Moycarkey squeezed them up as an all-Mid decider looms on the horizon. A repeat of 2021 and 2024 perhaps?
By Noel Dundon Tipperary Media
In last weekend’s match programme, I wrote that there would be at least one surprise in the outcome of the county hurling quarter finals. But, never did I think it would be the defending County Senior Champions who would be on the receiving end of that major surprise – or more accurately that shock even.
Humble pie devoured at this stage and having had plenty of time to digest the championship pudding, it’s still a mystery as to how Kiladangan actually lost that game in FBD Semple Stadium on Saturday. The easy answer is to suggest that they pulled the handbrake when they thought they had the game in the bag, and by the time they realised the contest was slipping from them, it was too late. It would also be too easy to write this game up as a real David and Goliath moment in which David got lucky and slayed the giant through sheer resilience and a mantra of just not giving in.
Perhaps the accurate analysis would be a combination of both scenarios outlined above. Moycarkey Borris are back in their first county senior hurling semi-final since the early eighties, because they didn’t give up the ghost, but also because Kiladangan took their eye off the ball – after all, they were seven points clear with ten minutes to go, looked to be cruising home, and yet incredibly, they got sucker punched- rabbit punched even.
Max Hackett’s only decent possession in the game – four minutes into injury time – resulted in him bursting the net to claim a two point lead. He was brave in the extreme – imagine if that shot for goal had been blocked when a point would have tied the game. But, it wasn’t and Hackett was the hero on a day when Moycarkey Borris did indeed ‘squeez em up’ and dumped the highly fancied champions out.
The scenes in Semple Stadium at the final whistle were more akin to a county final victory than a last eight one, but that’s what it meant to Moycarkey Borris – a priceless feeling delivered by Eddie Brennan and his expansive management team. Anybody who might have had doubts about the Kilkenny man’s influence were left in no doubt by tea-time Saturday evening. Even Hackett’s goal was ‘Brennan-esque’ with the catch, the lean into the defender and the finish, not to mention the liberal use of steps. A magic moment in the extreme.
Picture Credit; Mary Shelly Moycarkey Borris
The surprises were kept to just one game in the senior grade. Toomevara overcoming JK Brackens with the help of a Darragh McCarthy scoring spree was not a surprise; neither was Sarsfields slick victory over Nenagh Éire Óg; and neither was Loughmore Castleiney’s victory over Kilruane MacDonagh – the majors in this game being self inflicted wounds on the part of the north men.
So, three mid teams make up the bulk of the semi-final slots, with Toomevara representing the rest of the Premier County. With the champions out, it really is all to play for and the chances of another all-mid decider are very strong – there have been six of those since the turn of the millennium with Sarsfields winning four of them and Loughmore Castleiney two. Incidentally, depending on the draw there is a strong possibility that we could be looking at a fourth county senior hurling final featuring those two clubs – the position sits at one drawn game and one victory each.
Moycarkey Borris and Toomevara will have something to say about all that, and of course, the draw will too. The excitement is mounting and it’s just brilliant.
When will they Learn
I just cannot fathom the number of scores being conceded by teams who insist on playing out of defence; using short puckouts; running off the shoulder; and getting turned over. Kilruane MacDonagh coughed up 2-3 in the second half of Sunday’s game; JK Brackens were suckered time and again on Saturday; and Kiladangan, well, when it went wrong, it went really wrong. Surely, getting the ball to the other end of the field ASAP where the opposition cannot score, should be the goal, but apparently not. Other teams were guilty too, but these were the standouts. Crazy stuff – coaches really need to look at themselves and play smart rather than trying to appear smart.