Impressive Nenagh retain North Senior Hurling crown

Nenagh Eire Og claimed an eleventh North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship title after getting the better of Kiladangan in the final for the second year in a row on Saturday.

GAA: Hibernian Inn North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Final

Nenagh Eire Og 0-21

Kiladangan 0-17

Report: Shane Brophy in Dolla

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Conor Hennessy (Nenagh Eire Og).

SCORERS – Nenagh Eire Og: Michael Heffernan 0-8 (5 frees, 1 ’65); Jake Morris 0-4; Conor Hennessy 0-3; Barry Heffernan 0-2; Paddy Murphy, Josh Keller, Philip Hickey, Anthony Walsh 0-1 each.

Kiladangan: Billy Seymour 0-9 (4 frees, 2 ‘65s); Paul Flynn, Sean Hayes 0-2 each; Dan O’Meara, Eoghan Sharkey, Willie Connors, Bryan McLoughney 0-1 each.

Eire Og made the decisive burst midway through the first half when they scored four points on the trot between the seventeenth and 21st minutes to open up a four point lead which they held onto comfortably thereafter and had the games leading performers in Michael Heffernan, Jake Morris, and man of the match Conor Hennessy.

Kiladangan went into the game short-handed without the services of the suspended Declan McGrath and Tadgh Gallagher, while Willie Connors lasted just 21 minutes before being forced off with a lingering ankle injury.

It was an historic first for a North Final to be played in Dolla on a grey evening, but the sides served up an entertaining contest with Kiladangan making the brighter start with the first three points from Billy Seymour (65), Sean Hayes and Paul Flynn.

Nenagh took a while to settle but the impressive Conor Hennessy got them off the mark on five minutes with Michael Heffernan adding a 65 after Sean Phelan was denied a goal by an alert Barry Hogan.

Willie Connors pointed for Kiladangan before Nenagh levelled on thirteen minutes with points from Heffernan (free) and Hennessy adding to their tallies with the former adding a third placed ball to cancel out a Dan O’Meara point on sixteen minutes.

Kiladangan were wasteful in the early going while Nenagh were more efficient and quick-fire points from Jake Morris, Michael Heffernan (2) and Barry Heffernan nudged the holders 0-9 to 0-5 ahead on 21 minutes.

Nenagh’s half-back line were key to that surge, but Kiladangan responded well with Eoghan Sharkey, Sean Hayes and Billy Seymour (free) reducing the margin to a minimum but two late frees from Michael Heffernan gave Nenagh a 0-11 to 0-8 half time lead.

They stretched it to four early in the second half through Jake Morris who was given better service as he finished with four points from play. Billy Seymour kept Kiladangan in touch with two points, but they were struggling to create whereas Nenagh were using the ball better and extended the lead to five on 39 minutes after further points from Michael Heffernan, Josh Keller, and Morris.

Kiladangan were very direct in their second half play and had decent chance for goals, but Nenagh’s defence was superb epitomised by Paddy Murphy’s superb hook on Shane Gleeson which prevented a near-certain goal on forty minutes.

Nenagh were using the ball better with Michael Heffernan, Philip Hickey and Jake Morris finishing off fine moves to move 0-19 to 0-12 clear inside the last ten minutes.

By this stage, 2020 county final hero Bryan McLoughney had entered the fray for Kiladangan and with his first touch scored a superb point and his arrival gave their attack added punch, but the deficit was significant, and they got back within four with Billy Seymour bringing his tally to nine points, but they needed a goal.

Nenagh never really looked threatened with Paddy Murphy a rock at centre back while up front they had the class of Barry Heffernan and Jake Morris to seal the deal.

The game finished on a sour note with a heavy challenge by James Quigley on Jake Morris which saw the Kiladangan defender issued with a second yellow card with Morris sustaining a serious facial injury which will keep him out of the group stages of the county championship, but with this win, Nenagh are guaranteed a county preliminary quarter final spot and they will be glad of it now.

TEAMS – Nenagh Eire Og: Dermot McTiernan (7); Sam O’Farrell (7), Mark Carey (7), Conor Ryan (7); James Mackey (8), Paddy Murphy (8), Adam Healy (7); Michael Heffernan (8), Conor Hennessy (9); Philip Hickey (7), Barry Heffernan (Capt 7), Josh Keller (6); Tommy Heffernan (7), Jake Morris (9), Sean Phelan (6).

Subs: Anthony Walsh (7) for Phelan (42); Ben West (NR) for B Heffernan (60+2).

Kiladangan: Barry Hogan (7); David Sweeney (7), James Quigley (6), Fergal Hayes (6); Alan Flynn (Capt 8), Joe Gallagher (6), Darren Moran (7); Johnny Horan (7), Conor Byrne (6); Paul Flynn (7), Eoghan Sharkey (6), Dan O’Meara (6); Sean Hayes (7), Billy Seymour (8), Willie Connors (6).

Subs: Shane Gleeson (6) for Connors (21 inj); Bryan McLoughney (8) for Sharkey (41).

Referee: Alan Tierney (Shannon Rovers).