Loughmore given helping hand by Kilruane

Loughmore/Castleiney are too good a team to give them a helping hand and that is how Kilruane MacDonaghs will rue on their defeat in this County Senior Hurling Championship quarter final on Sunday.

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Quarter Final

Loughmore/Castleiney 2-22

Kilruane MacDonaghs 1-19

Report: Shane Brophy at FBD Semple Stadium

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: John McGrath (Loughmore/Castleiney)

SCORERS – Loughmore/Castleiney: John McGrath 0-10 (7 frees, 1 65); Ciaran McCormack, Liam McGrath 1-1 each; Ed Connolly 0-3; Ciaran Connolly 0-2; Ed Meagher, Tommy Maher, Tomas McGrath, Noel McGrath, Liam Treacy 0-1 each.

Kilruane MacDonaghs: Willie Cleary 1-8 (0-8 frees); Cian Darcy, Jerome Cahill 0-3 each; Aaron Morgan 0-2; Niall O’Meara, Kian O’Kelly, Thomas Cleary 0-1 each.

The final six point margin is harsh on Kilruane, but Loughmore/Castleiney have been doing this all championship, finishing strongly, and here reeled off the last five points as they picked off the 2022 champions on the counter-attack to stay on course for a fifth Dan Breen Cup.

One thing that Loughmore/Castleiney don’t do is panic and when Willie Cleary goaled on 37 minutes to give Kilruane a 1-13 to 0-12 lead, certainly they went on heightened alert. However, they were gifted a route back into the game when following a converted free from John McGrath from the subsequent puckout, Kilruane goalkeeper Paidi Williams somehow failed to see Liam McGrath with a short puckout, from where Ciaran McCormack, just on a sub, goaled with his first touch and suddenly Kilruane’s lead and momentum was gone.

They conceded a second goal three minutes later, again Kilruane turning the ball over in defence when they could have cleared their lines, and Liam McGrath punished them in ruthless fashion.

Kilruane MacDonaghs didn’t let the two sucker punches affect them and were just one point adrift on 57 minutes before Loughmore reeled off five points in a row to seal the win.

MacDonaghs will reflect on their inability to sustain their first half performance, particularly in attack where Thomas Cleary was particularly effective on the forty, but Loughmore managed to negate him, as well as Kian O’Kelly in the second half, with Jerome Cahill their only regular threat with three points from play, but needed more support with Cian Darcy held to one point in the second half, after two in a bright first half.

Loughmore/Castleiney are too good a side not to figure things out as a game goes on with John Ryan particularly effective under the high ball in the second half at wing back while Brian McGrath swept up effectively in the middle.

Noel McGrath had one of his least impactful games in the championship as Kilruane man-marked him with Aaron Morgan to good effect, with Morgan actually outscoring him, two points to one. However, McGrath came to the fore late on as Loughmore held onto their lead and it was his precision passes which created the openings for the pull-away points, the last for his brother John which brought his tally to ten, two from play, but was hugely impactful overall in getting on the ball.

Their better use of the ball was the reason Loughmore progressed with ten different scorers with all players comfortable won the ball. The return to fitness and form of Ciaran and Ed Connolly is a huge boon to them this year plus with Liam Treacy returning from injury as a second half sub, the Mid champions have everyone available that they would want going into the business end of the championship which makes them formidable indeed.

For Kilruane MacDonaghs, after the disappointment of the 2023 championship where they ended up in a relegation battle, to get back on the front foot is a positive from the year and with good under 19 and minor teams coming, if they are moulded correctly they would be regular contenders for years to come but on this occasion they just came up a little short.

TEAMS – Loughmore/Castleiney: Aidan McGrath (7); Willie Eviston (7), Joey Hennessy (6), Lorcan Egan (7); John Ryan (8), Brian McGrath (8), Ed Meagher (7); Noel McGrath (6), Ciaran Connolly (8); Ed Connolly (8), Tomas McGrath (7), Tommy Maher (7); John McGrath (8), Ciaran McGrath (6), Liam McGrath (7).

Subs: Ciaran McCormack (7) for C McGrath (37); Liam Treacy (6) for Meagher (49 inj).

Kilruane MacDonaghs: Paidi Williams (7); James Cleary (7), Eoin Hogan (7), Craig Morgan (6); Darragh Peters (6), Niall O’Meara (7), Kieran Cahill (7); Aaron Morgan (7), Conor Austin (6); Thomas Cleary (7), Cian Darcy (7), Willie Cleary (7); Mark O’Neill (6), Jerome Cahill (7), Kian O’Kelly (6).

Subs: Seamus Hennessy (6) for D Peters (44); Jack Peters (6) for Austin (53); Cian Moyles (NR) for O’Neill (58).

Referee: Kevin Jordan (Thurles Gaels).