Nenagh unable to contain slick Sarsfields

Nenagh Eire Og were unable to summon the performance they needed to overcome the challenge of a slick Thurles Sarsfields side in this County Senior Hurling Championship quarter final on Sunday.

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Quarter Final

Thurles Sarsfields 0-29

Nenagh Eire Og 1-19

Report: Shane Brophy at FBD Semple Stadium

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Liam McCormack (Thurles Sarsfields)

SCORERS – Thurles Sarsfields: Stephen Cahill 0-5; Liam McCormack, Eoin Purcell, Aidan McCormack (3 frees, 1 65) 0-4 each; Darragh Stakelum 0-3; Conor Stakelum, Paddy Creedon, Pa Bourke (frees) 0-2 each; Cathal Moloney, Michael Purcell, Seanie Butler 0-1 each.

Nenagh Eire Og: Michael Heffernan 0-8 (7 frees); Tomm Heffernan 0-4; Sam O’Farrell 0-3; Adam Healy 1-0; Jake Morris 0-2; Conor Ryan, Barry Heffernan 0-1 each.

The sky blues record over Sars has been decent over the past decade, but this is back-to-back defeats against the royal blues, again like last years clash in Borrisoleigh, the game as played on Thurles’ term as they were more convincing winners than the seven point margin suggests.

When sub Adam Healy goaled on 53 minutes and Michael Heffernan landed a long range free shortly after, it was hard to fathom how there were just three points between the sides, and there was time for Nenagh to go on and win. However, there was no element of panic from Thurles who had already begun to empty their bench at that stage, taking off Paddy Creedon who was a powerful target man in the full-forward line while free-taker and joint-captain and Aidan McCormack was also off the park. However, Thurles’ panel is deep and was shown with three of their subs getting on the scoresheet in the closing stages, Michael Purcell, Seanie Butler and Pa Bourke, the latter making his first senior appearance since 2022, held back from playing in the premier intermediate quarter final the previous day against Cashel, which suggests he will have a key role to play in the latter stages of the senior championship.

It was some of the younger players that were to the fore for Thurles in the scoring sense with Eoin Purcell and the elusive Liam McCormack contributing four each while the elusive Stephen Cahill found pockets of space all through to finish with five from play, with Darragh Stakelum also to the fore with three.

23 points from play is an impressive haul out of 29. In fact, Thurles has fifty shots at goal in the match, their only goal chance in the 37th minute from Conor Stakelum that was well turned away by Dermot McTiernan.

Fifty shots is also an indictment of Nenagh Eire Og and their lack of intensity in closing down the Thurles ball-carrier. Now, Sars move the ball quickly, but there were numerous times when Nenagh players didn’t go towards the striker when they were lining up a shot at goal.

Jake Morris’ reaction to his second minute point which opened the scoring, quickly followed by a Tommy Heffernan point, suggested Nenagh were going to play with an edge and intensity, and they did in the early stages with both players giving Thurles problems in the first twenty minutes, as well as Sam O’Farrell at wing-forward who had three points from play in that time as the sides were level at nine point apiece.

Just after Liam McCormack nudged Thurles back in front, Conor McCarthy, not long back after recovering from a cruciate knee injury, crumpled to the ground with a similar looking injury which is cruel on a human level after a tough last eighteen months.

His loss was significant as it meant Nenagh had to reorganise their team with Mason Cawley moving from midfield to the full-back line, but Eire Og missed the physicality McCarthy brings. Sam O’Farrell moved to midfield, but he didn’t have the impact as at wing forward, while the introduced Filip McIntyre worked hard but his lack of size worked against him against an experienced Sars rearguard.

After Nenagh’s lively start in attack, Thurles slowly got to grips with Nenagh’s plan of getting early direct ball into Jake Morris & co inside but Ronan Maher from the twentieth minute onwards cut out a lot of ball, although some of the ball Morris was asked to try and win wasn’t of the require quality.

When you struggle to retain possession, Thurles are too good a side not to be able to work the ball out effectively from defence from where they amassed 29 points from eleven different scorers while also amassing fifteen wides.

TEAMS – Thurles Sarsfields: Patrick McCormack (7); Denis Maher (7), Paul Maher (7), Stephen Maher (7); James Armstrong (7), Ronan Maher (8), Cian Stakelum (6); Conor Stakelum (7), Cathal Moloney (6); Stephen Cahill (8), Aidan McCormack (6), Darragh Stakelum (7); Liam McCormack (8), Paddy Creedon (7), Eoin Purcell (8).

Subs: Pa Bourke for Creedon (50); Seanie Butler for A McCormack (51); David Corbett for L McCormack (55); Michael Purcell for S Maher (58 inj); Kieran Costello for Cian Stakelum (60).

Nenagh Eire Og: Dermot McTiernan (7); Mark Carey (6), Conor McCarthy (6), Conor Ryan (7); Paddy Murphy (6), Barry Heffernan (6), Conor Hennessy (6); Mason Cawley (6), James Mackey (6); Sam O’Farrell (8), Tommy Heffernan (8), Michael Heffernan (7); Ben West (6), Jake Morris (7), Josh Keller (6).

Subs: Filip McIntyre (6) for McCarthy (23 inj); Adam Healy (7) for West (44); Jamie Cottrell (6) for Mackey (46); Cian Crowley (6) for Keller (51).

Referee: Conor Doyle (Silvermines).