Sarsfields latest success built on team ethic

County Senior Hurling Final Match Analysis

By Shane Brophy

A build-up that was full of excitement with plenty of jovial banter between two great rivals and neighbours meeting in a first County Senior Hurling final for 64 years but it halted within eleven seconds of the throw-in.

That’s all it took for Thurles Sarsfields to take control of proceedings and they never looked like letting it go as they eased to a 37th title, with the Dan Breen Cup making the short walk to the adjacent Sarsfields Social Centre for the first time in nine long years for them.

For Moycarkey/Borris, they’ll have regret of not showing their truth worth on the biggest occasion, particularly in front of a national television audience, but for the most part they weren’t let as it was Sarsfields who did most of the squeezing, sucking the life out of their rivals, particularly in negating Kieran Morris and David Costigan from having any impact altogether.

Morris was restricted to just two points from frees, and bar one catch in the middle of the second half, was unable to provide the talismanic moments his team needed, while Costigan, a star of the championship with 5-12 from play in five games, was not only kept scoreless, but shotless.

Negating their influence was key to Sarsfields gameplan to such an extent that two of the loudest cheers from the victors’ sideline during the course of the game were from forcing Costigan to overcarry on two occasions.

For a club traditionally recognised for its hurling craft, this latest success was built on grit and graft, the epitome of their manager Padraic Maher whose trust he was given by the club to fill the void of not being able to play anymore to handing him the managerial reins without any experience, was fully vindicated.

It would have been easy for the club hierarchy to move in another direction after three unsuccessful years, culminating in a group stage exit in 2025, albeit on score difference after winning two of their three games, but their patience was rewarded, and something many clubs can follow in that changing managers for the sake of it isn’t the wisest thing to do.

It helps that Maher has a standing that commands respect from the players, who trust his every word, and on the odd occasion he shouts it at a player who might not be doing their job, it’s understood the message he is making.

Patience and trust is something that is central to this latest Thurles Sarsfields success. They did it without talismanic Ronan Maher who played only twenty minutes in this title run.

Helped by the fact they have such a deep panel in a club with five adult hurling team, missing a player of his calibre is always a loss but once they got into their flow following the second round win over Holycross/Ballycahill, there was an ominous look about Sars.

In this final, they didn’t have to be anywhere near their best to win but it was more than sufficient to keep Moycarkey/Borris at arm’s length. Seven points down at half time, reduced to five early in the second half, the underdogs were where they wanted to be, within striking distance, but at no time did you sense they were getting into a flow, such was Sarsfields dominance, particularly in defence, who have conceded 1-14 and 1-11 in a semi-final and final, quite an impressive feat in modern hurling where scoring tends to be high.

In front of the ageless Patrick McCormack who was winning his ninth county medal between the posts, he had little to do bar a late reactive save to clear off the line, in front of him an indomitable full-back line where Denis Maher, now an eight time winner, who is playing the best hurling of his long career at full back, alongside the terrier defender that is Paul Maher while Henry Fogarty impressed in his thirty minutes on the field, forced off through injury just before half time, replaced by another experienced soldier in Stephen Maher who fitted in seamlessly.

In front of them, Ronan Maher’s unavailability left Thurles with no option but to play Conor Stakelum at centre back in this campaign, a position he played in last year but has taken his play to a level which suggests he gets first dibs at the Tipperary number 6 jersey next season.

It not through his dominant plays that he shows his worth, it’s his coolness on the ball and ability to drift into pockets to provide an outlet to take the ball, from where his distribution is excellent.

It helps that he has eager beavers beside him in the towering Keith Loughnane who was one of those detailed to mark David Costigan which he did well while Cian Stakelum didn’t have his most impactful game on the other wing on the ball but was fully committed all through in what was a great day for the family with four brothers winning medals as starters, very rare in a modern context.

Aidan Stakelum made a big contribution on the forty with two points while Darragh was less impactful but that says a lot about Sarsfields, they have players capable of contributing on different days such as Kieran Rossiter in the quarter final, to Stakelum in the semi-final, and in this county final, it was arguably the least heralded of the sextet that proved to be the star man with Eoin Purcell’s 1-4 the difference between the sides.

When Moycarkey/Borris look back on it, it has been a successful campaign to reach a first final since 1984. They can look to the likes of Clonoulty/Rossmore, Loughmore/Castleiney, Kiladangan, and Borris-Ileigh who had to lose a final before they ultimately won the big prize.

They took a big step forward this year but they aren’t at a stage yet where they can start a final without captain Kieran Cummins, a 2025 All-Ireland winner with Tipp, whose industry was there for all to see when he was introduced but they needed his leadership in the middle of the field much earlier than his groin injury would allow.

They got good final performances from Peter Melbourne (when introduced), Killian Cantwell, Niall Heffernan, Joe Maher, Max Hackett and Jack Hayes, the latter two with three points each from play but just 1-11 in sixty-plus minutes and getting just nineteen shots off in total shows just how hard they found it to get front-foot ball from which to pressurise a well-drilled Sarsfields rearguard.

When the celebrations die down, Sars will set their sights on Munster, a competition they haven’t done themselves justice in over the years but there is plenty to suggest they are well built to challenge strongly.