Impressive Sarsfields stave off resilient Clonakenny rally

A powerful first half showing from Thurles Sarsfields laid the foundations for a third straight win in the County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship on Saturday as they swept aside a resilient Clonakenny side for whom the defeat ended their campaign.

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship Group 3 Round 3

Thurles Sarsfields 2-19

Clonakenny 2-12

Report: Noel Dundon in Holycross

Perhaps, the 2-12 to 0-5 interval deficit was just too much for the Clonakenny men to overcome, but they made a very decent effort at it and had the gap cut to five points on a few occasions in the second half, only to see the Blues pull away again to claim a deserved victory.

Fire-power in attack has been a big feature of this Sarsfields side and with ex-seniors like Pa Bourke, Conor Lanigan, Mikey O’Brien, and Michael Russell posing problems on multiple fronts for opposition defenders, and then Mickey Cahill, Tommy Doyle and Kieran Moloney doing the lion’s share of the defending, the Thurles side is very well set-up. Mind you, when Clonakenny got on a roll in the second half, they did find it challenging to curb their run.

Sarsfields had seven points on the board inside eleven minutes with Lanigan (3), Bourke (2), Tommy Maher and O’Brien all on target against a solitary score from Matthew O’Sullivan for Clonakenny.

Thurles were using possession very cleverly and the distribution of ball was very high quality to the forwards who would mine further scores from Bourke, Keith Loughnane, Maher, and Rory Purcell, before Mikey O’Brien bagged a fine goal in the 21st minute. That left the Thurles men 1-11 to 0-3 in front – Nicky Ryan and John Joe Ryan getting the other Clonakenny scores.

By the half way mark, Sarsfields had added a second goal from Keith Loughnane and their thirteen point advantage seemed more than enough for them see out the victory. Granted it would be a different story when Clonakenny got the wind on their backs, but they just did not seem to be hurling well enough to land any real blows on the Thurles men.

Turns out they did and a big upping of the tempo from Clonakenny made for an uncomfortable twenty minutes of the second half for the eventual victors.

A goal from Matthew O’Sullivan in the 38th minute was followed by another from a Cian O’Dwyer penalty in the 41st, with Conor Shanahan pointing in between to wipe out a Rory Purcell point for Sarsfields.

And, Clonakenny had a third goal disallowed in the 43rd minute when Matthew O’Sullivan reacted to a brilliant Kevin Bracken save and turned the ball into the net – square ball was the ruling and Sarsfields were off the hook. That goal would have cut the deficit to four points – instead Cian O’Dwyer and John Joe Ryan pointed before Sarsfields responded through Keith Loughnane and sub Robbie Stapleton.

The Thurles men were under serious pressure, and they summoned reserves from the bench to help dig themselves out of the rut – they managed to do so and matched Clonakenny on the scoreboard from that point until the end, thereby preserving their advantage and recording their third victory.

Rory Purcell finished very strongly with two points while Conor Lanigan added another against Nicky Byrne and Willie Ryan points for Clonakenny – Ryan had been despatched to the forward division from his usual defensive role in the hope of breaching the Sarsfields rearguard once again.

Clonakenny fought admirably against a big deficit and will be pleased to have shown such battling qualities. However, the deficit they faced was just too much and the experience of the Thurles men, with Cahill immense at centre back, ensured that they were able to stem the tide when waters threatened to spill over them.

Player of the Match: Michael Cahill (Thurles Sarsfields)

Thurles Sarsfields: Kevin Bracken (6); Kieran Moloney (7), Aidan Ryan (6), Jack O’Mara (6), Tommy Doyle (6), Michael Cahill (8), Kieran Costelloe (8), Tommy Maher (0-3, 3f, 7), Harry Fitzgibbon (6), Michael Russell (6), Conor Lanigan (0-4, 8), Rory Purcell (0-4, 7), Michael O’Brien (1-1, 7), Pa Bourke (0-4, 8), Keith Loughnane (1-2, 7).

Subs: Daniel Rossiter (6) for Fitzgibbon (42); David Maher (6) for O’Mara (51); Aidan Stakelum (NR) for Doyle (57); Robbie Stapleton (0-1, 7) for Bourke (58 mins).

Clonakenny: Willie Costigan (6); John Costigan (8), Diarmuid Ryan (6), Alexi Harty (6); MJ Carroll (6), Willie Ryan (0-1, 7), Proinsias Matthews (7); John Joe Ryan (0-2, 6), Cain Russell (6); Delacy Byrne (7), Peadar Byrne (0-1, 6), Cian O’Dwyer (1-2f, 7); Matthew O’Sullivan (1-1, 7), Nicky Ryan (0-4, 7), Conor Nesbitt (6).

Subs: Bobby Bergin (7) for Nesbitt (HT); Conor Shanahan (0-1, 6) for Russell (HT); Gearoid Byrne (6) for O’Sullivan (51); Brian Mullally (6) for Carroll (51); Sean Maher (NR) for Byrne (57).

Referee: Marty Ryan (Moyne-Templetuohy).