made the first surge with successive points from O’Farrell, Murphy, and Morris pushing them five clear on eighteen minutes and in a good position to post a decent lead by half time.
However, the breeze was that strong, plus the pitch playing very quick that balls ran very fast with both teams arguably playing better into the elements as Borris it back by reeling off six points in a row through Kelly (2), Devaney, Bevans (2) and an Eddie Ryan free to retake the lead approaching half time but two late frees from Sam O’Farrell saw Nenagh head to the coolness of the dressing rooms, 1-9 to 0-11 in front.
With Conor Ryan and Jake Morris on target from play early in the second half, Nenagh looked to take control but Borris were playing with real determination and every time the game looked to be slipping away they responded with Ryan (2) and Devaney adding to their tallies to restore parity on 34 minutes.
O’Farrell and Donelan-Houlihan pointed once more, responded to by an Eddie Ryan 65 and a point from sub Conor Kenny. O’Farrell and Ryan added to their growing tallies as the sides remained deadlocked at the second half water-break.
Colm Boyle scored a raking point from inside his own half to edge Borris back in front, responded to by sub Jamie Cotterill. However, the maroons looked like they had made the winning surge with Jerry Kelly coming to the fore once more with two super points, added to by another Ryan free to go three clear on 58 minutes.
Nenagh points from sub Emmett Jones and an O’Farrell free were responded to each time by Devaney and a second Kelly sideline cut which looked to be the coup de gras for the win.
However, Nenagh mounted one last attack with Morris winning the possession before playing in Billy O’Brien who was fouled just outside the 21-yard line. It was goal or nothing and Jake Morris used the hard growing to send a bouncing shot to the net and send the game to extra time.
Paddy McCormack had been a peripheral figure in normal time but made an immediate impact in extra time, showing soccer skills that wouldn’t have looked out of place at the World Cup to dink past the advancing McTiernan to give his side the best possible start with that goal proving to be the difference between the sides at the change of ends, Borris winning the period 1-4 to 0-4 although the width of the crossbar denied Josh Keller’s shot from being a goal rather than a point.
Points from Mason Cawley and two O’Farrell frees brought Nenagh level before they retook the lead through Josh Keller with four minutes left. Borris’ response was impressive as James Devaney went out to offer himself for a puckout and taking off on one of his trademark solo runs, he fired over his seventh point to bring the sides level for the penultimate time before the late drama saw Borris-Ileigh prove to be the last team standing.
TEAMS - Borris-Ileigh: James McCormack (6); Liam Ryan (7), Dan McCormack (Capt 7), Colm Boyle (8); Kieran Maher (6), Tom Delaney (7), Sean McCormack (7); Jack Bevans (8), Tommy Ryan (6); Jerry Kelly (9), Eddie Ryan (9), Jack Hogan (6); Kevin Maher (6), Paddy McCormack (7), James Devaney (9).
Subs: Conor Kenny (6) for Kevin Maher (37); Patrick Ryan (6) for Hogan (40); Kevin Maher for T Ryan (ET); Cathal Hogan (6) for Kieran Maher (4 ET).
Nenagh Eire Og: Dermot McTiernan (7); Philip Hickey (6), Conor Hennessy (7), Barry Heffernan (7); Paddy Murphy (7), Jake Donelan-Houlihan (8), Mason Cawley (7); Conor Ryan (7), James Mackey (6); Sam O’Farrell (7), Josh Keller (9), Filip McIntyre (6); Tommy Heffernan (6), Jake Morris (Capt 8), Ben West (6).
Subs: Billy O’Brien (6) for Mackey (HT); Jamie Cotterill (6) for T Heffernan (37); Emmet Jones (7) for McIntyre (50); Tommy Heffernan for Cotterill (16 ET).
Referee: Ciaran O’Donovan (Burgess).