Ken works his magic with his own
By Liam Hogan
Winning county finals as manager is becoming common currency for Ken Hogan. Last Sunday’s county final win for his club over Moneygall added to victories with Birr, Coolderry and St Rynagh’s in Offaly, plus Borris/Kilcotton in Laois, and not forgetting the Lorrha junior ‘B’ camogie team last year.
A winner of two All-Ireland senior hurling medals with Tipperary in 1989 & ’91 he won a county medal with Lorrha when they won the intermediate championship in 2007. Ken was understudy to Kevin Hough that year, who came back to the fold this year with a bang and crowned his day with three magnificent saves, saves that were needed against a Moneygall side that never knew when to give up.
“A fantastic game,” said Ken.
“To achieve Premier Intermediate status straight away on the rebound after been relegated last year is a huge fillip for us.
“We came in at the deep end, but we knew we had to come back up. Great men worked with the team over the years like John McIntyre, Eamon Maher, Martin Young and James O’Meara. They wished me all the very best. It was incumbent for me to come back to my own club. To get a structure together and to come back because if you slip for a year or two makes it all the harder to get back up.
“So, for all the youngsters in the parish it is a huge thrill to come here to Semple Stadium the field of dreams and the field of legends and to come here and win a county final.
Hogan agreed that Lorrha got the start to the game that every club dreams of in a final.
“Christopher Fogarty’s goals kept us in the game. What a day it was for him. he added.
“Moneygall and Lorrha, all my life I’m fought battles with Moneygall. I played as a youngster against the Ryan’s in the full forward line. We knew Moneygall would come with all guns blazing but the key thing for us was to get promotion and get back up.
“Yes, the game and the momentum was with Moneygall but thankfully Kevin Hough was excellent in the goal. We won a few hard balls and Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher, what more is there to say. He took a lot of punishment during the game but what a finish. It was like old times. Remember the under 21 All-Ireland when he ran through and got a brilliant goal off his right and today it was a superb finish from Bonner as well.”
It was a second county intermediate medal for the Lorrha full forward, one of seven players who were winners then in 2007 and had continued to stay hurling with the club such as Kevin Hough, James Dunne, Graham Houlihan and Ronan O’Meara who came on as substitutes while not forgetting Ciaran Haugh and Kevin Maher who were part of the setup at the start of the year but unable to feature because of injury.
“We think today of Ciaran Haugh . Ciaran Haugh is the life beat of our club. To rupture his achilles tendon and to win it without Ciaran, Ollie Cleary and Kevin Maher out with a long-term injury. Great people but absolutely thrilled with everyone in the parish,” Ken added.
Lorrha reached the O Riain Cup final in 2020 but 2021 was not as memorable as they were relegated so now to bounce back provides a sigh of relief.
“It’s never easy win a championship,” Hogan added.
“The late Theo English always said that medals don’t come in the post. You have to earn them and we certainly did that today. I pay tribute to Moneygall.
“We have to keep the momentum going. Players will travel, players will go but we have got to keep the parish alive like every other parish and we will do that.”