Late Moycarkey Burst leaves Brackens broken

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final

Moycarkey/Borris 2-19

JK Brackens 0-23

Report: Noel Dundon at FBD Semple Stadium

Moycarkey/Borris are back in the County Senior Hurling Final for the first time since 1984 having once again left it late to skip past a faltering JK Brackens in the dying embers of Sunday’s semi-final which only burst into life in the last quarter.

Similar to their quarter final victory over Kiladangan, the late burst proved enough as the victors pilfered 1-4 of the last 1-5 scored to claim a famous win and consign JK Brackens to a defeat which did not seem likely for most of the game.

The Templemore/Clonmore men had faltered too in their quarter final tie against Holycross/Ballycahill but just about managed to stave off the challenge. On this latest occasion though they ran out of lives and when the Moycarkey/Borris juggernaut powered by Rhys Shelly missiles down on top of Kieran Morris began to reap dividends, the momentum shifted and the possibilities gained traction.

In truth, this was a game which JK Brackens should have seen out. That they didn’t will cause them considerable anguish over the winter months as they ponder the what-might-have-beens – evidence of progress made will not quite cut it for them one would have to think.

This clash of the two Mid sides was eagerly anticipated and the attendance at FBD Semple Stadium was evidence of the level of interest in the game. The sides had met on a few occasions in recent times with mixed results and the view of most punters passing through the turnstiles in Thurles was that game was extremely tight to call – the break of a ball could well decide the outcome. How right they were.

This was unchartered territory for JK Brackens – a first ever county senior hurling semi-final, while for Moycarkey/Borris there had been a long wait for a return to Tipperary’s showcase afternoon. So, there was much riding on the outcome and this only heightened the sense of anticipation before a ball was thrown in.

Perhaps that was why much of the first half was so edgy an affair with a lot of errors being made on both sides. Indeed, it was only moments before the half time whistle that Moycarkey/Borris really found their flow despite the fact that they had the first score of the game after only seven seconds from midfielder Max Hackett.

There were four points notched up inside three minutes of play with David Costigan adding to Hackett’s score and brothers Jamie and Andrew Ormond getting off the mark for JK Brackens.

The Templemore men had settled the easier and they were to make much of the first half running with Ned Walsh and Ned Delaney scoring and then Walsh again and Andrew Ormond also getting on target. With an extra man in defence, they swallowed up every breaking ball and it took Moycarkey/Borris some time to figure out the run of the play.

Brackens had a great spell coming into the last ten minutes of the half with six unanswered scores helping them to a seven point lead. The scores from Lyndon Fairbrother (4), Cathal Scully and Jamie Ormond were significant and Moycarkey/Borris were in danger of being in a serious situation if they did not respond. Respond they did though and the points from Joe Maher (2) and David Costigan helped to offset a James Corcoran effort for Brackens to leave the half time score at 0-14 to 0-10 in favour of the Templemore men.

Moycarkey/Borris, though they also claimed first half points from Kieran Morris, Rory Darmody and Jack Hayes were also guilty of some poor shooting and their eight wides hadn’t helped their cause. Granted Brackens had only one wide less than them, but some of the Moycarkey/Borris’ shooting was poor - perhaps reflecting an element of nerves on their part.

The game still had not really fired by the half-way mark and while it was advantage JK Brackens, they knew that they would face the breeze in the second half and the promise of a Moycarkey/Borris onslaught. Would a four-point cushion be enough? That was the big question.

The four-point lead turned into a six-point lead within three minutes of the restart with Lyndon Fairbrother getting both Brackens scores. Max Hackett and Fairbrother then traded points but it was noticeable that Moycarkey/Borris were going more route one in the second half with ball being rained down on top of full forward Kieran Morris. Little enough was breaking off of this ploy though Morris did have a half goal chance in the 40th minute only to see his ground effort being smothered away.

Still, they persisted with the tactic and got a major slice of luck when a long range effort came off the upright at the end of the third quarter with Morris being the first to react. The pass to Joe Egan was perfect and he finished to the net to cut the deficit to two points – Moycarkey/Borris were right back in the hunt.

Brackens didn’t take long to react to the setback and three points in as many minutes from Fairbrother (2) and Andrew Ormond, wiped out the green flag in the blink of an eye.

At this juncture, it looked as though Brackens had the bit between their teeth, but a pair of scores from Pat Molloy and David Costigan reignited the Moycarkey/Borris challenge. Suddenly, they were winning ball all over the pitch and their half back line and midfield in particular took over the game.

JK Brackens retreated and defended what they had – a few breakaway Fairbrother and Eanna McBride scores stemmed the bleeding and cancelled David Costigan and Killian Cantwell points.

Brackens led by three points with one minute of normal time remaining – Morris and Cantwell pointing from frees to leave one in it. Could extra time be on the cards? Not in Moycarkey/Borris’ view. They were going for the win and they all but got it when Kieran Morris sensationally goaled in the 60th minute to take a two-point lead.

The tension was incredible at this stage especially when Lyndon Fairbrother halved the advantage. The one-point lead was only short lived though as sub Kieran Cummins doubled it for Moycarkey/Borris.

It would take a goal now to wrestle the county final place from the Moycarkey/Borris men and when Fairbrother stepped up to face Shelly & co on the line for a 21-yard free, it would have taken a rocket to beat them – the ball was beaten away and the victor was announced.

This was a disappointing semi-final, rescued only by a dramatic finale. But that will not matter a whit to Moycarkey/Borris for whom David Costigan, Killian Cantwell, Niall Heffernan and Joe Maher were outstanding. Kieran Morris played a major role too scrapping off morsels of possession and getting the all-important second goal, while Max Hackett chipped in to the victory as well.

Their prize for victory is a final against neighbours Thurles Sarsfields – a repeat of the 1962 decider which The Blues won 1-7 to 1-6.

This was JK Brackens first taste of championship defeat of the season – and how bitter that taste. They will feel that they left the game after them; that they should have had the result closed out; and that they should, this week, be preparing for a first ever county senior hurling final. The lessons learned are indeed very harsh.

TEAMS – Moycarkey/Borris: Rhys Shelly (7); Kevin Hayes (6), Tom Hayes (7), Pat Molloy (6); Stephen Walsh (6), Eoghan Hayes (7), Killian Cantwell (7); Jack Hayes (6), Niall Heffernan (7); David Costigan (8), Joe Egan (6), Rory Darmody (6); Max Hackett (7), Joe Maher (8), Kieran Morris (7).

Subs: Kieran Cummins (Capt 7) for Darmody (39); Peter Melbourne (7) for Walsh (48); Kevin O’Regan (6) for J Hayes (50); Jack Fallon (6) for Egan (56); Tom Ryan (NR) for O’Regan (60+3).

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

Sub: Dean McEnroe (6) for O’Shea (HT).

Referee: Michael Kennedy (Newcastle).