Borris-Ileigh rebound built on honesty

By Shane Brophy

Borris-Ileigh manager David O’Connor complimented the character of his players after winning what he described as an “unbelievable” North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship final on Sunday.

“I thought we had it won in normal time and they brought it back for extra time and you go into the dressing room thinking maybe have we lost our opportunity,” he revealed.

“In fairness to the boys, this is our second year with them and they have given us everything.

“We were in relegation two years ago and when we came in the boys were low in confidence. We knew there was more in the group.

“We had been written off in all quarters and rightly so based on our results. If we are being honest with ourselves, we haven't really kicked on since 2019. “We had honest discussions about what we were going to put in place and how there was going to be honesty from management and players, and to get over and line there today just by a point is unbelievable against a savage Nenagh team who took Loughmore all the way in the county final last year, it’s just brilliant.”

It was an honest appraisal from O’Connor who himself is a former North Senior Championship winner as a player, as the team had failed to live up to expectations in the years following their county and Munster successes in 2019.

“We turned up last week very motivated against Kiladangan,” he added.

“But we just said to the boys, it's no good now unless we back it up again. It's one thing to have a flash in the pan and get maybe get one win but can we do what Borris haven't done in a while and have two significant wins in a row and that’s what we have done.

“We have a very good panel with really good players, starting from Dan (McCormack) inside to Tom Delaney who was unlucky this year he didn't get it run out with the Tipp 20’s due to injury and was on the Tipp senior panel at the start of the year. He's still only managing an injury to a certain extent and getting back to himself.

“Jack Bevans, myself and Paddy Stapleton, coached him at under 13 five years ago and now he is up hurling senior and not a bother to him.

“There are more of these lads on the bench as well. Throw in that then the experience of Dan, Conor Kenny, Sean McCormack, we have a good panel but it is one thing having a good panel or a good team on paper, it is another thing to try and give them a platform to perform.”

Borris-Ileigh’s success guarantees them at least a preliminary quarter final in the county championship if they don’t finish in the top two in their upcoming group, which as luck would have it, also contains Mid champions Loughmore/Castleiney and West champions Clonoulty/Rossmore who are Borris’ first opponents the week after next.

“We haven’t gotten out of the group since 2021 so to have that safety, we hope we don't have to rely on it,” O’Connor said.

“I watched Clonoulty last night who went in against a very fancied Cashel and turned them over. That’s our focus now, the boys will enjoy the next couple of days, and then it's back in to focus on the group with Loughmore and Moycarkey as well.

“It does give us that a little bit confidence that we have that that preliminary quarter final, if we need it but the focus will be on putting three, four and five performances back to back.”