Kiladangan strike late to beat Toomevara in rip-roaring final
Kiladangan atoned for the pain of successive North final defeats to capture their ninth divisional senior hurling championship title following a tremendous battle with Toomevara on Sunday.
GAA: The Hibernian Inn North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Final
Kiladangan 1-22
Toomevara 1-19
Report: James Hayden in MacDonagh Park, Nenagh
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Billy Seymour (Kiladangan).
SCORERS – Kiladangan: Billy Seymour 0-10 (6 frees, 1 65); Bryan McLoughney 1-1; Conor Byrne, Tadhg Gallagher, Paul Flynn 0-3 each; Andy Loughnane, Declan McGrath 0-1 each.
Toomevara: Darragh McCarthy 0-11 (9 frees); Jack Delaney 1-2; Robbie Quirke, Kevin McCarthy 0-2 each; Mark McCarthy, Adam Hall 0-1 each.
The reigning county champions were pushed all the way by a determined Toomevara side hoping to capture their first North title since 2011 and it the end it all came down to a grandstand finish with a late surge from Kiladangan ensuring the Frank McGrath Cup was on its way back to Puckane after a three-year hiatus.
Both sides are no strangers to each other having played out tight battles including last year’s county semi-final and league final. Kiladangan are arguably the more experienced side, and it was that greater experience that counted right at the death.
Big plays from county men Willie Connors and Billy Seymour effectively fashioned the opportunity for the game defining score, a 63rd minute Bryan McLoughney goal which served to separate the sides and ensure John O’Meara’s charges were crowned champions over a doggedly determined Toomevara outfit.
Ken Dunne’s charges were well-primed for this encounter and having accounted for Nenagh Éire Óg in the semi-final Toome’ went into a clash with the reigning county champions with an excellent chance of taking a much-desired scalp. They named the same starting fifteen but were without the services of Conor O’Meara who impacted effectively off the bench in the semi-final.
Meanwhile Kiladangan were beset with injury worries in advance with attacker Seán Hayes out with an ankle injury picked up in the semi-final win over Templederry while captain, Alan Flynn and full-back, James Quigley carried slight knocks into the game.
With a slight and at times stiffening breeze aiding Toomevara's first-half efforts the opening half proved a tight affair and effectively came down to a placed ball battle between free-takers, Darragh McCarthy and Billy Seymour. Just eight of the seventeen points scored by both sides in the opening half came from play as both sides struggled for supremacy while also doing their utmost not to concede scorable frees.
Two early unanswered points, the first from play and the second from a free, from the stick of Toome’s scoring talisman McCarthy set down an early marker for the men in green and gold before Seymour opened Kiladangan’s account with a fifth minute free from range.
A seventh minute Conor Byrne point brought Kiladangan to within one after impressive link-up play from Tadhg Gallagher and Bryan McLoughney set Byrne up for a beautifully flighted point. Two minutes later, John O’Meara’s charges were level thanks to a well-struck Billy Seymour free before he fired over a cracking twelfth minute effort to edge Kiladangan in front for the first time, 0-4 to 0-3.
The county champions were now settling into their groove and a low goal-bound shot from the stick of the inrushing Paul Flynn brought the very best out of Rory Brislane in the Toome’ goal. Brislane dived low to his right to parry the sliotar out for a 65’ which Billy Seymour duly converted.
Seymour was again on hand on the quarter-hour mark to flight over a long-range free to fire the ’Dangan into a 0-6 to 0-3 advantage but Toome’ whittled down that advantage to just a solitary point by the 21st minute with successive Darragh McCarthy frees following another hugely impressive piece of innovative goalkeeping from Rory Brislane.
The nip-and-tuck nature of the half continued and although Toomevara were at times guilty of being over-elaborate in possession, but they were back on terms by the 25th minute thanks to a neat Jack Delaney effort before a point in time added on from the stick of midfielder Tadhg Gallagher ensured Kiladangan took a slender 0-9 to 0-8 advantage to the dressing room.
Toomevara were quickly out of the blocks from the re-start with a surging drive at goal from Conor O’Farrell setting up Kevin McCarthy for a levelling point. Billy Seymour responded with a sublime point from play before corner-back Seamus O’Farrell put his body on the line to pull off an excellent block to deny Andy Loughnane in front of goal.
