Nenagh wilt in the face of Brackens revival

GAA: FBD Insurance County Senior Hurling Championship Preliminary Quarter Finals

JK Brackens 3-17

Nenagh Eire Og 1-19

Report: Shane Brophy at FBD Semple Stadium

We’ve seen this Nenagh movie before! With the game in their grasp, Eire Og were unable to see it out as JK Brackens produced a storming final quarter comeback on Sunday to reach a first ever County Senior Hurling Championship quarter final.

It was an outcome that didn’t look remotely likely after Nenagh led by five points at half time, 1-9 to 0-7, the goal coming on twenty minutes from James Mackey, and thirteen minutes into the second half, the advantage had stretched to seven points but from there to the finish were outscored 3-8 to 0-6 by JK Brackens who threw off the shackles with some of their key players coming to the fore.

In front of the watching Tipperary manager Liam Cahill, he will have noted the leadership of the likes of Paddy Cadell, who moved to midfield in the second half, and made a superb puckout catch, run and layoff for Andrew Ormond to finish with aplomb to set the comeback underway in earnest.

It was a spark that Brackens needed as they had been outplayed until then, bar the performance of Andrew Ormond who was superb all through and surely one for the county squad next year. And it was he who provided the final pass to Shane Bourke for their second goal in 55 minutes to bring them level, although Bourke began and finished the move as he ran onto an angled ball before cutting in and playing a one-two with Ormond before batting to the net, although Mark Tuite will be disappointed to have been beaten at his near post.

You sensed with the momentum as it was with JK Brackens they would press on, and after Nenagh had briefly reassumed the lead, points from Shane Doyle and a Lyndon Fairbrother free gave the Mid men the lead for the first time in the game on 57 minutes.

For a game that wasn’t much to write home about for 43 minutes, it was ending in a welter of excitement. Nenagh levelled through Jack Mackey, but Brackens were on the front foot with Shane Bourke and Lyndon Fairbrother gave them a two-point lead three minutes into added time.

After the excellent Michael Heffernan and Andrew Ormond traded points from play, came the defining moment when Nenagh were awarded a free just outside the 21-yard line after Jake Morris was hauled down, another stoppage in a free-ridden encounter where there were no fewer than seven yellow cards brandished by referee Fergal Horgan. Nenagh needed a goal, but the call went in from the side-line for Michael Heffernan to take the point as there was time for one more puckout, but from the it, Andrew Ormond won the break and played in Shane Bourke to seal the game.

Regardless of the rights and wrongs of not going for the goal, Nenagh had lost control of the game at that stage. Until the 43rd minute they were comfortable, Conor McCarthy to the fore in the defence while Conor Hennessy was restricting Andrew Ormond as best as he could. They will also rue the loss of one of their unheralded players in Adam Gratton through injury in the 47th minute with full back line more open thereafter.

Whereas JK Brackens got their key players on the ball a lot in the final quarter, add in Neil Quinlan who was commanding in the heart of the defence, Nenagh couldn’t get enough ball into the hand of Jake Morris who was almost unplayable in the first half with three points from play and had a goal chance saved by Jack Kennedy, however, they didn’t service him enough after the break. However, Michael & Tommy Heffernan were to the fore, both having strong games and couldn’t have done more for the Nenagh cause, while Cian Crowley made an impact off the bench but by then the momentum had shifted.

Player of the Match: Andrew Ormond (JK Brackens)

JK Brackens: Jack Kennedy (7); Conor Cadell (7), Tom Murphy (7), Martin Delaney (6); Paddy Cadell (8); Lorcan Egan (7), Neil Quinlan (8), Jordan Moloney (7); Dean McEnroe (0-1, 7), Cathal Scully (6); Shane Bourke (2-2, 8), Lyndon Fairbrother (0-10, 9f, 1 65) 7), David O’Shea (6); Shane Doyle (0-1, 6), Andrew Ormond (1-3, 9).

Subs: Lorcan Roche (6) for O’Shea (50); Adrian Bourke (NR) for Egan (60+3).

Nenagh Eire Og: Mark Tuite (6); Adam Gratton (7), Conor Hennessy (7), Conor McCarthy (8); Conor Ryan (6), Adam Healy (6), Hugh Maloney (6); James Mackey (1-1, 7), Sean Phelan (6); Paddy Murphy (6), Michael Heffernan (0-11, 8f) 8), Ben West (6); Tommy Heffernan (0-3, 9), Jake Morris (0-3, 8), Philip Hickey (6).

Subs: Cian Crowley (0-1, 7) for Hickey (41); Josh Keller (NR) for Gratton (47 inj); Killian Malone for Keller (57 inj).

Referee: Fergal Horgan (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams)