Four-team race for North Intermediate Hurling title

By Shane Brophy

Moneygall put the Father Hewitt Cup on the line as the North Tipperary Intermediate Hurling Championship begins this Sunday in Nenagh

Four teams enter this years race with Portroe, relegated from premier intermediate, taking the place of Kiladangan who were relegated to Junior ‘A’.

BORRISOKANE

The Lower Ormond club reached last years North final but were well beaten by Moneygall, who also knocked them out of the county championship at the quarter final stage.

However, it was campaign where they never hit their best form admitted vice-captain Liam Cleary.

“Inconsistency has been a problem the last few years,” he said.

“Two years, ago we ran Lorrha close but we haven’t gotten up to that level since. We threatened at times to so consistency is basically what we are looking for, starting with performance and building from there.”

Local John Egan manages the team this year and have secured the services of Niall McGrath as coach, the Burgess native having guided Boherlahan-Dualla to the intermediate title last year.

“He (Niall) has thought us that on any day anyone can beat anyone so it is about bringing performance levels every day and getting on a roll, and you never know where you can end up,” Cleary added.

MONEYGALL

Ordinarily, a North title would be a successful campaign for Moneygall but they wanted more as their county championship dreams ended at the hands of eventual winners Boherlahan-Dualla in the semi-final.

“We are trying to use that disappointment as fuel for this year,” admitted Moneygall captain Paddy Fogarty.

“It was small margins but at the end of the day. They won the game, and we have to take that on the chin and try and improve this year and get over the line, that’s what we have been working on.”

Moneygall have been hugely impressive at developing players in recent years with Sean Kenneally one of the few bright spots for Tipp this year while they have double representation in next Saturday’s All Ireland Minor final.

“We want to put that potential to good use,” Fogarty added.

“We don’t want to be the young coming team, we are a team on the rise and push on through the grades. It is grand having lads on county squads, but you need to make hay when the sun shines.

Club stalwart Willie Greene manages the team this year with Kiladangan’s Dan Hackett in as coach.

PORTROE

Portroe are back in the intermediate grade for the first time since 1990 following their relegation from the second tier and Jack O’Callaghan admitted they have to accept their new reality.

“The mood was low at the end of last year, getting relegated after losing two matches we could have won,” he said.

“We just have to learn from the mistakes we made last year and try and get straight back up. “It is our reality, we have to accept where we are and that is part of building on last year.”

Portroe have secured the services of Jimmy Browne as manager with local man Damien Ryan as coach of a side that have been hit hard by missing key players last year, added to by a leg injury sustained by Kevin O’Halloran towards the end of the local soccer season. Ruadhan Mulrooney is still away it AJ Willis should be back for the county championship.

“Everyone just wants to do well this year, wherever that may take us,” O’Callaghan added.

“As long as we play to the best of our ability, everyone has been rowing in since the start of the year and we are gunning for this and try and get straight back up, and do right by the parish and the lads we have been training with over the last few years.

SHANNON ROVERS

Shannon Rovers drew the short straw in the divisional and championships last year with the toughest draws possible, and they got it again with a North semi-final against Moneygall.

“We know each other inside out at this stage,” admitted Rovers captain George Hannigan of their two championship defeats to their rivals last year as well as a league semi-final last month.

“They have come out on top on those occasions, but we’d be hoping to change that on Saturday.

“The teams we were grouped with last year turned out to be the ones that got to the business end of the championship, so you don’t know what is a hard group until it plays out.”

The Rovers have been involved in the relegation process for the last two years, saving their status on both occasions so at minimum they will be hoping to avoid that again.

“We have put ourselves in positions to win games,” Hannigan added, “but haven’t seen it out but relegation is the most pressurised position you can be in with all that is at stake and lads have stepped up when it mattered but we don’t want to be finding ourselves in those games to see what you are made of. Qualifying for the knockouts is the game for this year.”

Overview

Moneygall are deserving favourites to claim back-to-back North Intermediate titles but they are forewarned of what Shannon Rovers can do on their day, but the holders should advance to the final.

The second semi-final is intriguing. Portroe have played at a higher level than Borrisokane in recent years but how they have mentally adapted to relegation will be key. However, the loss of Kevin O’Halloran might be too much to overcome in terms of winning this semi-final.