Ormond’s inspire Brackens rout of Nenagh

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Group 4

JK Brackens 4-18

Nenagh Éire Óg 0-22

By Noel Dundon at Kenyon Park, Templederry

JK Brackens delivered a real statement of intent on Saturday in the first round of the County Senior Hurling Championship as they swept aside last year's finalists Nenagh Éire Óg in emphatic fashion.

Four goals pilfered against a side adopting a sweeper and insisting on playing out from the back, Brackens were full value for their win with four late points from Barry Heffernan sparing some blushes for Nenagh – they may yet be thankful for those scores if scoring difference comes into play later on.

Brackens also hit sixteen wides meaning they had close to 40 shots on goal with the Ormond brothers, Jamie & Andrew, hurling up a storm which Nenagh simply could not come to terms with. Put in simple terms, the Mid men hit 4-11 from play whereas Nenagh, by contrast, just 0-12.

Despite the frustration of their supporters with their laboured approach play, proceedings seemed to be going according to plan for Nenagh in the first half as they faced into a stiff breeze and were just two in arrears slipping into injury time.

However, a Shane Doyle goal for Brackens, after an Andrew Ormond effort had been saved by Dermot McTiernan, proved a real shot in the arm and Lyndon Fairbrother landed his sixth point to give Brackens a 1-11 to 0-8 interval lead – Jamie Ormond (2), Ned Delaney, Andrew Ormond and Eanna McBride getting the other Brackens scores.

A crucial moment arrived right at the end of the first quarter when Jake Morris had a typical burst for goal, but his shot was saved brilliantly by Jack Kennedy to keep his side in front – a goal at that stage would have given Nenagh a 1-3 to 0-4 lead – Sam O’Farrell, Paddy Murphy and Mason Cawley having gotten their scores up to that incident.

O’Farrell would add two more frees on a day when his antenna was off somewhat, while Paddy Murphy had a second from half back, and Conor Hennessy and Ben West also added scores.

Brackens had wasted a lot of chances and their eleven wides in the half could well have proved costly – two directly from the puckout, such was the strength of the breeze so would six points be enough of a lead?

Nenagh had added four points tthrough O’Farrell (3) and Barry Heffernan, against two from Shane Doyle and Jamie Ormond, when the decisive score of the game came. Dean McEnroe’s 39th minute goal after great combination play from Andrew Ormond and Shane Doyle gave Bracken’s belief that they could go on and win.

The seven-point cushion was decent, especially as Fairbrother hit two scores from play and two from frees within ten minutes to more than compensate for Filip McIntrye (2) and returning sub Michael Heffernan scores for Nenagh.

Josh Keller and Jake Morris pointed to cut the lead to two clear goals, but that lead was doubled in three minutes when Andrew Ormond and then Eanna McBride raced through the Nenagh defence for goals to create a 12-point differential with five minutes to go.

Brackens were home and hosed and Nenagh looked a defeated lot with only Barry Heffernan continuing to take the fight to the Mid men. His sense of urgency saw four scores flashed over in as many minutes, but the damage had been done and Heffernan’s efforts were geared more towards what could happen down the line in the group, rather than what was happening on the night.

JK Brackens ripped Nenagh apart and there will be much soul searching in the defeated camp following a well below par performance. The insistence on playing short ball didn’t do them any good at all with moves constantly breaking down, ball being turned over and the opposition gaining great traction from the malfunctions.

There is a big fortnight ahead for the Nenagh lads as they plan on how to get their season back on track. However, getting the basics right will probably be their biggest challenge. But they have the experience to bounce back from this undoubted setback.

Credit to JK Brackens though – they really went after this victory and once they smelled blood, they went for the kill. Their attacking potency is noteworthy with the Ormond brothers, Lyndon Fairbrother and Shane Doyle all key score getters, while in defence Paddy Cadell pulled the strings alongside Cathal Scully and Ned Walsh, with Eanna McBride and Conor Cadell getting through a huge amount of work.

Player of the Match: Jamie Ormond (JK Brackens)

JK Brackens: Jack Kennedy (8), Luke Ormond (7), Cathal Scully (8), James Corcoran (7), Michael Cahill (7), Paddy Cadell (8), Ned Walsh (7), Eanna McBride (1-1, 7), Conor Cadell (Capt 7), Lyndon Fairbrother (0-10, 7f, 7), Ned Delaney (0-1, 6), Jamie Ormond (0-4, 9), Ciaran O’Shea (6), Andrew Ormond (1-1, 8), Shane Doyle (1-1, 7).

Subs: Dean McEnroe (1-0, 7) for O’Shea (25); Padraic O’Shea (6) for Fairbrother (56).

Nenagh Éire Óg: Dermot McTiernan (7), Conor Hennessy (0-1, 6), Barry Heffernan (0-5, 3f, 8), Philip Hickey (6), Jake Donelan-Houlihan (7), Paddy Murphy (0-2, 7), Mason Cawley (0-1, 6), Conor Ryan (0-1, 6), Jamie Cotterill (6), Billy O’Brien (6), Josh Keller (0-1, 7), Filip McIntyre (0-2, 7), Sam O’Farrell (0-6f, 6), Jake Morris (Capt, 0-1f, 6), Ben West (0-1, 6).

Subs: Michael Heffernan (0-1, 6) for Cotterill (42); Emmet Jones (6) for Cawley (47); James Mackey (6) for O’Brien (48).

Referee: Shane O’Neill (St. Mary's).