The scores were coming a little bit quicker now and points from Kiladangan’s Paul Flynn and Toome’s Robbie Quirke served to ratchet the tempo of the game up a few noticeable notches. The lively Conor Byrne popped up for an excellent point on 36 minutes before Mark McCarthy levelled proceedings once more with an impressive angled effort from close to the sideline.
Toomevara were starting to really grow into the game at this stage and a fantastic catch from Darragh McCarthy yielded a 40th minute close-range free for the ‘Greyhounds which he duly converted.
Toome’ raided again two minutes later with Robbie Quirke finding Darragh McCarthy in front of goal. McCarthy was fouled and with referee Gerry Treacy playing advantage, the Kiladangan rearguard momentarily paused expecting a free. McCarthy continued though and found Jack Delaney in space, and he expertly dispatched the sliotar past the advancing Barry Hogan, 1-14 to 0-13.
Kiladangan's response was impressive though and they clawed their way back to within a point by the 55th minute thanks to two Billy Seymour frees and a fine Paul Flynn effort.
Toomevara missed a gilt-edged goal chance when Darragh McCarthy drifted onto a breaking ball but with the hurley in his wrong hand, elected to kick from close range with the effort looping high and wide.
Conor Byrne popped up again in the 55th minute for his third point, one that served to level proceedings once more as the game roller-coasted towards a grandstand conclusion.
Toomevara restored their lead with a Kevin McCarthy point illuminating the Toomevara supporters but with the game now well and truly in the melting pot Bryan McLoughney popped up with his first point on 56 minutes following a searching ball out of defence from the impressive Fergal Hayes.
Kiladangan kept pressing and a 58th minute point from Tadhg Gallagher following a great ball from the outstanding Willie Connors fired the ‘Dangan back in front with just two minutes of normal time remaining.
Billy Seymour doubled Kiladangan’s advantage with yet another well-struck free before Toome’, who by now had rung the changes with four substitutes introduced, drew level once more with sublime efforts from sub Adam Hall and Darragh McCarthy.
Andy Loughnane and Jack Delaney quickly traded points for their respective sides in the 61st minute and at this juncture the game bore all the hallmarks of heading for extra-time but with three further minutes of time added on remaining anything could happen.
And boy did it happen! Midfielder Decky McGrath popped up to edge the ’Dangan back in front before an accurate Willie Connors delivery into Billy Seymour was flicked expertly into the path of the inrushing Bryan McLoughney who is no stranger to netting game clinching goals in injury time and just like in the 2020 county final, he once more came up trumps with a low 63rd minute finish past the advancing Rory Brislane to effectively ensure Frank McGrath was winding its way its way back to the parish of Kiladangan.
Both sides played their part in what was a thrilling North final with David Sweeney, Alan Flynn, Willie Connors, Tadhg Gallagher, Paul Flynn, Fergal Hayes, Conor Byrne, and Billy Seymour impressing for Kiladangan while Seamus O’Farrell, Rory Brislane, Andrew Ryan, Robbie Quirke, Josh McCarthy, Liam Ryan, Jack Delaney and Darragh McCarthy were to the fore for Toomevara.
TEAMS - Kiladangan: Barry Hogan (7); Fergal Hayes (7), James Quigley (7), David Sweeney (8); Willie Connors (8), Alan Flynn (Capt 8), Joe Gallagher (7); Declan McGrath (7), Tadhg Gallagher (8); Shane Gleeson (7), Billy Seymour (8), Paul Flynn (8); Bryan McLoughney (7), Andy Loughnane (7), Conor Byrne (8).
Subs: Darren Moran (7) for Gleeson (50); John O’Meara (6) for Hayes (56).
Toomevara: Rory Brislane (8), Jake Ryan (7), Andrew Ryan (8), Seamus O’Farrell (8); Josh McCarthy (7), Liam Ryan (Capt 8), Barry O’Connell (7); Robbie Quirke (8), Conor O’Farrell (7); Jack Delaney (7), Kevin McCarthy (7), Darragh McCarthy (8); Mark McCarthy (7), Colm Canning (7), Shane Nolan (7).
Subs: Jake Hackett (7) for Nolan (46); David Nolan (6) for M McCarthy (52); Jack Ryan (6) for O’Connell (54); Adam Hall (7) for Canning (59); Darren Delaney (NR) for J McCarthy (60+2).
Referee: Gerry Treacy (Borris-Ileigh).