Rusty Thurles do enough to book Croke Park final date

GAA: Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Senior ‘A’ Hurling Semi-Final

Thurles CBS 0-21

Claregalway College 0-17

Report: Noel Dundon at St Rynagh’s Park, Banagher

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Eoin Collins (Claregalway College)

SCORERS - Thurles CBS: Cormac Fitzpatrick 0-6 (5 frees), Robbie Ryan, Jack Hayes 0-3 each; Tiarnan Ryan, Ryne Bargary 0-2 each; Toby Corbett, Euan Murray, Kieran Rossiter, Cillian Minogue 0-1 each.

Claregalway College: Eoin Collins 0-8 (5 frees), Cormac Feeney, Gearoid King 0-2 each; Mark Walsh, Dylan Casserly, Ronan Duggan, Jack Kelly, Daniel Fitzmaurice 0-1 each.

Thurles CBS had to use all their resolve and resoluteness to battle their way to the final of the Croke Cup - All-Ireland Senior ‘A’ Hurling Final when they encountered a stronger and more physically imposing Claregalway College in the semi-final on Saturday.

A game which was always close and hard fought, it took the fancied Thurles lads until well into the second half before they were able to put some daylight between themselves and their opponents and even at that it was far from comfortable.

Mind you, hitting a whopping nineteen wides didn’t help their cause and the Thurles lads displayed a lot of rustiness in the touch and the application – perhaps the month-long lay-off since they won the Dr Harty Cup did not help their cause.

They got the job done without hitting the gears they are usually accustomed to, but the Thurles management team will know that there is much work to do before they meet another Galway school in Presentation College Athenry in the final in Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day.

Perhaps though, they will have learned much from this semi-final clash. The wides tally of thirteen by half time was one of the main talking points of the first half – the Thurles lads were simply off target and the more they tried the more it seemed to go astray for them.

In saying that the fact that they went in at 0-9 apiece at half time despite being so wasteful, suggested that they would pull clear when they found their range.

The Galway boys were fully committed, hard hitting and more physical and it was no surprise that they came from 0-6 to 0-3 down by midway through the half, to lead with four to go to the break – Gearoid King (2), Eoin Collins (3), Jack Kelly and Cormac Feeney pointing for them to match efforts from Cormac Fitzpatrick (2), Jack Hayes (2), Ryne Bargary and Tiarnan Ryan for Thurles.

It was important that Thurles responded, and they did through Robbie Ryan and Cillian Minogue in quick success to re-take the advantage before Dylan Casserly levelled again. Toby Corbett for Thurles and Ronan Duggan for Claregalway traded points before the whistle to tie the game up for the third time.

That was the nature of the exchanges – nip and tuck, point for point, score following score. But it changed a little after resumption – perhaps the message to remain patient and keep doing the right things had hit the spot in the half time team talk.

Claregalway hit the front with a 32nd minute pointed free from Collins, but four in succession from Thurles through Jack Hayes who should have goaled with his blasted effort over the bar, Robbie Ryan, Cormac Fitzpatrick, and Ryne Bargary opened a gap. Collins traded pointed frees with a Kieran Rossiter point and a Fitzpatrick point (both from play) before Fitzpatrick hit two frees to extend the Thurles lead to five with eight minutes remaining.

The scores were coming thick and fast now with Claregalway hitting back with two more Collins frees – three point game again. Thurles’ Euan Murray and Robbie Ryan responded before Cormac Feeney cut the deficit to four, and then Fitzpatrick added another to make it five.

The Claregalway lads were proving a stubborn bunch and they continued to take the game to Thurles and chase them down – Daniel Fitzmaurice and a long free from goalkeeper Mark Walsh leaving three in it again. Walsh’s score could easily have ended up in the net though – it bounced high off the artificial surface in the goalmouth and spun up over the crossbar much to the relief of keeper Harry Loughnane. It was a let-off for Thurles and they managed a final game-sealing score deep in injury time when David Costigan won a great turnover, laid off to Murray who fed Tiarnan Ryan to put four in it.

Thurles deserve great credit for digging out a victory in tough circumstances – they now know that places in All-Ireland finals do not come easy. But they had the coolness and the wherewithal to manufacture the victory and that will please them, even if the performance will have left many boxes unticked. Euan Murray, Robbie Ryan, Ryne Bargary, Tiarnan Ryan, Cormac Fitzpatrick and Evan Morris were very prominent for them, while Toby Corbett and Kieran Rossiter had good passages.

Thurles march on to St Patrick’s Day, but they will have to up the ante considerably if the Croke Cup is to accompany the Harty in their display cabinet.

TEAMS - Thurles CBS: Harry Loughnane (Roscrea 7); Toby Corbett (Upperchurch/Drombane 8), Evan Morris (Holycross/Ballycahill 8), Jack Lahart (Holycross/Ballycahill 7); Killian Cantwell (Moycarkey/Borris 6), Keith Loughnane (Thurles Sarsfields 6), Ryne Bargary (Boherlahan-Dualla 7); Euan Murray (Durlas Og 8), Kieran Rossiter (Durlas Og 7); Tiarnan Ryan (Holycross/Ballycahill 7), David Costigan (Moycarkey/Borris 7), Cormack Fitzpatrick (Drom & Inch 8); Jack Hayes (Moycarkey/Borris 7), Cillian Minogue (Thurles Sarsfields 6), Robbie Ryan (Holycross/Ballycahill, Capt 8).

Subs: James Butler (Sean Treacys 6) for Minogue (49); Leelan Donoghue (Durlas Og NR) for Rossiter (58).

Claregalway College: Mark Walsh (7), Cormac Gillespie (5), Daniel Hughes (7), Brendan Fox (6), Matthew Collins (7), Sean Moran (8), Dylan Casserly (7), Gearoid King (8), Ben Morley (8), Jack Kelly (7), Eoin Collins (9), Ronan Duggan (7), Cormac Feeney (7), Patrick O’Kane (6), Daniel Fitzmaurice (7).

Subs: Dylan O’Connell (6) for Gillespie (20); Sean O’Callaghan (6) for O’Kane (41); Colin Fahy (7) for Fox (HT); Eanna Flaherty (6) for Kelly (53); Ciaran Collins (NR) for Duggan (57).

Referee: Eamon Furlong (Wexford).