Lorrha recover to claim much needed Minor success

GAA: Ger Gavin Home Intertiors North Tipperary Minor 'C' Hurling Final

Lorrha 3-14

Newport 1-16

Report: Liam Hogan in Puckane

Lorrha have won many North Championships but few will be greeted as much as this one will. With a small panel of just sixteen players, they came from behind in producing a great second half performance to overcome Newport in the North Minor ‘C’ Hurling final on Saturday evening.

Trailing by as much as eight points just minutes after the restart, things looked bleak for Lorrha who had played second fiddle to a confident Newport side in the second quarter as the Mulcaire boys overcame a slow start to lead 1-13 to 1-6 at half time.

But the second half was a different story as Lorrha slowly crawled their way back into the game and took the lead with a Lee Mannion goal in the 45th minute put them 3-10 to 1-14 in front.

Holding Newport to just one point in that third quarter, their defence was doing its job and the confidence improved with every stroke, and while the Mulcair boys did stage a mini comeback towards the end, the game wound down to an inevitable conclusion.

Lorrha had so many heroes and Conor Donoghue was one of them as the sixteen year-old opened the scoring with a point after eighteen seconds before adding a goal a minute later.

Newport had Harry Moloney as their leading man and he replied with a brace from play before Donoghue made it 1-2 to 0-3 after five minutes.

With Eric Bates starting well at centre back along with James Egan at midfield, Newport began to motor. Moloney’s ninety-metre free was quickly followed by one from the accurate J. J. Roche from play.

There was more of the same as the Lorrha defence were in bother before Harry Moloney forced keeper Dara Kennedy to make a great save at the expense of a 65 which wasn’t converted.

Lorrha made use of the let-off as James Duggan edged them in front before matters were level for the third time when the strongly built Ben Maher pointed in the 12th minute.

The next six minutes saw more from Newport and they were deserving of a three point lead after Moloney (free), Roche, and Ben Maher bisected the posts before Donoghue and Moloney traded points to make it 0-10 to 1-4.

The lead could have been greater but Kennedy again denied Moloney at the expense of a 65 which he made sure of this time. There was more as the lead stretched to five after J.J. Roche scored his third.

The remaining minutes of the half were a shootout between Donoghue and Moloney with the Lorrha man scoring two frees to one by Moloney from play before the Newport marksman grabbed the limelight with a goal from a close range free as the Lorrha defence temporarily lost their concentration and trailed 1-13 to 1-6 at the break.

Mike Coffey’s point in the third minute of the second half moved Newport eight clear. It looked as if they were going to pull away.

Lorrha needed a reboot and three minutes later the busy Darragh Duffy slipped through the Newport cover to score a goal.

The goal inspired Lorrha. Helped by an improving defence where captain Killian Fitzgerald continued with immense work alongside Paddy Hogan, Gwilym Tooher and an improving Cathal Lambe, while the never say die Lee Mannion covered every inch of grass in the middle third.

Pointed frees by Duffy and Donoghue kept the Lorrha momentum building and the deficit was soon down to the minimum when Donoghue converted two more frees on 43 minutes.

Donoghue was certainly a thorn in the Newport defence as so many of the Lorrha deliveries were sent in his direction. One wondered why Newport failed to protect that space in front of their full backline where Rhys Guiney, Daire Nolan, and Gearoid Galvin earned their crust. Gavin Gaffney was trustworthy in goal.

It was attack after attack and another delivery saw Conor Donoghue sail inside the Newport cover close to the end-line. Shooting for goal, his shot rebounded of the butt of the upright before Lee Mannion converted the rebound and Lorrha were back in front.

The game was now up for grabs but Lorrha kept up the momentum and their lead increased to four after Conor Donoghue scored from play with Darragh Duffy adding one from a free.

Newport needed a wake-up call and with their attack failing, a reshuffle saw Noah Ryan Quinn, who started at corner back, scoring from the Lorrha forty. It was one of the few times they threatened in the last quarter but a Harry Moloney free gave them in fighting chance with six minutes remaining.

The next score was vital and it was Lorrha who prospered as Donoghue added another point. A close range free to Newport by Harry Moloney was signalled wide after some confusion.

Relived to have escaped, Lorrha returned to the other end as unstoppable Conor Donoghue scored a free which completed Lorrha’s first minor title in any grade since 2010.

TEAMS - Lorrha: Dara Kennedy; Colin Hogan, Oscar Morin-Gradwell, Colin Coughlin; Paddy Hogan, Killian Fitzgerald, Gwilym Tooher; Cathal Lambe, Lee Mannion; James Duggan, Darragh Duffy, Sam madden; Conor Donoghue, Oran Madden, Jack Kennedy.

Newport: Gavin Gaffney; Daire Nolan, Rhys Guiney, Noah Ryan Quinn; Ryan Byrne, Eric Bates, Gearoid Galvin; Oisin O’Gorman, James Egan; harry Moloney, Mike Coffey, Sam Jones; J.J. Roche, Ben Maher, Cillian Healy.

Subs: Bobby O’Connor for Jones (HT); Luke Ryan for O’Gorman (49); Jack Caplis for Guiney (50); Sean Berkery for Byrne (58); Jack Casey for Healy (60+2).

Referee: Pat O’Mahoney (Kiladangan).