Bergin’s boys pipped to Minor crown
BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
Electric Ireland Al-Ireland Minor Hurling Final
UPMC Nowlan Park
Kilkenny 3-12
Tipperary 2-17
(AET)
Tipperary overcame all the odds to claim the Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Hurling Final crown at UPMC Nowlan Park last Saturday and pip Kilkenny to the title. Despite playing with 13 men from the 26th minute right through to the end of normal time and then extra time, James Woodlock’s outfit showed tremendous courage and resilience to break Noreside hearts in the Marble City. No doubt the home side and management will know that this was possibly one title that they left behind, given their numerical and pitch advantage, but it’s all part of the learning curve in preparing as many of these lads as possible to wear the senior stripes.
The Premier County were first to strike, when Cillian Minogue fired over a nice point on 4 minutes, but the talented Durlas Og’s players involvement in the Minor showpiece came to an end soon after when after consulting with one of his linesmen, referee Thomas Gleeson issued the Tipp player with a straight red card for what appeared to be a striking offence with the hurl on Erin’s Own’s Bobby Brennan. Not the start that the visitors would have hoped or planned for in Kilkenny’s back yard.
Kevin Buggy got the home side up and running with another trademark point, but two on the bounce from Adam Ryan and Eoghan Doughan left those in blue and yellow two up early on. The first of the game’s five majors came in the 13th minute when Cats captain Bill McDermott took a fine catch before blasting the ball past Daire English in the visitor’s goal. Arravale Rovers Adam Ryan and Stefan Tobin tagged on scores for Tipp before James Stephen’s McDermott popped over a couple of points which the home side built on with efforts from Conor Holohan and Eoin Brennan that stretched the Kilkenny lead to 3 points with about ten minutes remaining in the opening period.
Tipperary’s frustrations grew further when midfielder Darragh O’Hora became the second visiting player to receive his marching orders for a high challenge on Glenmore’s Jack Dollard. This second body blow didn’t make the Premier County flinch and they finished the scoring in the first half when Eoghan Doughan’s ‘65 found the back of the Kilkenny net, to leave the sides deadlocked at 1-5 apiece at the short whistle.
Tipp supporters had clearly made the short journey in big numbers and when their side took to the UPMC Nowlan Park for the second half, you’d have thought you were in Thurles, such was the noise! This spurred on James Woodlock’s charges and they registered the first three scores after the interval to go three clear. Conor Holohan and Shamrocks Jake Mullen responded for the Cats, but another Eoghan Doughan point kept the visitors two up. Then came the home side’s second major of the game. A long ball into the Tipp defence was collected by Robbie Doherty who showed some nifty footwork to give the dummy before rifling the sliotar to the neighbours net. Dicksboro’s Oisin Henderson fired over a score to leave the Cats two up, as the topsy-turvy nature of the minor decider continued.
Niall Bergin then made his first change of the game with Cian Byrne replacing Jason Cody, as the management team sought to use fresh legs against their 13 opponents. The visitors hit the next two scores to deadlock matters once more as the Cats made their second substitution with Louis Raggett replacing Bobby Brennan in defence. The finalists swapped the last scores in normal time, before the Noresiders sent on another Dicksboro player in the shape of Patrick Lacey for John Lockes Ollie O’Donovan. Both sides were guilty of some bad wides, the home side, the bigger offender before Dublin Whistler Thomas Gleeson then blew for full time, we were going to need extra time to see if a winner could be found.
The first period of extra time was predictably a little cagey, with both sides registering two points apiece and turning round all square at the shortest of breaks. The visitors hit the ground running in the second period of extra time, reeling off three scores on the bounce to give serious momentum in the quest for minor glory, despite being outnumbered on the pitch, not that you’d have known, and that’s credit to Tipperary players and management. Kilkenny’s third goal arrived, courtesy of their latest sub, and another Dicksboro player, Anthony Clifford. The sides all square again in UPMC Nowlan Park. The latest Cats major was built upon with a nice point from O’Loughlin Gaels Cian Byrne, Niall Bergin’s boys one up as time ticked on.
But there was time for another score, and it would be one that would break Kilkenny hearts. Tipperary attacked, knowing that they needed a score to prevent what many would have thought would be an inevitable defeat, given the two reds cards in the first half. The ball was worked up the pitch and delivered to Billy O’Brien. The Nenagh Éire Óg player showed a great turn of pace as he roared straight through the centre of the Kilkenny defence before throwing an exceptional dummy and rifling his shot past Jake O’Doherty in the Cats goal. This was the final score in an absolutely enthralling game. Tipp’s public enemy number one, referee Thomas Gleeson brought proceedings to a close in UPMC Nowlan Park, Tipperary, Electric Ireland Al-Ireland Minor Hurling Champions 2024. Comhghairdeas Tiobraid Árann.
Scores for Kilkenny: B McDermott (1-2), R Doherty (1-0), A Clifford (1-0), C Holohan (0-3), J Mullen (0-3, 2fs), K Buggy, C Byrne, P Lacey, E Brennan (0-1 each)
Scorers for Tipperary: E Doughan (1-3, 1-0 65, 1f), E Murray (0-4), B O’Brien (1-1), J Donelan Houlihan (0-4, 3f), S Tobin, C Minogue, A Duff, K Cantwell, A Ryan (0-1 each)
KILKENNY: J O’Doherty; O Henderson, L Phelan, B Brennan; D Barcoe, J Dollard, M Rohan; R Doherty, K Buggy; J Mullen, B McDermott, J Cody; O O’Donovan, C Holohan, E Brennan.
Subs: C Byrne for Cody (43) L Raggett for B Brennan (48), P Lacey for O’Donovan (55), A Clifford for E Brennan (68), E Cahill for Rohan (75), O’Donovan for Holohan (78)
TIPPERARY: D English; S Ryan, C O’Reilly, P Ryan; D Ryan, O O’Dwyer , J Donelan-Houlihan; T Ryan, D O’Hora; A Ryan, E Murray, B O’Brien; E Doughan, S Tobin, C Minogue.
Subs: A Duff for Doughan (47), A Cagney for Tobin (58), K Cantwell for Cagney (65), Tobin for Murray (78)
Referee: Thomas Gleeson (Dublin)
