Hurling Leagues to get underway with plenty of club changes

By Liam Hogan

The new club hurling season gets underway over the coming week with the start of the County League. Ahead of it, it has brought its share of managerial changes with one or two big ones thrown into the mix.

Division 1

The top division has eighteen teams divided into three groups of six. Group one is red hot in terms of the strength of the teams.

Borris-Ileigh take on Nenagh Eire Og with the Dan Breen runners-up keeping the same management team as 2025 with Hugh & Noel Maloney joined up with Michael Gleeson.

Borris-Ileigh remain with David O’Connor continuing as manager. He has a strong backroom team in Paddy Stapleton, Sean Smyth and Eamon Corcoran while Burgess man Niall McGrath remains as coach.

Michael Ferncombe is the new manager with Clonoulty/Rossmore who take on Drom Inch. The Holycross man is very experienced having been involved with Tipperary All-Ireland winning Intermediate teams while also involved with the Tipperary senior camogie side.

Drom & Inch seek to maintain their improvement as their own Matthew Buckley is in charge for the second year of last year’s county semi-finalists.

JK Brackens has called on local man Aidan Ivors as manager and he will have Eire Og Annacarty’s Diarmuid Ryan as coach. Kiladangan has home blood too in Dan Hackett who has returned to the fold after his successful stint with Moneygall.

The big news on the management front was the decision by Toomevara to call on Liam O’Kelly who guided Kilruane MacDonaghs to Dan Breen success in 2022.

The Templederry native has Toomevara club great Tommy Dunne as coach on an interim basis with Tommy Carroll as selector. They play Holycross/Ballycahill in the opening round and the beaten County semi-finalists has Brendan Ryan in his second year as manager.

It’s as you were with Thurles Sarsfields where Padraig Maher enters his fourth year in the hot seat. Sarsfields take on Kilruane MacDonaghs in the opening round on St Patrick’s Day with Roscrea native Trevor Fletcher in as manager with former Galway star Fergal Healy remaining as coach.

Like days of old, Cashel King Cormacs continue to keep the Cork link as former dual star Eoin Cadogan enters his second year at the helm. Their opening round opponents Moycarkey/Borris have parted ways with Eddie Brennan with former Tipperary senior camogie manager Denis Kelly stepping into the breach.

The opening game in group 3 sees County Senior champions Loughmore/Castleiney taking on the Premier Intermediate All-Ireland champions Upperchurch/Drombane.

Despite the dream of a possible three in a row, Eamon Kelly has parted ways with back-to-back champions. Alvy Stapleton and David McGrath are to take charge with a coach to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile Upperchurch/Drombane has appointed former great Michael Ryan as manager with Liam Dunphy stepping away. The former Tipperary All-Ireland winning player and manager has brought in John Hadnett and Limerick’s Maurice Nelligan as selectors while Kieran Boyle is the Strength & Condition coaching. Boyle was with the Tipperary senior camogie backroom up to recently.

Roscrea continue with Paudie Bourke as manager, assisted by Stephen Butler (S&C) and Shane Scully as coach as the Reds take on Gortnahoe/Glengoole who sees Keith Corbett and Dinny Ferncombe remain in the hot seats for the third year in a row. CJ Kickhams Mullinahone take on Carrick Swans in the third game of the group and both remain unchanged from last year

Division 2

Ken Hogan has moved on as Lorrha manager after four years with former selector Barry Moran taking charge with coach Eamonn Keenan from Kilcormac and who managed Belmont last year.

They start off at home to Killenaule who are managed by Joe Caesar who enters his second year as the boss and had added Nenagh’s Timmy Dalton is the coach.

Local derbies bring a share of passion and Ballina v Burgess clash is one of the best. Ballina continue with their 2025 successful management in Adam Hurley, Brendan McKeogh, Eoin Kent and Eoin Cleary. John Gleeson is an absentee from last year’s team that won the North premier intermediate championship.

There is a change in Burgess; Garrett Howard moves from selector to manager replacing Darrell Tucker. Eoin ‘Tossy’ Hogan continues as selector but Donie Nealon comes into the team. David Lawlor will coach the side.

Just like 2025 both Fergal Condon and Jamie Wall return to guide St Mary’s. They take on Boherlahan-Dualla who created major news in appointing former Limerick forward Seamus Flanagan as manager/coach. Fionn McCullagh and Paddy O’Dwyer are his selectors.

Darragh O’Malley will hold the reins with Clonakenny as they face Templederry Kenyons in their opening game with no management confirmed at this time.

Padraig Maher & company have charge of Thurles Sarsfields second team and they take on Moneygall who call on Alan Tynan as coach. The former Roscrea star has home talent at his side in Willie Greene as manager plus Sean Doughan and Tom Toohey as selectors.

Ballinahinch and Tipperary star Shane McGrath will coach Eire Og Annacarty once more as the West-men take on Moyne-Templetuohy who have their own Diarmuid Fogarty in charge for the first time.

Division 3

Silvermines will hope to improve on 2025 and they keep with the same sideline in manager Declan Corcoran who has Jodie Harkin, David Young and Cathal Gleeson on board.

Ballingarry sees Niall O’Donnell return to the sideline after a year’s absence following his successful two year stint in 2023 & 2024, the second which saw them reach a county final when narrowly losing to Moneygall.

County Intermediate champions Golden Kilfeacle continue with Brian Leamy as manager. They have a new coach in former Tipp football star Declan Browne as the county champions take on Kilsheelan/Kilcash who have Keith O’Brien at the helm. The Meath native played for Kilsheelan and won a South Intermediate championship with them while he led their footballers to the county final last year.

Cappawhite manager in 2024 & 2025 Michael McCarthy has stepped away with Eamon Buckley taking on the role with 2001 All-Ireland medal winner Tomas Costello, Jerry O’Neill and Donal Ryan as mentors. Alan O’Gorman will be their coach as Portroe will be their first round opponents. Port will be managed once again by John Sheedy with Roscrea’s John Carroll as coach. The evergreen Noel O’Halloran and Paul O’Callaghan are selectors.

Another local derby this weekend has Sean Treacys taking on Newport. Treacys have local man Ger O’Toole as selector alongside Anthony Roche as both men enter their fourth year in charge. Newport have made another eye-catching appointment in Laois man Seamus ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett as manager with Conor Hickey and Pat O’Donnell as selectors.

Borrisokane, under John Egan, selectors Padraic Hogan, Colm Larkin, Eddie Lillis and Joey Cleary plus Niall O’Meara as coach, bid to start the year by erasing the memory last year’s North Intermediate hurling final defeat to Shannon Rovers. The North champions see Lorrha pairing Conor O’Sullivan and James Dunne continue where they left off last year. John Tierney has stepped down as manager with Paddy Heenan making up the trio as selector.

Eoin Morrissey continues as manager with Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams who face Arravale Rovers who have Michael Heelan as manager once more.