Bergin’s boys seek home glory against Tipp
BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
Electric Ireland Al-Ireland MHC Final 2024
Kilkenny vs Tipperary
Tomorrow, UPMC Nowlan Park, 5:30pm
Kilkenny go in search of a first All-Ireland Minor Hurling title since 2014 when they welcome Tipperary to UPMC Nowlan Park tomorrow (Throw-in 5:30pm). The neighbours agreed to toss for venue selection, and hopefully as a good omen, the Noresiders won that first contest that will see Niall Bergin’s young panel have home advantage for the decider.
It’s bit like our senior hurlers, the wait for the biggest prize in hurling has been too long for our young lads. As mentioned, it was 2014, beating Limerick by four points in Croke Park, thanks in part to an inspirational performance from John Walsh who notched an impressive 2-5 from play to help get Pat Hoban’s young Cats over the line. Tomorrow’s opponents are another Munster opponent, this time near neighbours Tipperary, and this is certainly going to be another battle for Bergin’s boys.
After their titanic extra-time win over Clare in the semi-final in Thurles, the Cats manager made reference to a challenge match earlier in the season against the Premier County, which by all accounts was a tight affair, and there’s no reason to expect matters to be any different in UPMC Nowlan Park on Saturday evening.
Both sides arrive to contest the decider, confident of being able to take that one final step and claim the biggest honour in minor hurling. James Woodlock is the man looking to mastermind a second title in three years at this level, having led his county to the 2022 crown when Tipp got the better of Offaly at tomorrow’s venue by one point. The Drom & Inch clubman will be instilling a sense of confidence in his side – recalling how The Premier County were crowned champions in the Marble City.
Tipperary’s road to this year’s final began with the Munster championship. They won 3 of their four games as they reached the provincial decider. Victories over Cork, Waterford and Limerick saw them finish in second place to the only side to get the better of them, Clare. The banner won the group game in Semple Stadium by 4 points and went unbeaten to qualify for the Munster final where they would face-off against Tipp.
The final was played at the TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick and Tipperary prevailed by 7 points as they became the first side to lift the new Electric Ireland Munster minor hurling trophy. One of their star men that day was Stefan Tobin who notched an impressive 1-3 in the final. The Carrick Swan man is a real handful for opposition defenders and will provide a real test for the Kilkenny rearguard. His possible match-up with Larry Phelan could be a real game swinger and whoever prevails in this battle could make the difference. One thing is certain, The James Stephen player will relish the battle with Tobin and won’t be found wanting.
Tipp had plenty of influential performers in Limerick. Cillian Minogue, Euan Murray and Eoghan Doughan were more than able support to Stefan Tobin. Durlas Og’s Minogue finished with 1-1 and will take a bit of watching tomorrow as will his club mate Euan Murray. As with any game, the accuracy from placed balls will be crucial, and while the Cats have the talented Jake Mullen, Saturday’s opponents have a quality finisher in Eoghan Doughan. The Moneygall player finished the Munster final with 0-6, half of which came from the placed ball. In midfield, it’s likely to be Tiernan Ryan plus one from Adam Ryan and Darragh O’Hora. The defence is skippered and shackled by Holycross man; Cathal O’Reilly and has steady performers in David Ryan and Jake Donelan-Houlihan, the latter can hit long range free’s also, a useful string to the modern player’s bow!
James Woodlock will know that his team shipped 8-65 during their Munster campaign and that they cannot afford to ship a big total at UPMC Nowlan Park. The provincial decider was a better day at the office for Tipp defensively, conceding 0-16 against a Banner side that had registered 6-70 in the group stages. The Premier County’s netminder, Daire English will need to be on his toes tomorrow night and the Fr Sheehys player will have been watching the ‘videos’ of the young Cats, preparing for what might come.
Home advantage will be something that Niall Bergin will be keen to harness in the decider. The O’Loughlin’s clubman will know that his side will need to show plenty of fight and resilience, along with their undoubted ability when they tackle Tipp. The young Cats are led superbly by Bill McDermott and the Village player showed all his qualities as he helped drag his team over the line in the semi-final against Clare. At the back, the black and amber have a real mix of talent, one of whom is Oisin Henderson. The Dicksboro player is a real asset to the team, as he breaks lines with great pace and serious intent and he has that recovery speed to help avert danger when it arises.
One player to note is a clubmate of Henderson, Louis Raggett. I was very impressed with the shift that the Dicksboro lad put in when he entered the fray in place of Jack Dollard, who needed some running repairs after a clash in the first half of the semi-final. Interestingly, when the Glenmore man was ready to return, Raggett kept his place in the lineup and certainly earned his stripes that day. Larry Phelan and David Barcoe have been other standout performers in this seasons march to the final.
In the engine room, the deadly duo of Robbie Doherty and Kevin Buggy have formed an impressive partnership in centrefield. Erin’s Own’s Buggy was rightly awarded POTM after his all-action display against Clare, he was everywhere, broke up attacks, drove forward and took scores to boot. His Mooncoin partner in crime also likes a score and I’m expecting Robbie Doherty to keep up his form in tomorrow’s final.
Alongside captain Bill McDermott, the forward unit has talented hurlers in the shape of Jake Mullen, Conor Holohan and Ollie O’Donovan. The John Lockes man is another who has blistering pace to accompany a low centre of gravity and serious skill. Ollie can really pose problems to the Tipp defence and his manager will look for the corner forward to be given good quality ball that can allow him to work his undoubted magic. O’Loughlin’s forward Holohan will look to repeat his semi-final goal scoring heroics in UPMC Nowlan Park tomorrow and Conor has shown that he is a key cog in the attacking machine.
We have seen the latest in the Shamrocks Ballyhale conveyor belt of Mullen’s grow in the stripes. At times Jake appears to be a clone of senior county star Adrian, and as mentioned in my report of the Clare game, he does things that are ‘pure Adrian’. Jake isn’t afraid to mix it either, another quality that I love in forward stick men! Mullen’s placed ball ability is a major plus for Bergin’s boys and his tally of 0-13 in the semi-final win was key to helping the Cats claim a final berth. Work rate is something that Jake won’t be found wanting on either, he covers a hell of a lot of ground and is just as comfortable out the field as he is closer to the target.
It’s all set up for a cracking contest in UPMC Nowlan Park tomorrow evening. Let’s all get behind Bergin’s boys and give them our backing and help them get over the line against neighbours Tipp.
