Injury hit Nenagh bounce back in easing past Mullinahone

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Group 4

Nenagh Eire Og 3-25

CJK Mullinahone 1-20

Report: Michael Dundon in Templetuohy

Nenagh Eire Og bounced back from the disappointment of a first round loss to get their Dan Breen Cup ambitions on track again with an emphatic win over CJ Kickhams Mullinahone in group four of the County Senior Hurling Championship on Sunday evening.

The defeat by JK Brackens was a big set-back but this eleven point win sets the Nenagh lads up confidently for their crucial third round tie against great rivals Toomevara.

Adding to the merit of this victory is the fact that it was achieved without county star Jake Morris, sidelined with an Achilles injury, and Mason Cawley out because of a broken toe. However, they made light of their absence and from an early stage took control, their superiority never seriously challenged in a modest encounter devoid of a competitive edge.

Two goals in the opening quarter put Nenagh in the driver’s seat. Philip Hickey got the first after nine minutes for a 1-3 to 0-1 lead, each side having registered four wides by that stage.

Martin Kehoe had a Mullinahone goal four minutes later but before they had time to build on that score, the South men were again in deep trouble as Ben West rounded his man to slam home a second Nenagh goal and a 2-4 to 1-1 lead.

Every Nenagh attack held out the possibility of scores. Josh Keller was leading the line well; Philip Hickey was a constant threat while Sam O’Farrell grew into the game. Ben West was sharp and incisive and Mikey Heffernan’s striking was as good as ever as Nenagh pushed on for an interval lead of 2-13 to 1-9.

Mullinahone’s chances were not helped by two first half injuries to Eoin O’Dwyer and Colin Shelly, and their plight got even worse five minutes after resuming when they lost Eoin Fennelly to a second yellow card.

Nenagh were 2-15 to 1-11 ahead at the time and Ben West’s second goal stretched that advantage to 3-17 to 1-11 after 39 minutes.

A rout looked a distinct possibility but, to their credit, Mullinahone stuck to their task and actually outscored their rivals 0-9 to 0-8 in the remaining time. By that stage however, Nenagh were withdrawing players to give game time to others, secure in the knowledge that the points were theirs.

While making due allowance for the weakness of the opposition, this was a big win for Nenagh Eire Og, not just in terms of keeping their championship hopes alive, but also for the boost to morale ahead of some vital games coming up, in particular the next outing against Toome when a positive result is imperative.

Nenagh played well, had twelve different scorers, showed an appetite for the contest, and their reshuffled side stepped up considerably on earlier outings. More of the same is required going forward.

Importantly, their key men delivered. Josh Keller led the attack well while Sam O’Farrell’s influence grew as the game progressed. Barry Heffernan was dominant at the heart of the defence and Ben West gave a man of the match performance with 2-2 from play. Philip Hickey, Mikey Heffernan, and Paddy Murphy also had a big say in the overall display.

With one point from two games, and their next outing against unbeaten JK Brackens, CJ Kickhams Mullinahone are in trouble with the possibility of another relegation battle looming. They have managed to extricate themselves from similar situations before but will need to step up considerably on this performance to avoid the drop.

Micheal Dunne was their main score-taker with Martin Kehoe bagging 1-2 from wingback. Paul Curran, Jack Shelley, Darragh Linnane, and Sam Rowan also did their utmost to further their cause.

Player of the Match: Ben West (Nenagh Eire Og)

Nenagh Eire Og: Dermot McTiernan (6); Conor Hennessy (0-1, 6), Adam Gratton (6), Mark Carey (0-1, 6); Paddy Murphy (0-1, 7), Barry Heffernan (0-1, 7), Jake Donelan-Houlihan (6); Conor Ryan (6), James Mackey (6); Mikey Heffernan (0-3, 1f, 7), Josh Keller (0-2, 7), Filip McIntyre (0-1, 6); Sam O’Farrell (0-8, 5f, 7), Philip Hickey (1-2, 7), Ben West (2-2, 8).

Subs: Jamie Cottrell (6) for McIntyre (47); Sean Phelan (0-2, 7) for M Heffernan (50); Mark O’Farrell (6) for O’Farrell (52); Tommy Heffernan (6) for West (54); Billy Moran (0-1, 6) for Murphy (55).

CJ Kickhams Mullinahone: Brendan Kearney (6); Daire O’Brien (6), Paul Curran (7), Eoin Treacy (6); Eoin Fennelly (5), Darragh Linnane (0-1, 7), Martin Kehoe (1-2, 7); Colin Shelly (6), Sam Rowan (0-3, 7); Eanna Ryan (6), Sean Curran (0-1, 6), Enda Keane (0-1, 7); Eoin O’Dwyer (6), Jack Shelly (0-1, 7), Michael Dunne (0-11, 7f, 7).

Subs: Graham Horan (6) for O’Dwyer (19 inj); Cillian White (6) for C Shelly (28 inj); Ned O’Meara (6) for Ryan (43); Matthew Direen (NR) for Kehoe (56).

Referee: Conor Doyle (Silvermines).