Newport show their class in winning first Minor ‘A’ Hurling title

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Minor ‘A’ Hurling Final

Newport 4-19

St Mary’s 2-9

Report: Shane Brophy at FBD Semple Stadium

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Charlie Tobin (Newport)

SCORERS – Newport: Charlie Tobin 1-3; Ollie Roche 0-5 (3 frees); Conor McLoughlin 0-4 (3 frees); Cormac Shanahan, Harry Noone 1-1 each; Darragh Healy 0-3; James Ryan 1-0; Colm Ryan, Oisin Kennedy 0-1 each.

St Mary’s: Ben Fuller 2-4 (1-3 frees, 1-0 ’65); Conor Landers 0-3; Ciaran Kenny, Emmet Cagney 0-1 each.

Newport created history in winning their first County Minor ‘A’ Hurling title as they completely dominated St Mary’s in a one-sided final last Tuesday night.

St Mary’s upset a fancied Thurles Sarsfields in the semi-final so were expected to provide a strong challenge to a well thought of Newport side but right from the start, there was a massive difference in class as the North champions were winners long before even the half-time whistle sounded.

Allowing for an element of under-performance from the South champions on the night, Newport were in a ruthless mode right from the start with their precision use of the ball too much for St Mary’s to try and counter-act.

Darragh Healy set the tone with a point after 39 seconds and from there they never looked back. Impressive midfielder Conor McLoughlin followed, also from play, and despite Ciaran Kenny getting St Mary’s off the mark in the seventh minute, they never looked like gaining a foothold.

As well as the performance level, one of the notable differences between the two sides was the sheer size differential with Newport a much taller team, and they put that aerial strength to good use with Healy catching for Charlie Tobin to open his account.

Minor All-Star Colm Ryan followed from long range but he lasted only 22 minutes with a recurrence of a hamstring injury but by then the game was as good as won as Newport led 1-8 to 0-2.

Ollie Roche and McLoughlin converted frees before their first goal came in the thirteenth minute, a superbly created goal starting with Charlie Tobin’s solo through the middle before laying the ball off to Roche who in one move, handpassed the ball to the unmarked James Ryan in front of goal who doubled first time to the net.

McLoughlin converted another long range free before St Mary’s captain and best player on the night, full forward Conor Landers opened his account.

Points from Healy, Roche (2), Ollie Kennedy and Cormac Shanahan followed at they led 1-12 to 0-2 at half time.

St Mary’s had produced a stunning comeback to eclipse Sarsfields in the semi-final but when their most prominent player Harry Lawlor, starter in the premier intermediate final two days before, didn’t reappear for the second half, it looked as if the white flag had been raised.

With another thirty minutes to go, to their credit, they never threw in the towel but points from Landers and two Ben Fuller frees kept the scoreboard moving but at the other end Newport were doing likewise through Roche, Healy, McLoughlin and a superb individual score from man of the match Charlie Tobin.

Tobin used his height to great effect and he scored Newport’s second goal in the 39th minute when a high ball broke in the square. Goal three came in the 47th minute when Harry Noone was on hand after James Ryan’s shot was initially saved by Nathan Wynne.

Noone followed with a point as did Tobin with Ollie Roche and St Mary’s Fuller (2) adding further placed balls.

The result was never in doubt as the respective subs benches were emptied to give players the experience of playing a county final on the Field of Legends, with Newport replacement Luke McIntyre having a hand in his sides fourth goal, delivering the ball into the square where Charlie Tobin broke it to Cormac Shanahan who finished clinically.

That goal brought Newport’s tally to 4-19 after 52 minutes but they wouldn’t add to it with St Mary’s putting a better gloss on the final score, scoring 2-2 without reply, both goals from Ben Fuller long range dead-balls which weren’t dealt with by the Newport goalkeeper.

However, it didn’t matter, and despite Conor Landers and sub Emmet Cagney pointing for St Mary’s, the Newport players were just waiting for the final whistle when they could finally call themselves the best minor hurling team in the county for 2026.

TEAMS – Newport: Cian Donoghue; Stephen O’Brien, Aaron Lane, Ronan Gaffrey; Colm Ryan, Kevin Fitzpatrick (Capt), Ronan O’Mahoney; Conor McLoughlin, Oisin Kennedy; Darragh Healy, Charlie Tobin, Harry Noone; James Ryan, Ollie Roche, Cormac Shanahan.

Subs: Cathal McNamara for C Ryan (22 inj); Luke McIntyre for J Ryan (51); Caleb Byrne for Healy (54); Cathal Ryan for Trehy (57); Jack Power for O’Mahoney (57).

St Mary’s: Nathan Wynne; Cian O’Mahoney, Freddie Baker, Sean Trehy; Daniel Charles, Enda Condon, Cian Mahadevaiah; Dylan Condon, Ciaran Kenny; Kayden Cloona, Dara Beckett, Harry Lawlor; Ben Fuller, Conor Landers (Capt), Dara Maher.

Subs: Donal O’Callaghan for Kenny (25); Emmet Cagney for Lawlor (HT); Rory Dunphy for Beckett (46); Patrick Keating for Cloona (52).

Referee: Cian Ryan (Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill).