Five goal Lorrha nail ‘the Cross’

Goals win matches and Lorrha fired five past Holycross/Ballycahill on Sunday to knock the Mid men out of the County Senior Hurling Championship, and in the process give themselves a major confidence boost as they ready their preparations for the relegation dogfight they now find themselves in.

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Group 3 Round 3

Lorrha 5-16

Holycross/Ballycahill 2-23

Report: Noel Dundon at Kenyon Park, Templederry

This game was regarded as being a foregone conclusion prior to throw-in, but Lorrha didn’t read the script and they produced a most spirited performance as they took the volleys fired at them by their fancied opponents, finding scores and crucially, mining goal opportunities against a porous defence.

Considering the outcome of their previous outing against Nenagh Éire Óg, this result for Lorrha can be regarded as being very significant. They threw off the shackles, just went for it, and they were rewarded with the Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher goal at the death proving decisive.

Holycross/Ballycahill never actually looked as though they would lose the game, until the very final moments. They seemed to have all the hurling and answers – apart from the defensive ones that is - and there will be stern inquisitions to come over the long winter months as to how five goals could have been coughed up in this game.

The first came in the second minute when Eoin McIntyre raced onto a break and netted to give his side a major shot in the arm against the breeze. The scores were flying over rapidly in the opening period and Lorrha were 1-4 to 0-5 to the good after ten minutes with Colm Fogarty (2) and Eoin McIntyre pointing against Cathal Barrett, Darragh Woods (2), Paraic Russell and Robbie Ryan points for Holycross.

A goal from Woods in the eleventh minute shot his side into the lead and they were still one in front at the start of the second quarter when Cian Hogan bundled the ball over the line for a second Lorrha goal.

But, Holycross found their range and points from Eoin Craddock, Darragh Woods (2), Robbie Ryan (2) and Jack Ryan saw them hold a 1-13 to 2-9 interval lead – Colm Fogarty pointing twice in the dying embers of the half to leave the minimum between the sides.

This was a good position for Lorrha considering they would have the benefit of the strong breeze in the second half. But it was Holycross who took the initiative upon resumption with a second Darragh Woods goal in the 33rd minute, adding to a Bryan O’Mara point. They tagged on further points through Woods and Tadgh Gould to extend their lead to five, but a Chris Fogarty goal in the 36th minute reeled them in again – Lorrha looked like they could goal each time they put the ball into the Holycross danger area.

Half time sub James Doyle and Cathal Barrett pointed once more for the Mid men, but Colm Fogarty cancelled these before Eoin McIntyre fired a fourth goal after he broke onto a ball, raced through, and smashed it to the net to give his side the lead again, by a point on the three quarter mark.

Woods and Fogarty exchanged frees, but a flurry of points from Jim Ryan, Woods and David Fogarty edged the Mid men in front by two with five minutes to go. Colm Fogarty pointed another and when ‘Bonner’ Maher latched onto a ball at the end of the square and fired a fifth Lorrha goal from a tight angle, there was panic in the Holycross team, especially as youngster Conor Kennedy fired his second point to put a goal between the sides.

There was still time for Holycross to salvage something but all they could muster was another Darragh Woods free and their efforts to find a goal fell short, much to the dismay of their followers who were left scratching their heads. The reality pill is a difficult one to swallow, but Holycross/Ballycahill will realise that coughing up five goals leaves it nigh on impossible to win games. That was their downfall.

But credit has to go to Lorrha for their attitude in this game. Granted relegation was probably going to be their lot in advance, they will enter the next phase of the championship – the fight for survival – with a good degree of confidence. They will enter that fight as the only team of the four having won their last round robin match and that will surely benefit them.

They had key performers in Colm Fogarty, Eoin McIntrye, Conor Hogan, Patrick Maher, Michael Dolan, and Alan O’Meara while Cian Hogan’s presence caused problems for the opposition defence.

Holycross/Ballycahill missed a big opportunity to progress to the concluding stages of the championship. They were sucker-punched and were unable to react when they needed to, but again, conceding five goals is just not conducive to ultimate progression.

Player of the Match: Eoin McIntyre (Lorrha)

Lorrha: Kevin Hough (7); Denis O’Meara (6), Michael Dolan (8), Tom Duggan (7); Conor Hogan (7), Darragh Guinan (7), Brendan Fogarty (7); Alan O’Meara (7), Niall McIntyre (7); Eoin McIntyre (2-3, 9), Cian Hogan (1-0, 7), Colm Fogarty (0-11, 8f, 9); Conor Kennedy (0-2, 7), Patrick Maher (1-0, 6), Christopher Fogarty (1-0, 6).

Subs: David Fogarty (6) for Chris Fogarty (47); Lee Hogan (6) for D O’Meara (56); Oisin Guinan (6) for B Fogarty (57).

Holycross/Ballycahill: Ewan Bourke (6); Joe Caesar (7), Jimmy Ryan (6), Evan Morris (6); Jim Ryan (0-1, 6), Bryan O’Mara (0-1, 8), Jack Ryan (0-1, 6); Eoin Craddock (0-1, 7), Tadgh Gould (0-1, 7); Ben Hennessy (6), Cathal Barrett (0-2, 6), Paraic Russell (0-1, 6); Robbie Ryan (0-3, 7), David Fogarty (0-1, 6), Darragh Woods (2-10, 0-5f, 9).

Subs: James Doyle (0-1, 6) for Hennessy (HT); Conor Ryan (6) for Jimmy Ryan (45); Jack Dwan (6) for Fogarty (55); Liam Doyle for Jim Ryan (57); Jimmy Ryan for Morris (60 inj).

Referee: Sean Everard (Moyne-Templetuohy).