Great rivals hungry to win the inaugural Philly Ryan Cup

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Football Championship Final Preview

By Anthony Shelly

CLONMEL COMMERCIALS V LOUGHMORE/CASTLEINEY

FBD Semple Stadium

Sunday, 18th October

Throw-in @ 4.00pm (E.T.)

Referee: Willie Fitzharris (Father Sheehys)

Clonmel Commercials and Loughmore/Castleiney will go toe to toe once again this Sunday in their quest to claim the inaugural Philly Ryan Cup as County Senior Football champions.

Predictable finalists, perhaps, but predicting a winner is an altogether different proposition. A glance through the history books underlines the stature of these two footballing institutions. Clonmel Commercials are making their 37th appearance in a county final as they bid to capture a record 23rd title with Seamus Kennedy, Kevin Fahey and Donal Lynch hoping to secure a ninth County Football Championship medal.

Loughmore-Castleiney, meanwhile, are contesting their 34th final and will be hoping to add to their impressive collection of 16 championships.

More recent history offers little in the way of a decisive advantage for either side. Their last three final meetings, in 2020 & 2021, were separated by the narrowest of margins. Commercials prevailed by a point in 2020, before Loughmore-Castleiney exacted revenge the following year, completing a famous hurling and football double thanks to John McGrath’s dramatic last-minute goal. Loughmore-Castleiney also prevailed by four points in the 2024 decider.

Clonmel Commercials arrive at the decider with thirteen of their panel looking for a hurling/football double following the success of their sister club, St Mary’s, in the Premier Intermediate Hurling Final last weekend. Their experience of the biggest occasions, combined with the attacking talent at their disposal, makes them a formidable opponent.

Forwards like Sean O’Connor, Peter McGarry and Cian Smith are capable of turning a game in an instant but the nagging questions remains, if Loughmore-Castleiney can curb the influence of those three have Clonmel Commercials the scoring power elsewhere to win the game?

Loughmore-Castleiney have arrived in this year’s final with their customary blend of resilience, determination and an almost unshakeable belief in their own ability. Their route to the decider has been anything but straightforward. They lost their opening game to Moyle Rovers but recovered to put in impressive performances against Grangemockler/Ballyneale, Upperchurch/Drombane and JK Brackens before producing a dramatic semi-final victory over Kilsheelan/Kilcash, snatching the winning goal with the final play of the game. It was another reminder of the never say die quality that has become synonymous with the club.

There is no shortage of talent within their ranks either. Liam McGrath and Joey Quinn provide considerable attacking threat, while Eoin O’Connell’s ability to compete for possession, carry ball, and contribute on the scoreboard makes him a player who the Commercials management will have to pay special attention to.

At the back, Willie Eviston offers leadership and authority and his contributions are often every bit as important as the more eye-catching performances elsewhere on the field.

Where Will the Final Be Won?

In a contest as finely balanced as this one, the outcome is likely to hinge on a handful of key battles rather than any overwhelming advantage enjoyed by either team.

The kick-out contest will be important, with both sides eager to establish a platform from which they can launch attacks. Commercials would appear to have a slight edge here where Joe Higgins has been pulling footballs from low flying clouds all year. Loughmore/Castleiney of course will try counter this by breaking the ball and competing for those breaks on the ground.

Winning primary possession is one thing; making effective use of it is another. The team that can move the ball quickly through the middle third, stretch the opposition and create opportunities before the defence becomes organised will have a significant advantage.

Once again, Commercials ability to move the ball by foot compared to Loughmore-Castleiney’s more measured approach of moving the ball through the hands, would, on paper at least, give the South team a slight advantage.

But as in every game of Gaelic Football, turnovers will also be pivotal. The stats tell us that the team that wins the turnover count wins the game 82% of the time and both teams possess players capable of punishing mistakes and careless possession.

Equally, the ability to win back the ball and immediately attack space may provide the most direct route to scores. This is where I see Loughmore-Castleiney having the edge, as historically, going aggressively after the ball, hunting in packs and attacking in numbers after the turnover, has been their superpower.

A Final Too Close to Call

Composure under pressure may ultimately prove just as important as tactics or individual brilliance. County finals are frequently decided by the players who make the right decisions when fatigue sets in, space disappears and the stakes become greatest. A missed opportunity, a moment of defensive hesitation or one piece of individual magic could be all that separates these sides.

You may not have needed to consult Old Moore’s Almanac to predict who would be in the 2026 Tipperary Senior Football Final and even if you did consult it to try find the winner, you might struggle to find the answer.

The senior final will be preceded by the Intermediate decider between Golden Kilfeacle and Killenaule at 1.30pm.