Cashel and Swan seeking to make it back to the top table

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship Final Preview

By James Hayden

CASHEL KING CORMACS

V

CARRICK SWAN

FBD Semple Stadium

Sunday, 13th October

Throw-in @ 1.30pm

Referee: Michael Kennedy (Newcastle)

Next Sunday will mark a big day for the famed Cashel King Cormacs and Carrick Swan clubs as they bid to regain the much-coveted senior hurling status in the Premier County.

Both sides are peppered with a potent blend of youth and experience and are under no illusions as to the task in hand in their respective bids to capture the Seamus O Riain Cup in what is a hotly-anticipated County Premier Intermediate Hurling Final.

Success has been hard to come by over the years for the once mighty Cashel King Cormacs club and many will remember those halcyon days of the early 90’s when they were crowned high kings of Munster in 1991 as well as capturing the famed Dan Breen Cup for the first and only time that same year. Add in the fact that they captured six West senior titles between 1988 and 1995 and you had an era that many followers of the red and green long for once more.

For Carrick Swan, this year has seen the sleeping Southern giants emerge from the pack following an impressive campaign where they won the divisional senior title with wins over great rivals Mullinahone and Killenaule. Their county group stage campaign which saw Kieran Reade's side defeat Upperchurch/Drombane and Ballina before slipping up to Silvermines many wondered if they possessed the necessary wherewithal to negotiate the knock-out stages.

Navigating those choppy waters has proven difficult but the Swans have managed to stay afloat and plot a course into today’s decider following a comprehensive nine-point victory over North Burgess in the quarter-final and a 0-18 to 0-14 victory over Gortnahoe-Glengoole in the semi-final.

Cashel King Cormacs on the other hand have been very much a slow-burner this year, after winning the West title which has proved pivotal in their run to the final. This is because they suffered an opening round group stage loss to Gortnahoe-Glengoole before a three goal victory over Moyne-Templetuohy and draw with West rivals Eire Og Annacarty saw them finish outside the top two, but the safety net of being West champions afforded the TJ Connolly managed side a shot at redemption.

Cashel edged out neighbours Boherlahan-Dualla 1-22 to 1-18 in that preliminary quarter-final in a game that that served to ignite their season before annihilating Thurles Sarsfield in a one-sided the quarter-final and digging as deep as they ever have had to overcome a battle-hardened and fancied Upperchurch-Drombane in a thrilling 6-21 to 2-28 extra-time semi-final victory.

That victory in what was an eight-goal thriller should stand them in good stead for this final, and in Cathal Quinn, Eoghan Connolly, Devon Ryan, Ross Bonnar and Oisin O’Donoghue they have players who can turn a match on a sixpence. Throw in the defensive capabilities of Nathan Ryan, Conor O’Dwyer, Ronan Connolly and captain James Cummins and you have a side that are fully capable of bringing the Seamus O Riain Cup back to the ‘Rock’ for the first time.

However, standing in their path is a Carrick Swan side gunning for their first county title at this grade, and a second Seamus O Riain Cup having been the inaugural winners in 2008.

Their side is led by the inspirational captain, Eric O’Halloran and a side boasting bagfuls of guile, class, nous and experience.

To date, the reigning South senior champions have found the necessary wherewithal to dispatch their adversaries with Aaron O’Halloran, Caellum Lanigan, Aaron Dunne and Aidan Waters all very much to the fore in the scoring stakes while in defence Scott Hogan and Gavin O’Halloran have marshalled their respective defensive lines very well throughout this year’s campaign while Shane Torpey and Ben Mulcaire have caused headaches for most opposing sides.

Kieran Lonergan between the sticks has also been a huge influence on his side and notwithstanding his netminding capabilities the Swans shot-stopper has honed his puckout skills to a fine art.

Given the nature of the results to date the reigning West champions appear to have the necessary wherewithal to lift the Seamus O Riain Cup. However, there have been subsequent peaks and troughs in the performances of both finalists this year and therefore it is distinctly difficult to predict who will prevail on the hallowed Semple Stadium turf. One thing is for sure, Sunday's decider is sure to be a cracking encounter!