Roscrea hold nerve to send Mullinahone down

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Relegation Final

Roscrea 2-18

CJ Kickhams Mullinahone 0-19

Report: Shane Brophy in Templetuohy

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Alan Tynan (Roscrea)

SCORERS – Roscrea: Alan Tynan 1-3; Shane Fletcher (3 frees), Luke Cashin (frees) 0-4 each; Kenny Lee 1-1; Darragh Tynan 0-3; Conor Phelan, Leigh Loughnane, Evan Fitzpatrick 0-1 each.

CJ Kickhams Mullinahone: Micheal Dunne 0-10 (8 frees); Enda Keane 0-3 (1 free); Sean Curran 0-2; Martin Kehoe, Jack Shelly, Sam Rowan, Graham Horan 0-1 each.

In the big games, you need your big players to stand up and take the game by the scruff of the neck and when Roscrea needed him to, Alan Tynan wasn’t found wanting as he was central in their successful County Senior Hurling Relegation Final win over CJ Kickhams Mullinahone on Sunday.

Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve in life and sport, and Roscrea will feel maintaining their senior status was the least they deserved from a campaign they played a lot of good hurling but achieved very few positive results to go with it.

Off the back of their poorest performance of the campaign against Upperchurch/Drombane in the relegation semi-final, the pressure was ramped up facing a CJ Kickhams Mullinahone side who were aware of what they were preparing for having survived on the final day against Lorrha twelve months ago.

This time, lady luck was not on their side and they had to give second best to Roscrea who produced a strong second half performance to extend their current stay in the senior ranks to four years while 2002 county champions Mullinahone fall out of the senior grade for the first time in 34 years.

While they were second best on the day, Mullinahone will rue not holding out against Toomevara at the start of the championship which would have saved them at that early stage, as well as a decent showing against JK Brackens.

It once again shows the competitiveness and rising standard of the Tipperary senior championship that you can still be relegated despite not performing poorly in the main.

The South men will look back on eight first half wides (13 overall) when they were much the better team, and while Roscrea’s two goals were ultimately the difference, the second one in the 42nd minute was completel unavoidable as a short puckout from Brendan Kearney went straight to Shane Fletcher who drew the last defender to play in Alan Tynan to finished clinically.

The goal was part of a 1-3 haul from play in the second half for the 2025 Tipperary All-Ireland winner who came to the fore after the break, particularly when moved to the half forward line to complement the ball-winning ability of Conor Dooley who provided great leadership as well.

Roscrea hit thirteen wides as well but they took enough of their chances, particularly from dead-balls which had been an issue through the campaign but when the pressure was on Luke Cashin and Shane Fletcher converted seven from eight, Cashin in particular from long range in the first half.

Captain Darragh Tynan also played a strong role at wing back in both his defending on the lively Enda Keane, as well as his ability to get forward to score three points from play with Conor Phelan and sweeper Conor Sheedy also effective as was debutante Aaron O’Donoghue who made his first senior start in place of the injured Dan Ryan.

With so much at stake, the early stages, as expected, were cagey enough with the first four points shared with Darragh Tynan setting the tone for Roscrea after ten seconds with Enda Keane responding before respecting free-takers Micheal Dunne and Luke Cashin traded placed balls.

Roscrea made the first move with three points in as many minutes from Cashin, Kenny Lee and Leigh Loughnane with goalkeeper Daryl Ryan getting joy down from his restarts down the left side of the pitch, which yielded a score for Conor Phelan to cancel out a Jack Shelly point.

Darragh Tynan and Luke Cashin (2) points were cancelled out by two Dunne frees and Sean Curran’s first from play before Mullinahone started to get a grip in the half-back line which led to points from play for Curran and Dunne to draw level at 0-9 each after 21 minutes.

A classy Shane Fletcher scored edged Ros back in front but Mullinahone were on the front foot as Keane and Dunne from play edged them in front on 27 minutes before Fletcher converted a close range free to level.

Roscrea struck a crucial double blow right on half time with a 1-1 blast, the goal coming first with Conor Dooley winning a high ball before passing off to Alan Tynan who drifted in behind the cover and he could have taken the shot on himself but he took the right decision to play in the unmarked Kenny Lee, who despite fumbling the pass, was composed enough to flick past the advancing Mullinahone keeper and just over the line.

Darragh Tynan followed it up with a point from play and Roscrea went into the break leading 1-12 to 0-11.

The fresh elements would be with Mullinahone in the second half and a long range Enda Keane free and a Sam Rowan point cut the gap initially but they were unable to work the scoreboard regularly as Roscrea really upped the work-rate and tightened things up.

Fletcher and Evan Fitzpatrick restored the four point lead and they missed at least four good chances to extend their lead and one wondered would they pay for those opportunities but when Mullinahone keeper Kearney opted to go short with disastrous consequences, it turned the game decisively in favour of Roscrea.

Mullinahone responded positively with Micheal Dunne converting three frees in a row to get within four as they moved Paul Curran to the attack to try and turn the screw but it didn’t have the desired effect and after going fourteen minutes without scoring, Alan Tynan pointed before he was fouled for Shane Fletcher to convert.

Sub Graham Horan, Dunne and Martin Kehoe pointed in added time and came close to a goal when Horan’s kicked effort came back off the crossbar with Roscrea clearing their lines with Alan Tynan adding two more points to seal victory.

TEAMS – Roscrea: Daryl Ryan (6); Conor Booth (6), Michael Campion (6), Aidan Booth (6); Conor Sheedy (7), Darragh Tynan (Capt 8), Conor Phelan (7), Aaron O’Donoghue (6); Alan Tynan (8), Leigh Loughnane (7); Conor Dooley (7), Luke Cashin (7), Evan Fitzpatrick (7); Shane Fletcher (7), Kenny Lee (7).

Subs: Owen Tynan (NR) for A Booth (53-56 blood) for O’Donoghue (60+4); Sam Dooley (6) for Lee (56); Jack Lee (NR) for Cashin (60+4)

CJ Kickhams Mullinahone: Brendan Kearney (6); Eoin Treacy (7), Paul Curran (7), Eanna Ryan (6); Colin Shelly (7), Eoin Fennelly (7), Darragh Linnane (7); Daire O’Brien (7), Sean Curran (7); Martin Kehoe (6), Jack Shelly (7), Enda Keane (6); Sam Rowan (7), Eoin O’Dwyer (6), Micheal Dunne (Capt 7).

Subs: Conor O’Brien (6) for C Shelly (44 inj); Alan Curran (6) for Keane (44); Graham Horan (7) for O’Dwyer (51).

Referee: Joe Leahy (Moyne-Templetuohy).