IN ALL FAIRNESS - Ormond have come a long way

These are special days for Nenagh Ormond, and they have enjoyed a lot of them over the last 25 years or so. Nenagh Ormond might have been founded in 1884, the same year as the GAA, and it is because of that largely they spent most of their existence at junior level, that until 2005 when they elevated themselves to senior level for the first time.

As exciting as that transition was, there was an initial fear of how Nenagh Ormond would cope, as moving from play junior rugby, traditionally played on a Sunday afternoon, to the All-Ireland League on a Saturday might have impacted on players being able to commit.

However, the transition has been largely seamless, immediately settling in an reaching a Division 2B League final in 2010 where following that they won the title in 2014 to rise to the third tier of senior club rugby where they have resided since, until now.

There were spells where their time in Division 2B was under threat particularly around the Covid years where their struggles were acute and in 2022 barely retained their status in the division. It was then that Nenagh Ormond made a determined decision to change their approach, return to the values that got them out of the junior grade in the first place, focusing on developing their own talent through youth and it has paid off.

Getting the likes of the experienced Derek Corcoran back from Limerick as Head Coach was huge, as was the appointment of Strength & Conditioning Coach Colm Skehan prior to the 2022/2023 campaign, and to such an extent of their progress and the enjoyment he got from his first campaign, Skehan put on his boots once again this year as a player and played a key role in the front row.

The progress last season probably caught the management and players by surprise a little, finishing third in the division and losing narrowly in the promotion playoff to Blackrock College. However, it was the run to the Munster Senior Cup final that instilled the belief that Nenagh had the potential to play at a much higher level. Defeating Garryowen and Highfield, teams higher than them in the league ladder was one thing but outplaying Young Munster for large parts of the final, was another, despite losing agonisingly with the last kick of the game.

That experience was enough for the players to want more and pre-season prior to the 2023/2024 season was a relatively easy motivator as they knew they had the talent, they just needed the preparation in terms of building themselves up to avoid injury, to last the pace and they did that as they sustained few long term injuries this season.

Then there is the depth to the squad. Not many teams, even in divisions 1A & 1B, can have props in the form of Mikey Doran, Jack O’Keefe, Colm Shekan and Sean Frawley, any two can play and the scrum doesn’t miss a beat.

Then there is the second row of Jake O’Kelly and Kevin O’Flaherty, but hot on their heels is nineteen-year-old Joe Coffey who makes an impact every time he comes off the bench. Last Saturday’s back row was made up of John O’Flaherty, John Healy and Evan Murphy, all excellent players with Murphy especially the most improved player this year to such an extent that John Hayes couldn’t get his place back after injury. Indeed, that Hayes and Rob Buckley didn’t even make the bench shows the depth that Nenagh have, and crucially will need going into Division 1B next year where they will be allowed one extra player on the bench, rising from five to six, and will make the managements job a little easier.

Out the back, Nicky Irwin is one of the best scrum-halves in the club game and runs the game superbly, aided by the likes of player head coach Derek Corcoran, a survivor from the junior days, and Ben Pope, their New Zealand addition, who along with Josh Rowland add a splash of All-Black class.

For the likes of a small club like Nenagh Ormond to punch above their weight at this level, they need to do things a little differently and play very much like a family where everyone is tightly knit, which makes the transition for the likes of Pope and Rowland a little easier and also nicer, particularly when there are more high profile clubs they could have gone to.

Sometimes it comes down to the fit, and then playing with the quality of players such as David Gleeson, Patrick Scully, Conor McMahon (who briefly went into Limerick before returning to where he felt most comfortable) and then skipper Willie Coffey who wouldn’t look out of place in a Division 1A side.

The sky is the limit for Nenagh Ormond who have nothing to fear in Division 1B next year as Queens University and Blackrock, who were promoted ahead of them last year, have competed well for the large part with ‘Rock safe for another season while Queens look like they will be involved in a relegation playoff, with maybe Cashel coming up and wouldn’t that make the season complete if the Tipperary derby continued at a higher level next season.