Sarsfields lead an urban sweep

By Shane Brophy

After one of the most gripping Tipperary Senior Hurling Championships in recent memory, we didn’t get the final it deserved but that won’t worry anybody related to Thurles Sarsfields as the Dan Breen Cup is safely in their grasp for the first time in nine years.

And the fear is for their challengers in the coming years that it could be a frequent visitor such is the age profile of the team and a club that benefits from talent being brought through from Durlas Og on an annual basis, and with a new multi-million euro complex being developed at Killinan on the race-course road, Sarsfield have certainly planted their flag for others to take from them.

Moycarkey/Borris were fully deserving of their place in Sunday’s final, the excitement of them being in there for the first time in 42 years was there for all to see as they brought great colour, as in fairness, so did the supporters of all four clubs involved on county final day, leading to a crowd of just under ten thousand, the biggest since 2009 when it was also an all Mid final when Sarsfields beat Drom & Inch.

Those senior finals were remarkably similar with Sarsfields successes based on strong defensive performances, putting the shackles on their oppositions leading forwards, from where they only needed to be sufficient in attack themselves to run out comfortable victors.

This was the concern coming into the final that would Moycarkey/Borris have enough craft to breakdown a well-drilled Thurles Sarsfields side. If you offered Moycarkey beforehand they would hold Sars to 1-19, they would have felt they would have had a strong chance of winning but ultimately, they didn’t even get enough shots at goal to match the winning score.

They aren’t the first and won’t be the last group of players playing in a final for the first time who found the step up a bridge too far, on this occasion, but the trend is there for vanquished teams to come back stronger. However, they will have to do with strong challengers from the likes of JK Brackens and Holycross/Ballycahill, with the Mid division set to provide the strongest challengers in the coming years.

One team that will target the Dan Breen as their next quest is St Mary’s who ended a 24 year spell outside the senior grade by winning the Premier Intermediate decider with a strong finish to defeat South rivals Killenaule.

Senior hurling being back in Clonmel, the largest urban area in the county, is welcome and off the back of an under 19 success last year and appearing in a minor final last night (Tuesday, no result at time of going to press) St Mary’s have the potential to grow into a senior team of substance in the coming years.

It was certainly a great weekend for urban clubs and if Sunday’s finals at Semple Stadium didn’t quite hit the heights in terms of excitement, it was all used up on Saturday as Arravale Rovers and Ballingarry served up an intermediate final for the ages.

In the end, a moment of magic from Tipperary senior and under 20 All-Ireland winner Johnny Ryan deep in added time at the end of extra time, proved the difference with his dispossession of Ballingarry’s Thomas Walton before opening his shoulders to send his shot from inside his own half fly between the posts to send the Tipp Town supporters in to raptures.

It was cruel on Ballingarry who were defeated in their second final in four years, having hurled superbly with outstanding performances from Dylan Walsh and Jack Cahill, leading for 95% of the match time, but lost in the final puck of the game.

If there was one blessing, it was the game was decided without going to penalties as it was a result on the day fixture, despite both of Sunday’s finals having scope for replays. This was despite neither Arravale or Ballingarry having involvement in next weekends football finals or having a Munster championship date to be ready for.

Unless there is time pressure for finals to be finished on the day, flexibility should be there for a replay, with the county board also losing out financially from a possible second game as such was the crowd in Holycross, an even bigger one would have likely attended the replay.