Nenagh reel in Roscrea in extra time thriller

GAA: Munster Solar North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final

Nenagh Eire Og 1-27

Roscrea 1-21

(After Extra Time)

Report: Shane Brophy at MacDonagh Park, Cloughjordan

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Sam O’Farrell (Nenagh Eire Og)

SCORERS – Nenagh Eire Og: Sam O’Farrell 1-12 (0-8 frees); Jake Morris 0-7; Barry Heffernan, Conor Hennessy, Conor Ryan 0-2 each; Filip McIntyre, Jamie Cotterill 0-1 each.

Roscrea: Shane Fletcher 1-3 (0-1 free); Luke Cashin 0-4 (2 frees, 1 ’65); Evan Fitzpatrick, Leigh Loughnane 0-3 each; Alan Tynan, Darragh Tynan, Conor Phelan 0-2 each; Dan Ryan, Jack Lee 0-1 each.

Nenagh Eire Og had to dig deep into their reserves of experience to overcome Roscrea in an enthralling North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship semi-final on Sunday evening.

Trailing by eight points at half time and still six adrift on 53 minutes, they were very much second best to another impressive Roscrea performance but their experience and greater conditioning told in the closing stages, as well as extra time, which they played the entirety with fourteen men, and still prevailed comfortably 0-8 to 0-2.

This barely tells the story of as exciting a North Championship game there has been in years. The huge crowd that made their way to Cloughjordan certainly were rewarded with an high intensity contest where a major upset was on the cards for long stages.

It will be a bittersweet defeat for Roscrea. The followed up their impressive quarter final win over Kilruane with another sterling performance, the only issue was they failed to close it out in normal time, in particular ruing missed frees from Luke Cashin and Shane Fletcher inside the last ten minutes which would have stalled Nenagh’s comeback.

Other than that, they were hugely impressive once more, in their application and quality for their hurling, to their gameplan which frustrated Nenagh for long stages.

They led 1-11 to 0-6 at half time, helped by the blistering start of 1-2 inside five minutes with Shane Fletcher getting the goal off a burst through the middle by Dan Ryan who was hugely impressive and his reduced impact as the game went on was when Nenagh started to get traction.

Roscrea sat off the Nenagh puckout, taking away the long option, forcing Nenagh to go short in the hope they would take long range efforts, and the risk was rewarded with eight first half wides, the majority from range, with Nenagh’s inside forwards also having little space to operate in.

Half-time was badly needed by the Nenagh management who earned their crust with the adjustments made, particularly moving Sam O’Farrell from wing forward to the half-back line where he almost singlehandedly put the team on his back. As well as being unerring from frees, his 33rd minute point where Nenagh moved the ball through the hands to breach the Roscrea rearguard where Conor Booth and Alan Tynan were to the fore.

Nenagh’s big three of O’Farrell, Jake Morris and Barry Heffernan really came to the fore but Roscrea were still keeping the scoreboard ticking over with Leigh Loughnane impressive once again with Darragh Tynan and Evan Fitzpatrick also contributing.

When Shane Fletcher scored a unbelievable point from a marvellous catch in the 57th minute, leading 1-18 to 0-16, it seemed to indicate this would be Roscrea’s day.

Nenagh needed a goal and crucially came quickly and in fortunate circumstances as Sam O’Farrell was attempting a point but it dropped short but the presence of Billy O’Brien saw him put off Roscrea keeper as the ball ended up in the net.

With four minutes of added time, there was plenty of time for Nenagh to equalise which they did through Conor Ryan and Jake Morris before a long range Conor Hennessy point looked to have stolen it for Eire Og. However, Roscrea weren’t done and Leigh Loughnane made a superb catch from the subsequent puckout before firing over to send the game to extra time, 1-19 apiece.

As the teams left the field to reset for extra time, tensions came frayed and when the players returned, referee Gerry Treacy issued four yellow cards, two to each side, with Nenagh’s Adam Carey sent off.

It meant Nenagh would have to play extra time with fourteen men but you wouldn’t have known it as they were comfortable in the twenty minutes, with Jake Morris coming to the fore with three points from play in the first period with subs Billy O’Brien and Jamie Cotterill almost making valuable contributions on the scoreboard, as did Barry Heffernan in a defensive sense making a key block on Shane Fletcher.

Roscrea tired in extra time but had their chances with six wides. However, the game was lost for them in normal time, but outside of the defeat, the manner of their performance which if repeated in the county championship, they have every chance of making the knockout stages.

For Nenagh Eire Og, another North final awaits and if success comes in the coming months, they may well look back on this game as defining for finding a way to win.

TEAMS – Nenagh Eire Og: Dermot McTiernan (7); Philip Hickey (6), Barry Heffernan (8), Conor Hennessy (7); Paddy Murphy (6), Mason Cawley (7), Jake Donelan-Houlihan (6); Conor Ryan (8), James Mackey (6); Filip McIntyre (6), Josh Keller (8), Sam O’Farrell (9); Tommy Heffernan (6), Jake Morris (9), Ben West (6).

Subs: Billy O’Brien (7) for West (HT); Jamie Cotterill (7) for Mackey (40); Emmet Jones (7) for T Heffernan (46); Mark Carey (nr) for McIntyre (60+4); Ben West for Donelan-Houlihan (16 ET); James Mackey for B Heffernan (17 ET).

Roscrea: Enda Moloney (7); Conor Booth (8), Michael Campion (6), Aidan Booth (7); Conor Phelan (7); Darragh Tynan (7), Conor Sheedy (7), Alan Tynan (8); Dan Ryan (7), Leigh Loughnane (8); Luke Cashin (7), Evan Fitzpatrick (8), Conor Dooley (7); Shane Fletcher (8), Jack Lee (6).

Subs: Glenn Loughnane (7) for Phelan (46); Kenny Lee (6) for Lee (48); Owen Tynan (6) for Ryan (60+1); Conor Phelan for Campion (7 ET); Dan Ryan for Cashin (9 ET); Jack Lee for Fitzpatrick (12 ET).

Referee: Gerry Treacy (Borris-Ileigh).