O’Flaherty delighted with Nenagh’s belief
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Nenagh Ormond’s John Healy, Nicky Irwin, Conor O’Shaughnessy, Ben Pope, Conor McMahon, Fionn O’Meara and Jake O’Kelly savour the win over Young Munster. PHOTOs: ODHRAN DUCIE Odhran DucieImage 2 of 3
Nenagh Ormond captain Kevin O’Flaherty speaks to the panel after the game of the challenges that still lie ahead. Odhran DucieImage 3 of 3
Nenagh Ormond’s Fionn O’Meara safely brings down the lineout in the Munster Senior Cup semi-final Odhran DucieBy James Hayden
Nenagh Ormond captain Kevin O’Flaherty spoke of his side’s “belief” in the wake of their Munster Senior Challenge Cup semi-final victory over a strong Young Munster side in Limerick on Friday night.
The men in red and white exacted revenge for their 2023 final defeat to Munsters but were pushed all the way by the home side in what was a pulsating, dramatic, and entertaining encounter.
“Without a doubt there is a great belief in our side, and it was hugely in evidence out there,” admitted skipper O’Flaherty.
“We felt we had the bench to make the impact when needed also, and it was a case of keeping pace with Munsters and then hoping we could edge them out in the finish.
“We had a great start and got over for two tries in the opening fifteen minutes which was a great boost for us.
“We knew Young Munster would have their purple patch too though and we knew that once we could keep pace with them we knew we would be well in with a shout of victory.
“We were also confident that our fitness would carry us through what was a very physical fixture against one of the top teams in Munster. We have some great lads coming through in the side and their impact has been really noticeable this season.”
The second-row forward agreed that the outcome of Friday’s semi-final was in doubt right until the final whistle and praised Ormond’s kicker Conor McMahon for his calmness under pressure, particularly with the final penalty which ultimately proved the deciding score of the game.
“Conor has been in great form and he slotted the penalty over with ease,” O’Flaherty continued.
“We knew Munsters were going to come back at us from the restart, but our defence held fast.
“From the supporters perspective, I’d say it was a great game of rugby to watch and we are looking forward to seeing it back again on video. You can’t really get a true reflection of the game when you are out there in the middle of it, so we are really looking forward to seeing it.”
The Nenagh captain also paid tribute to the Ormond faithful who travelled to Tom Clifford Park on Friday evening.
“We had great support here tonight and we have had great support all year. I would say we matched Young Munster here for support and our supporters have been fantastic all season.
“Hopefully, now we can back up this victory with a win over Old Belvedere (AIL) next weekend, but after that our focus will turn to the clash with Old Crescent in the Munster Senior Cup final.
“We are under no illusions as to the challenge we face but we will be really looking forward to the next few weeks.”
OLD BELVEDERE v NENAGH ORMOND
Ollie Campbell Park, Dublin
Saturday, 1st March
Kick-off @ 2.30pm
Referee: Stuart Douglas